F1 | Red Bull, Verstappen: “I knew they couldn't beat me”

Suzuka – It's the fourth consecutive pole position: Max Verstappen demolished the competition in qualifying Japan. A feat also achieved in the four inaugural GPs of the season by Lewis Hamilton in 2015 and Sebastian Vettel in 2011: both went on to win the title. Nobody was able to make a dent in his first position, which remained in his hands throughout the sessions. Order is then re-established – after the victory Ferrari di Melbourne, in the land down-under – and it was still the red one that caused concern, after the devastating race pace shown in the third free practice session. The ranking, however, is clear: the Ferraris are too far away - Sainz is fourth, Leclerc only eighth – and little can be done on a track like Suzuka. With pole position Verstappen secured a one-way ticket to victory.

Verstappen: “I'm not satisfied with the race pace”

“I think my first attempt was already excellent; I knew they would hardly beat me. The preparation in Q3 wasn't ideal: I ran out of front tires halfway through the lap and wasn't able to push as much as I would have liked, but it was still enough for pole and that's okay too. In Australia the flying lap went well anyway, last year I felt more comfortable on this track than today: this weekend was more demanding, qualifying went well, but we'll see tomorrow – warned Max – the race simulations didn't I liked them a lot: we tried to change something, but at the moment we are a bit uncertain. Ferrari's race pace e McLaren it seems very fast, we need to improve the balance to stay ahead of them in the race."