Max Verstappen continued his dominance over teammate Sergio Perez in Formula 1 qualifying, claiming pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix. This extends Verstappen’s lead in their head-to-head qualifying battles to 4-0.
Red Bull locked out the front row at Suzuka Circuit, with Verstappen edging out Perez by a narrow margin of 0.066 seconds. The qualifying results come before the application of any potential grid penalties.
Elsewhere on the grid, Lewis Hamilton trails teammate George Russell 1-3. Russell has managed to consistently outperform Hamilton throughout the season, with a qualifying best of 0.242 seconds ahead at the Japanese GP.
Ferrari also presents an interesting dynamic. Charles Leclerc holds a narrow 2-1 advantage over Carlos Sainz. However, Leclerc also holds a dominant 1-0 victory over rookie teammate Oliver Bearman, who filled in for Sainz during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Lando Norris continues to best his teammate Oscar Piastri, with a score of 3-1.
The midfield presents a mix of results. Fernando Alonso leads Lance Stroll 3-1 at Aston Martin, while Pierre Gasly has yet to outqualify Esteban Ocon at Alpine this season.
The remaining teams see Alexander Albon (Williams), Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Valtteri Bottas (Sauber), and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) all currently outscoring their respective teammates in qualifying throughout 2024.