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F1 Japan GP LIVE: Race start time as Max Verstappen starts on pole ahead of Lando Norris
Follow reaction from Suzuka as Verstappen takes pole away from McLaren at the end of a thrilling qualifying
Max Verstappen produced an incredible lap to stun McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and claim a shock pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix.
McLaren have won both races so far this season – one each for Norris and Piastri – and had set the pace by topping all three practice sessions this weekend.
Verstappen’s Red Bull has been off the pace throughout practice, with the four-time world champion saying he was lacking confidence in his car ahead of qualifying. But the Dutchman showed his quality when it mattered to beat Norris by just 0.012 seconds.
Piastri will line up from third on his birthday on Sunday, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton struggled to find pace for Ferrari and will start Sunday’s race from eighth.
Follow latest updates from the Japanese Grand Prix with The Independent
Q2 underway!
Time for the next stage of qualifying in Suzuka - 15 minutes where we will again lose the slowest five drivers before the top-10 shootout!
Kimi Antonelli safely through!
Antonelli gets through in P8 - and Liam Lawson squeezes through at the end by 0.2 seconds!
Bottom-five and out in Q1 (16-20): Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Doohan, Stroll
What happened to Lance Stroll?!
Top-3: Piastri, Russell, Norris
Alex Albon up to P5!
Impressive lap from the Williams driver - up to fifth!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Lawson, Alonso, Antonelli, Hadjar, Stroll
Antonelli in trouble for Mercedes then ahead of the final flying laps!
2:00 to go in Q1...
Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar...
“I don’t know what to do, I can’t focus. I have so much lap time.”
Hadjar down in P19.
Bottom-five (16-20): Lawson, Alonso, Antonelli, Hadjar, Stroll
8:00 to go in Q1...
Max Verstappen...
“I still have the same problems, the front is still not gripping.”
Verstappen P4 early on... but not happy with the RB21!
Lando Norris quickest so far!
Norris sets the pace early on, with Leclerc in second and Tsunoda in third!
About half the pack have set laps so far!
12:00 remaining... and no trackside fires yet!
Q1 underway!
Bit of a queue at the end of the pit-lane as we get underway with qualifying in Suzuka!
The Haas drivers of Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon the first two cars out of the pit-lane here!
18 minutes where we will lose the slowest five drivers here!
Grass fires in FP3!
Final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix was again disrupted by grass fires at the side of the track as Lando Norris set the pace.
Friday’s second session was halted twice due to the issue, with dry grass catching fire from the sparks thrown up by the skid blocks under the cars.
The FIA said on Friday evening that preventative measures, including dampening the grass and stationing specific response teams around the track, had been taken.
But it took just six minutes for Saturday’s running in the Suzuka sunshine to be brought to a halt as marshals were sent out with fire extinguishers to deal with more flames.
Qualifying in China!
Here we go then with the third grand prix qualifying session of the season!
McLaren, and more specifically Lando Norris, seem to be the favourites for pole! But can anyone stop them?!
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