Sunny. Dry. Air +27…29С, highway +38С
Qualifying in Suzuka is not of fundamental importance – the track allows overtaking, but it always turns out to be interesting, especially after the unexpected failure of Red Bull and the success of Ferrari at the previous stage in Singapore.
However, Red Bull’s problems remained in Singapore, and in Suzuka Max Verstappen led by a large margin both on Friday and on Saturday morning.
There were no empty seats in the stands. The excellent weather was slightly spoiled by the increased wind, but the spectators were not so hot. They supported everyone, but especially their fellow countryman Yuki Tsunoda. This morning it was announced that he will remain with AlphaTauri for the 2024 season.
Taking into account the traditionally high tire wear, Pirelli brought a “hard” three compounds to the stage – C1, C2 and C3 in the roles of Hard, Medium and Soft.
In the first session everyone went to Soft. Already in the ninth minute, red flags appeared – Logan Sargent crashed the car at the exit of the last turn.
The impact was strong, the car was seriously damaged, but the driver left the cockpit on his own, crossed the track and was sent to a medical center for check-up.
The pause lasted 12 minutes, then the riders were able to continue the fight. Verstappen showed the best time, completing a lap in 1:29.878. Bottas, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Zhou and Sargent did not qualify for the second part.
In the second session everyone also went to Soft. Piastri’s car stopped in the pit lane due to a problem with the power unit, and the mechanics rolled it into the pits.
As in the first session, many drivers had their laps canceled due to going off track.
The results were solid. Leclerc showed the best time, completing a lap in 1:29.940, the first four fit into one tenth. Lawson, Gasly, Albon, Ocon and Magnussen did not make it to the final.
In the final Verstappen completed the first lap in 1:29.012, one and a half seconds ahead of his teammate Perez. Piastri came closest to the Dutchman, but he lost by almost half a second.
In the second attempt, Max drove even faster – 1:28.877, ahead of everyone else by more than half a second.
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Max Verstappen won qualifying in Suzuka, taking the 29th pole of his career and ninth of the season. Oscar Piastri will share the first row of the starting field with him, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc will start from the second.
Qualification results
Driver Team 1 session 2 session 3 session M Time Kr M Time Kr M Time Kr 1. M. Verstappen Red Bull 1 1:29.878 3 2 1:29.964 3
1
1:28.877
6
2. O. Piastri McLaren 5 1:30.439 5 6 1:30.122 3
2
1:29.458
6
3. L. Norris McLaren 2 1:30.063 3 9 1:30.296 3
3
1:29.493
6
4. Sh. Leclerc Ferrari 3 1:30.393 5 1 1:29.940 6
4
1:29.542
3
5. C. Perez Red Bull 7 1:30.652 6 3 1:29.965 6
5
1:29.650
6
6. K. Sainz Ferrari 6 1:30.651 5 5 1:30.067 6
6
1:29.850
3
7. L. Hamilton Mercedes 10 1:30.811 6 4 1:30.040 6
7
1:29.908
6
8. D. Russell Mercedes 9 1:30.811 6 8 1:30.268 6
8
1:30.219
3
9. Yu.Tsunoda AlphaTauri 8 1:30.733 6 7 1:30.204 6
9
1:30.303
6
10. F.Alonso Aston Martin 14 1:30.971 6 10 1:30.465 6
10
1:30.560
3
11. L.Lawson AlphaTauri 4 1:30.425 10
11
1:30.508
6
12. P. Gasli Alpine 11 1:30.843 6
12
1:30.509
6
13. A. Elbon Williams 12 1:30.941 6
13
1:30.537
6
14. E.Okon Alpine 13 1:30.960 6
14
1:30.586
6
15. K.Magnussen Haas 15 1:30.976 6
15
1:30.665
3
16. V. Bottas Alfa Romeo
16
1:31.049
5
17. L. Stroll Aston Martin
17
1:31.181
7
18. N. Hulkenberg Haas
18
1:31.299
6
19. G. Zhou Alfa Romeo
19
1:31.398
6
20. L.Sargent Williams
20
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2
2023-09-23 07:28:08
#Japanese #Grand #Prix #Verstappen #wins #pole #position #Suzuka
