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Four-time world champion Max Verstappen won the pole position in the qualifying session of the Japanese GP with a record lap time. His sister, Victoria Verstappen, was proud of his performance and shared a special Instagram story to congratulate him for the same.
Since the beginning of the 2025 F1 season, McLaren has emerged as the strongest and fastest team on the grid. Red Bull, who used to dominate the circuit until last year, found no answers to tackle the Papaya team.
However, in the qualifying session of the Japanese GP, the Milton Keynes-based squad saw a glimmer of hope. While Yuki Tsunoda exited Q2 to rank P15, Verstappen set a flying lap in Q3.
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Lando Norris of McLaren held the provisional pole and was anticipated to win it since Verstappen was having trouble with the balance of his RB21. However, the four-time world champion displayed his skill set to set the fastest lap recorded on the Suzuka circuit to beat Lando Norris and clinch his first pole win of the year.
While the Red Bull garage went frantic after the checkered flag, Max Verstappen's family also enjoyed the moment to the fullest. His sister, Victoria Verstappen, put up a special story on her Instagram handle to appreciate her brother's brilliance.
![Screenshot of Victoria Verstappen's IG story [Source: @victoriaverstappen/Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/62dde-17438449582551-1920.jpg)
Verstappen, who is defending his title this year, has been unable to match McLaren's pace. He expressed earlier that RB21 is difficult to drive due to reliability and balance issues. Even after his pole win in Japan, the Dutchman echoed the same sentiment.
He stated that RB21 does not have the balance required to tackle Suzuka circuit's high-speed corners. The four-time world champion was rather surprised to win the pole position, and his screams on team radio perhaps explained the same sentiment.
Christian Horner reveals Red Bull turned the car 'upside down' for Max Verstappen
After a series of disappointing performances in free practice sessions, Max Verstappen regained form in the qualifying session of the Japanese GP. He won the pole, beating McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
While the results were surprising, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed that his engineers turned Verstappen's car upside down to extract maximum performance.
Talking to Sky Sports, he said:
"Unbelievable! We did not expect that. Just an outstanding lap. He’s extracted every ounce of performance. He and his engineering team were working on the preparation and getting the tires in the right window. He’s gotten the most out of it today, and getting that pole position was completely against the run of form that we’ve been seeing. A massive result for him and a big lift for the team.”
The Japanese GP starting grid will have Max Verstappen on pole with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chasing him from P2 and P3, respectively. With Verstappen still not comfortable with RB21's balance, Red Bull is likely in for a challenging race.
