Karun Chandhok on What Makes Max Verstappen’s Pole Lap ‘An Absolute Masterclass’

With the kind of success Max Verstappen has achieved in the past four seasons, greatness is a term that has commonly been associated with him. Even in a sub-par Red Bull car, the way he is performing currently, people have been lost for adjectives to describe his sheer class.

His latest achievement in Japan is no different. Against all odds, the Dutchman managed to grab pole with a sensational lap, one that former F1 driver Karun Chandhok felt was “an absolute masterclass”.

With Verstappen not managing a higher finish than P5 in any of the practice sessions, it never looked like he would be able to challenge for pole. Moreover, McLaren’s consistency during practice—with either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri topping each session—made it seem likely that they will lock out the front row.

While the McLaren duo were in the hunt for pole, as expected, they could not do enough to beat Verstappen. The Dutchman set a lap time that was less just a few hundredths quicker than both Norris and Piastri to claim an unbelievable pole, one that even surprised him. Chandhok has now taken the time to analyze how Verstappen produced the perfect lap around Suzuka.

“Smooth, precise, committed…. An absolute masterclass in how to put every corner of a Quali lap together,” the Indian former driver wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Entry speed into Spoon curve was as impressive as the precision under braking at the chicane. Outstanding” @Max33Verstappen“.

Smooth, precise, committed…. An absolute masterclass in how to put every corner of a Quali lap together.

Entry speed into Spoon curve was as impressive as the precision under braking at the chicane.

Outstanding @Max33Verstappen https://t.co/s2dVpENACP

— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) April 5, 2025

Suzuka is a track where the Dutchman often excels. In fact, he has secured pole around this iconic circuit at each of the past three events since 2022—eventually winning all three races. So, there was little doubt that Verstappen would falter this time around in Japan, even though he didn’t have the ultimate pace in his RB21.

Fine margins separated Verstappen and Norris

F1 is all about pushing the limits, and Verstappen had to do exactly that to have any chance of securing pole at Suzuka. Ultimately, the gap between Norris and Verstappen was negligible. Fans on Reddit believe that the way the Red Bull driver navigated the Spoon corner was what made the difference.

“Spoon is the masterpiece of this lap: Braking about 40 metres later than Lando, he carries more speed into T14, where he doesn’t bother with feathering like Lando, but steps once onto the accelerator,” read a part of one fan’s detailed post about all the areas in which Verstappen gained over Norris.

Verstappen vs Norris Q3 laps: The finest of margins.
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Another pointed out how Verstappen gained over a tenth in the final chicane alone, which helped him beat Norris by just 0.012 seconds in the end. What was perhaps most impressive about Verstappen’s lap was that he did not set the fastest time in any of the sectors. Norris was quickest in sector one, while Piastri was quickest in the final two sectors.

That said, getting the win on Sunday for Verstappen would be a whole new challenge altogether. With McLaren having had the fastest car, the Dutchman will have to pull off one of his unbelievable heroics if he has to secure his 64th Grand Prix victory.