Max Verstappen had no business being in the pole position conversation heading into Suzuka last weekend. It was expected that only the two McLaren drivers would fight for the same as they were behind the wheel of the fastest car on the grid by far.
But out of nowhere, the Dutchman came swooping in, grabbing P1 and leaving the Red Bull garage in a state of euphoria, and McLaren in disbelief. Verstappen clocked in a time of 1.26.983s, which was 0.012 seconds faster than Norris. In the process, the Dutchman also broke the Suzuka circuit lap record previously held by Sebastian Vettel.
To many, it was one of the best pole laps of all time. Not just because it created history, but because it came with Verstappen driving a car that wasn’t expected to be anywhere near the performance level of the McLarens.
Plus, on a track like Suzuka, overtaking is extremely difficult, which made the qualifying session extremely important for the Red Bull driver. However, he didn’t put a foot wrong and Guenther Steiner has lauded him for it.
Max Verstappen sets a new lap record around Suzuka…
Was that the greatest Pole Position in Verstappen’s career so far?#F1 #F12025 pic.twitter.com/ZwX5epAMHX
— The F1 Republic (@TheF1Republic) April 6, 2025
Verstappen converted his pole lap into a win in commanding fashion the next day as he put in a flawless drive around the challenging circuit. The closest he came to losing his lead was at the pit exit on lap 22 when Norris put up an ambitious move to overtake the Dutchman, ending up on the grass.
“He won the race on Saturday by putting that lap in,” Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast. Steiner went on to compare Suzuka to Monaco, a track where it’s almost impossible to make a pass during the race. So, starting on pole on both tracks provides a driver a significant advantage.
That said, getting a pole in Japan is not easy by any means. “To do that lap in Japan, I mean, it’s Max, nobody else can do it,” the ex-Haas team principal added.
Max Verstappen’s POLE lap! ️ pic.twitter.com/mgKdCqL9pX
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 1, 2023
It was a memorable victory for Verstappen — his 64th in F1. It also closed the gap between him and championship leader Norris to just one point, a deficit the Red Bull driver will be eager to overturn this coming weekend in Bahrain.
However, it won’t be easy. Despite the win, the RB21 still has issues that the team has yet to address and improve upon. Bahrain is a track that Verstappen admitted they have historically performed well in. Still, he expects a tough race.
“There are still things to improve on the car: we are still working on our tire management and lacking some pace, so we will just need to work hard and constantly push the car to the limit,” the 27-year-old said. Regardless, if there’s one person who can chase wins in a car that isn’t performing optimally, it’s undoubtedly Verstappen.
