Oscar Piastri: Max Verstappen’s Japanese GP pole not a surprise

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says he wasn’t surprised to see Max Verstappen qualify his Red Bull on pole position for Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix.

McLaren went into Saturday’s qualifying at Suzuka as the outright favourite, having put on a dominant performance in the opening two rounds of the season in Australia and China.

And although both Piastri and teammate Lando Norris looked rapid in Q3, they ultimately had to concede defeat to a fast-charging Verstappen, who snatched the top spot by 0.012s.

A pole position for Red Bull in Japan had seemed unlikely as the RB21 had been both off the pace and tricky to drive in 2025, with Verstappen himself complaining about the characteristics of the car on multiple occasions.

But for Piastri, who ultimately qualified third, the Dutchman’s performance in qualifying wasn’t completely unexpected.

“I think the others have not been as far away as people think,” he said. “You never quite know with engine modes and stuff like that.

“This morning was pretty tight. It's not a massive surprise. I think Max has obviously done a great job getting on pole.

“I think we've still got a great car for tomorrow and [we are] still in the fight for win.”

Norris also praised Verstappen for breaking the lap record on a newly-resurfaced Suzuka, but was satisfied to qualify on the front row.

“I’m happy,” he said. “Congrats to Max, he did a good job, hats off. You got to credit something when it's a lap that is that good that he must have done.

“I’m happy because I  feel I got everything out of the car today. [The margin], just it’s tiny. Was there probably that much in it? Yes, but Max did an amazing lap.

“We are happy for both of us to be up there and for us to be fighting for pole. It's good but not enough.”