Max Verstappen Thanking Sloppy Rivals for Japan Pole Gets Fans’ Approval: “Bro Knows He’s Good”

Just when it seems like Max Verstappen has reached the peak of his brilliance, he finds another gear. In Japan, he unexpectedly snatched pole in a qualifying session that, for the most part, looked like a battle between the McLaren drivers.

And his explanation for why he ended the afternoon with a smile? Possibly even smoother than the lap that earned him P1.

Verstappen’s car was not as fast as the McLaren MCL39. And everyone in Suzuka — including the commentators, who are as unbiased as they come — was focused on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. But on his very last push lap, Verstappen got ahead of Norris, setting a new record at the iconic Japanese circuit.

The Dutchman himself was surprised. But as soon as the emotions set in, he quickly thanked his rivals, without whom he believed setting the fastest time wouldn’t have been possible.  “I’m also dependent on what others do,” the 27-year-old said in his post-qualifying interview.

He then took a sly dig at his rivals by adding, “The others do indeed make more mistakes than I do. I’m not surprised by that“.

“If I can be close enough, I know I’ll always make the difference,” a confident Verstappen continued. “It’s just that we’re not close enough at the moment. Although it turned out that way today.” 

Verstappen admitting that is the difference maker was a comment that fans absolutely loved. It drew in positive reactions from all over social media, with one writing on Reddit, “Bro knows he’s good.” 

Another wrote that even though Verstappen may sound “arrogant” with such a claim, people cannot deny that he is speaking the truth about his sheer brilliance. “I love this kind of quote from an athlete when they know they’re on top of their game and what they say sounds arrogant as all hell but it’s just the honest truth,” a user wrote.

Another Redditor claimed that Verstappen has currently established an unprecedented level of dominance — one that wasn’t even seen during Michael Schumacher’s era of success with Ferrari.

“He is clearly head and shoulders better than anyone. Even in Schumacher time you had Mika, Kimi and Fernando that you could argue were behind, but at the same level. I don’t believe anyone is on Max level right now,” another wrote.

Can Verstappen convert his pole into an unbelievable win at Suzuka?

With the kind of success that Verstappen has achieved — especially since midseason last year, when he no longer had the fastest car but still outperformed — no one can doubt his abilities. But could winning this weekend’s Japanese GP prove to be too steep a challenge?

Considering how Verstappen has struggled to place himself among the frontrunners throughout the entire weekend so far, it seems unlikely that he will have the pace to defend against the two quick McLarens starting just behind him. In none of the free practice sessions has the Dutchman managed to set a lap time quicker than fifth.

He has been half a second slower than the benchmark time—set by Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris—in each of the three practice sessions. That said, things could get interesting if it rains, as the forecast suggests for the main race.

While Verstappen is brilliant regardless of the challenges thrown at him, he is unbelievably good in wet conditions. Who can forget the way he won last year’s Sao Paulo GP from 17th on the grid?

However, there is a problem. With Verstappen running a risky low-downforce setup that paid off in qualifying — helping him grab pole — it could backfire in the race if it rains, as his car is likely to suffer from more drag and less grip.