F1 Japanese GP: Max Verstappen pips Charles Leclerc to pole position and escapes grid penalty
The Red Bull driver was investigated for an incident involving McLaren’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lando Norris during Q3 but escaped with🐽 a reprimand so the grid will noᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚt change.
Verstappen, who 168澳洲5最新开奖🥂结果:can seal a second worl🐓d title on Sunday at Suzuka, was just 0.010s faster than nearest rival Leclerc as he topped qualifying for just the fift♉h time this sꦡeason.
The Dutchman’s opening ♐lap - which put him 0.253s clear of Leclerc - proved good enough to seal pole as he failed to improve ൩on his final run.
🌳Leclerc did find time but a slight mistake in the second sector proved the difference as he narrowly missed out on a 10th pole of 2022.
Verstappen will have to make a trip to the stewards’ office after qualifying, however, following a near-miss with Norris as both drivers prepared to s𓄧tart laps.
Norris was forced to take to the grass at the flat-out 130R in order to avoid the Red Bull driver, with Verstappen losing his rear end w꧅hen crawling on an out-lap.
The top three were covered by just 0.057s as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had to settle for third, ahead of Sergio Perez, who was four-tenths slower thanꦆ his Red Bull teammate.
Esteban Ocon turned in a great lap to take sixth in his Alpine, ahead of ♉Lewis Hamilton, who was nearly a full second down in sixth as Mercedes struggled for pace in dry conditions.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso split the Mercedesꦰ drivers in seventh ahead 🍌of Russell.
A brilliant performance from four-time𝄹 Japanese GP pole sitter Sebastian Vettel saw the Aston Martin driver seal ninth spot on the grid, a♏head of Norris who completed the top-10.
McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo was just 0.003s shy of advancing into 🔯the top-10 shootout, while ꦇAlfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas took 12th.
Home-hero Yuki Tsunoda was a frustrated 13th for Alp🦄haTauri as he outpaced the second Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu and Haas’ Mick Schumacher.
Alex Albon narrowly miꦺssed out on a spot in Q2 as he took 16th in his Wღilliams, ahead of Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly, whose AlphaTauri was hampered by brake issues.
Kevin Magnussen f🐻ailed to join Haas teammate Schumacher in progressing to the second part of qualifying and could only set a lap good enough for 18th.
Behind the Dane came Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and outgoing Wilꦯliams driver Nicholas Latifi, who was slowest of all in 20th.
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