Verstappen in pole position to claim second F1 world title

Max Verstappen put himself in prime position to secure his second F1 world championship by setting the fastest time in qualifying on Saturday.

The Dutchman in the Red Bull Racing car needs to out-score Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc by eight points to retain the title he claimed in 2021, and got off to a great start by outqualifying him by 0.01 seconds around the famous Suzuka circuit in Japan.

Verstappen though must first avoid a penalty dished out by the stewards after he forced McLaren driver Lando Norris off the track during qualifying.

Should he avoid being penalised though, Verstappen will start the race from pole position.

He said: “I was driving slowly and wanted to accelerate but my tyres were quite cold and I had a bit of a moment, and of course Lando was trying to pass me at the same time so he had to avoid me a little bit but luckily nothing happened.

“It was incredible to drive here again, especially on low fuel.

“It will be interesting to see the weather - some day it will be dry, others say it will be raining at some point during hte race. We need to see what happens, but I’m confident we have a good car so I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez meanwhile was fourth fastest behind the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, with Esteban Ocon fifth for Alpine, ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in sixth, Fernando Alonso (Alpine) seventh, George Russell (Mercedes) eighth, Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) ninth and Norris (McLaren) rounding out the top ten.