Jos Verstappen reacts to son Max Verstappen putting the car on pole for the F1 Japanese GP

Max Verstappen clinched the pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. While his father, Jos Verstappen, was racing in another continent in the European Rally championship, he was aware of how his son was doing in the F1 realm and reacted to the 27-year-old securing the pole position.

Red Bull never looked like a car that would threaten pole position for the coming race day in Japan, with the initial performance sloting Verstappen near the top-5 positions. However, as qualifying turned up, the Dutchman unlocked some more potential in the car and made several improvements from his first qualifying runs.

This resulted in Max Verstappen improving over half a second in his final Q3 run over his Q2 attempt. This sealed the pole position for him ahead of Lando Norris' McLaren, who was reckoned to be the favorite for the title instead.

With Jos racing in the European Rally Championship in Spain, he kept a close eye on his son's performance and was delighted with his effort. The Sr. Verstappen said:

"Unbelievable. He always does it when it counts. It's fantastic."

On the other hand, Max Verstappen's pole lap time even took him by surprise, as he broke the fastest lap record of the circuit.

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Max Verstappen deems the pole position an unexpected surprise

Max Verstappen after winning the pole position for the F1 Grand Prix Of Japan - Source: Getty

Red Bull was never taken into consideration by its rivals as a threat to the pole position, as McLaren seemed to have the upper hand at the start of the season. However, Verstappen's lap time shook the F1 paddock, and the reigning champion knew how he had put in a great lap.

Reflecting on winning the pole position with the slimmest glimmer of hope, Max Verstappen said, via The Guardian:

"If you look at how our season started, even during this weekend, it’s very unexpected, that makes it a very special one. I’m on pole but I’m still not happy with the balance of the car but we are working on it and for us this is a great little surprise."

On the other hand, Verstappen will have the McLaren pair starting just behind him. The papaya duo will want to get past the Dutchman heading into the turn 1-2 sequence of corners, as the Suzuka Circuit is notoriously famous for giving the lead car an edge in increasing their chances for a race victory.

Moreover, rain is also expected to make a trip around the circuit as the race will start under the cover of clouds, according to the weather forecast, which might give the Dutchman an advantage over his rivals, as he dominated the 2022 race in such torrential conditions.