SUZUKA, Japan – Red Bull’s dominant display in the April 6 qualifying sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix proved that they are in a different league, said Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as he vowed to fight for a spot on the podium in the race on April 7.
Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen took pole position, just 0.066 seconds ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, with McLaren’s Lando Norris in third.
Sainz and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who were among the fastest drivers on April 5, could not recover from a disappointing showing in the final practice session and will start in fourth and eighth place respectively.
“I hope we can fight with them in the race, because in the qualifying it was impossible. In the race, it would be nice to have a fight... I think it should be an interesting battle for the podium,” Sainz, who won the last race in Australia after Verstappen’s retirement, told Sky Sports.
“I think the Red Bulls are, unfortunately, in a different league around rougher tarmacs, medium, high speed – they are just ahead on downforce.”
In the second qualifying session, Sainz was forced to contend with a throttle issue, with the Spaniard saying he tried to block it out of his mind: “It was just a soft pedal. There were no risks involved (but) just that weird feeling.”
Norris, who finished second in Suzuka last season, will start the race third on the grid, qualifying 0.292sec behind Verstappen.
“We had a good car today. We could fight,” said Norris. “We are trying to catch up to the Red Bulls, but they are doing a good job so hats off to them.”
Verstappen, who is looking to bounce back from a mechanical issue that prevented him from finishing the race in Melbourne, said it “was very close in the end”, adding: “Nevertheless, most importantly to be on pole.
“Of course you want every lap to be perfect but, at a track like this, it isn’t always the case.”
Perez, who finished runner-up behind Verstappen in the first two grands prix of the season, echoed his teammate’s sentiments, saying: “We made some good progress and we managed to keep some consistency through qualifying. Let’s see what we are able to do tomorrow.”
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, celebrating his 23rd birthday, finished in fifth and sixth respectively.
Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh, two spots ahead of teammate George Russell. But Hamilton sounded optimistic that a season beset by technical problems may be turning a corner.
The 39-year-old, who was 0.569sec behind Verstappen, said it was the “nicest” drive over the last three years, adding: “It’s actually the first weekend I have not gone crazy with set-up... It’s been really enjoyable driving. It’s just the guys are just a little bit faster.”
Mercedes incurred a €5,000 (S$7,300) fine for an unsafe incident during qualifying, after Russell nearly collided with Piastri in the pit lane when exiting his garage.
Local hero Yuki Tsunoda got one of the biggest cheers of the day when he snuck into the final round of qualifying and will start 10th in the race.
He once again finished ahead of his more experienced teammate at RB, Daniel Ricciardo, heaping pressure on the Australian driver, whose seat is at risk with the highly regarded reserve driver Liam Lawson waiting in the wings.
“I’m kind of relieved that I’m able to go through to Q3 in front of Japanese fans because I felt slightly more pressure compared to the past three years,” said Tsunoda.
“I super enjoyed being in front of the Japanese crowd.”
Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll struggled and was knocked out in the first round of qualifying. He will start near the back of the grid in 16th. REUTERS, AFP
