Analyzing Verstappen’s Pole-Winning Lap at the Japanese Grand Prix

The final moments of Qualifying 3 (Q3) at the Japanese Grand Prix were tense, with Max Verstappen edging out his closest rivals to secure pole position. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, both from McLaren, trailed behind, but Verstappen’s exceptional performance sealed the deal.

Breaking Down the Deciding Q3 Laps: Verstappen vs Norris vs Piastri

When we delve into the data of their final laps in Q3, it becomes clear how Verstappen managed to outperform his rivals. The differences between Verstappen, Norris (+0.012s), and Piastri (+0.044s) are minimal on paper, but the telemetry and GPS data tell a different story.

Verstappen’s advantage began right from the start of the lap. He clocked a higher straight-line speed, reaching 325km/h at the end of the pit straight, while Norris and Piastri reached 320km/h and 319km/h respectively. This immediate edge gave Verstappen a tenth on Piastri and 0.061s on Norris heading into Turn 1.

Despite a slight snap in Turn 2, Piastri’s mistake cost him time, increasing his deficit to Verstappen to 0.288s in the famous Esses. Verstappen, meanwhile, only lost a fraction to Norris through this section, despite suffering from understeer during the quick changes of direction.

The understeer continued through the section following the Esses. Verstappen commented on his onboard footage that he tried to carry as much speed as possible into Turn 8 but had understeer there as well. Turn 9 wasn’t great for us in general, as our car is bouncing all over the place there.

By the time they reached the hairpin — the slowest corner on the Suzuka circuit — Norris had clawed back time. The McLaren car looked more planted through that part of the track, meaning Norris was 0.075s up on Verstappen’s eventual pole time.

Heading into Spoon, Verstappen began to reclaim time again. This section is flat out, and just like on the main straight, the RB21’s superior top speed helped to close the gap. At the braking zone for Spoon, Norris was just 0.010s ahead – meaning both drivers were basically on level terms.

Here, a pattern that’s become familiar throughout the first race weekends of the season repeated itself: Norris lifts and brakes earlier than Verstappen, and gets on the throttle sooner. It gives Norris better exit speed from Spoon, which is crucial given the long flat-out section that follows through 130R up to the final chicane. On the overlay track map, that entire part is shaded in papaya, showing Norris was fastest there, taking advantage of his better exit.

As they approached the final chicane, Norris held a significant lead — 0.185s over Verstappen, as shown in the data below. It led to the defining moment of the entire qualifying session at Suzuka. The telemetry shows that, once again, Norris lifted and braked earlier than Verstappen, who delayed his braking point considerably for his final shot at pole. As a result, Verstappen gained over two tenths in this final braking zone alone — just enough to retake the lead.

While Norris had a marginally better exit due to the earlier throttle application, it wasn’t enough this time. Despite braking extremely late, Verstappen managed to get a good enough exit to hold his advantage across the line, securing pole by 0.012s.

I knew there was a bit of time left in that final chicane,” Verstappen said post-session. “On the previous run, I missed the first kerbstone on the inside, so I knew I could improve that section — and that was basically my lap.” The data confirms that Verstappen has extracted everything out of the RB21 around Suzuka, or as he put it himself: “This lap was right on the limit, maybe even over the limit in some places. I think this circuit suits me well, which helps — but the car also needs to deliver of course.

Piastri, despite his early mistake, also delivered a remarkably strong lap. He managed to reduce the nearly three-tenth deficit to just 0.044s across the line, underlining McLaren’s overall pace. The latter is also true when it comes to the race pace. Even Verstappen acknowledged that remains the benchmark for Sunday’s race: “This pole position doesn’t mean all our issues are suddenly solved. If it’s dry and if we get a straightforward race, then it’s going to be very tough to keep the s behind. But at least we couldn’t have done any better today.