Oscar Piastri will on Sunday become just the fifth Australian to start a Formula One race on the front row after qualifying second for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday.
“Such an impressive result for Oscar Piastri to outqualify Lando Norris around Suzuka,” Sky Sports F1’s Anthony Davidson said in commentary.
“And such an impressive result for McLaren as a whole. You’ve got to be happy for them.”
Speaking to Sky Sports after the result, Piastri still pointed out a few areas of improvement despite an all-round strong performance from the 22-year-old.
“The first lap was pretty solid. I was happy with it,” Piastri said.
“The first chicane I could have done a bit of a better job but it was a good lap.
“Second lap my first sector was good and the next two sectors not so good. But happy to end in P2, it has been a really good weekend for the team so far.
“We have got upgrades on the car, they are quick, and we thought we would have a decent chance around here. But you’ve still got to make it happen and so happy to be second and the team second and third.”
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Despite having never driven at Suzuka, Piastri finished ahead of teammate Lando Norris in what Karun Chandhok described as an “impressive” feat while speaking on Sky Sports.
Piastri was no match for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who re-established his dominance after finishing fastest with a time of 1min 28.877sec on his final run ahead of the McLaren duo.
Verstappen finished on pole by half a second — the largest margin since Michael Schumacher in 2004. Team principal Christian Horner described it as a “mind-blowing” performance.
The trio were at a significant advantage to their rivals in Q3 as the only drivers with two fresh sets of tyres and it showed in the end.
Red Bull appear back in control of the F1 paddock, with the runaway championship leader also dominating all three practice sessions.
Verstappen completed a clean sweep of the three practice sessions at Suzuka, blazing around the track in hot, dry conditions with a fastest lap of 1min 30.267sec.
‘Past now’ Williams racing on Lawson | 03:36
Verstappen, who leads teammate and nearest rival Sergio Perez by 151 points in the championship standings, cannot clinch the title on Sunday but a favourable result can set him up to seal the deal at the Qatar Grand Prix next month.
Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were in fourth and sixth with Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in fifth while Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were in seventh and eighth.
Meanwhile, Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda brought the crowd at Sukuza to its feet with an impressive showing as he finished ninth-fastest.
AlphaTauri teammate and Kiwi rookie driver Liam Lawson, who is set to go back to a reserve role next year, did his chances of earning a seat elsewhere no harm.
Lawson was narrowly knocked out in Q2 but was fourth-fastest in Q1, although he may have been better served saving an extra set of fresh tyres.
Rounding out the top 10 was Fernando Alonso.
Q1 WRAP:
Max Verstappen (1:29.878) went fastest in Q1 while Liam Lawson made an early statement to go fourth-fastest and prove he has pace and what it takes to compete in the F1.
Lawson and Lance Stroll were the first on the track in Q1, with the Kiwi impressing as he went for 1:31.729 on his opening lap — his fastest time of the weekend.
It wasn’t necessarily surprising either given Lawson had experience on the circuit from his time driving in Japan’s Super Formula. Stroll’s opening lap, meanwhile, came in at 1:32.
With Lawson and Stroll in the pits, the other 18 drivers then took to the track with Verstappen on the softs as he topped the early timesheets with a 1:29.878 after going quickest in the second and third sectors.
Verstappen was closely followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished within two tenths of a second of the Red Bull driver with his opening lap while Piastri was third-quickest early.
There was drama, meanwhile, for Williams driver Logan Sargeant after he crashed at the final corner.
“It’s heartbreaking for Logan,” James Vowles, Williams Racing Team Principal, said.
“The disappointment element is it’s a lot of work overnight. More importantly Logan built up to this weekend and started to have some good pace. Just can’t get it altogether.”
Anthony Davidson said Sargeant only had “himself to blame” for the incident.
“He could have backed out of it. The drivers who have had the switch, the snap of oversteer, have backed out of it,” Davidson said on Sky Sports.
“The difference when you’re on a qualifying lap is the eagerness to keep the throttle down sometimes takes over rational sense.
“The most important thing is he was able to jump out of that OK.”
The biggest surprise of Q1 came as Lawson then suddenly jumped up into seventh ahead of Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton with a time of 1:30.972.
That prompted all drivers outside of Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc to get out on the track as traffic started to suddenly pile up at the pitlane exit.
In a mad race to the finish, it was Alfa Romeo duo Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu eliminated alongside Lance Stross, Nico Hulkenberg and Sargeant.
Lawson, meanwhile, had another impressive lap to close out qualifying as he finished fourth fastest.
The Kiwi has made it clear he would prefer not to be a reserve driver next season behind the newly re-signed Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda and is doing his chances of finding a seat no harm so far.
ELIMINATED: Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant
Q1 TIMES:
Verstappen: 1:29.878
Norris: +0.185
Leclerc: +0.515
Lawson: +0.547
Piastri: +0.561
Sainz: +0.773
Perez: +0.774
Tsunoda: +0.855
Russell: +0.933
Hamilton: +0.933
Gasly: +0.965
Albon: +1.063
Ocon: +1.082
Alonso: +1.093
Magnussen: +1.098
Piastri signs extension with McLaren | 00:53
Q2 WRAP:
Verstappen quickly set the pace once again in Q2 as he posted a time of 1:29.964, which came in just one tenth slower than his Q1 time and on old tyres.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris quickly recorded the second and third-fastest times on new tyres, with the Australian nearly two-tenths quicker than his teammate and 0.158 seconds off Verstappen.
“He’s never been here before, I’m so impressed with the job he’s doing this weekend,” Davidson said of Piastri.
All eyes were then on the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers to see how they fared with newer tyres as Q2 drew towards a close.
Leclerc ended up finishing fastest in Q2 ahead of both Red Bulls with Hamilton in fourth, Sainz in fifth and Mercedes teammate Russell back in eighth ahead of McLaren’s Norris.
Both Norris and Piastri, who was sixth-fastest, saved their tyres ahead of Q3.
Unfortunately for Lawson he just missed the cut, eliminated in Q2 alongisde Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen.
AlphaTauri teammate and Japanese driver Tsunoda, however, was seventh-fastest.
It was still an overall impressive showing from Lawson, who is looking to make the most of every opportunity he gets on the grid before Ricciardo’s return from injury.
In the end, Davidson said the decision to use an extra set of tyres in Q1 just to be safe “hurt” Lawson and AlphaTauri.
ELIMINATED: Lawson, Gasly, Albon, Ocon, Magnussen
Q2 TIMES:
Leclerc: 1:29.940
Verstappen: +0.024
Perez: +0.025
Hamilton: +0.100
Sainz: +0.127
Piastri: +0.182
Tsunoda: +0.264
Russell: +0.328
Norris: +0.356
Alonso: +0.525
F1 Japan coverage start times (Fox Sports 506 and Kayo)
SATURDAY
PRACTICE 3 12.15pm AEST (starts 12.30pm)
QUALIFYING 3pm AEST (starts 4pm)
SUNDAY
RACE 1.30PM AEDT (starts 3pm)
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