"If I was wearing a hat, I would take it off to him": F1 insider amazed by Max Verstappen's pole lap

F1 Grand Prix Of Japan - Qualifying - Source: Getty — Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen - Source: Getty

Renowned F1 insider Ted Kravitz was full of praise for Max Verstappen after the Red Bull driver delivered a stunning lap in the Japanese Grand Prix to claim the pole position. Kravitz, in his post-race debrief, termed the performance insane and blew him away with appraisals.

Verstappen pulled off an 'insane' 1:26.983 on the timesheet, which was nearly twelve-thousandths of a second faster than Lando Norris. The final flying lap in Q3 from the Dutchman was indeed a shocker, given that the fastest cars belonged to McLaren's Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Applauding the Red Bull star's performance, Kravitz, who usually delivers constructive criticism for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, said in his post-race show with Sky Sports:

"If i was wearing a hat, i would take it off to him, because nobody saw that coming, not even Red Bull saw that coming. Absolutely not, McLaren didn't see it coming. Nobody saw that coming. Okay, you know, this is one kind of thing that Red Bull does, they do things with the car.

"Max has never been beaten around here in qualifying when he's had a winning car but WOW, what a lap. They called it insane on the radio, Gianpiero Lambiase said that is insane. They also said pure class, and it was," he further added.

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Notably, this was Max Verstappen's fourth straight pole around this circuit, a feat he has been achieving since 2022. On top of that, it was the fastest ever lap by a driver at Suzuka in Formula 1.

F1 expert hailed Max Verstappen after stunning Japanese GP show

Renowned F1 expert Will Buxton took to his official social media account to praise Max Verstappen after the Japanese GP pole. Taking to his official X account, here's what Brown, who's well known for his stints with Netflix and F1TV, said:

"Good Lord he’s incredible isn’t he. You could give Max a tractor and he’d somehow find a way to put it on pole."

Here's the post by Buxton on Verstappen on X:

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McLaren's Piastri, the Chinese Grand Prix winner, qualified in P3 alongside Charles Leclerc in P4. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli locked in the third grid with P5 and P6. Rookie Isack Hadjar qualified in P7 alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in P8.

Williams' Alex Albon and Haas' Oliver Bearman wrapped up the top 10. However, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda failed to impress, as the Racing Bulls and Red Bull drivers qualified in P14 and P15, respectively.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport writer for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam