Sergio Perez insists Max Verstappen is now "in the same boat" as himself after Red Bull's recent struggles continued at the Italian Grand Prix. 

Perez, who finished in eighth at Monza last Sunday, complained about the balance of the RB20 along with his team-mate, who ended the race in sixth and 37 seconds behind eventual winner Charles Leclerc. 

The Mexican also found tyre wear higher than expected and failed to make a two-stop strategy work in his favour and is now without a podium since the Chinese Grand Prix.

Perez has also gone 10 consecutive Grand Prix's without finishing in the top five of the standings, the same number of times as in his previous 41 races in Formula 1.

He has struggled with his car numerous times this season, but now his difficulties have been matched by his team-mate and three-time world champion. 

“I really feel like I’m in the same boat as I’ve been in for the last eight, 10 races but now all of a sudden Max has come into similar issues so yeah," Perez said.

"There is a little bit of a confusion there but it is clear in the data where the problem is. 

“I am very confident the team here at track and back at home have the solution, we have produced great cars in the past and there is no reason why we cannot get back on track.

“We have no questions now, we know the problem. Given it is all related to balance, if we can find a fix then we can switch it around but for now, it’s head down until we find the answer."

The good news for Perez is that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is next up on the race calendar, a track he won at last season and in 2021.

Perez is also the driver who has scored the most points at Baku (100), with only a Lewis Hamilton victory and fastest lap being enough to overtake the Mexican if he fails to score points this time around (75 points for Hamilton).

Lewis Hamilton believes his weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix is "done" after being knocked out in the second qualifying session.

He has also since been hit with a three-place grid penalty after he was deemed to have intentionally impeded Sergio Perez during the first session.

As such, he will now begin the race in 15th instead of the original starting position of 12th.

Hamilton was already left frustrated by his performance in qualifying and wrote off any chances of him earning a fourth podium in as many races.

"It just went downhill like a domino effect from the moment with Checo [Perez], then the balance just got more and more snappy, more and more 'oversteery' – it was terrible," he said before being hit with the grid penalty.

"It's definitely very, very frustrating, naturally, but it is what it is. It's kind of the weekend done, and I'll have to move on to next week [at Monza].

"I think ultimately, if everyone had had a dry P3, we probably would have done a bit of a better job with the set-up, maybe, for qualifying, but still, I think just [the] performance wasn't there from my side."

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen will start his home Grand Prix from second after being pipped to pole position by Lando Norris by 0.356s.

It is the first time he has not started top of the grid at Zandvoort since the race's reintroduction to the calendar in 2021, while he is aiming to win the Dutch Grand Prix for the fourth consecutive year.

While Verstappen still had some complaints about the lack of pace in his car, he was optimistic that he could challenge for the title on Sunday.

"I think the whole qualifying we just lacked a bit of pace," the reigning world champion said. "I tried the best I could. I'm still very happy of course to be on the front row.

"I'm happy with second. I think after Friday as well this is a good result.

"We'll give it a good go. Of course, when you're more than three-tenths behind in qualifying, I think we have to be realistic. I'll just try to have a good race tomorrow."

Alex Albon was disqualified from Dutch Grand Prix qualifying after his floor body failed technical checks.

He had qualified in eighth, but will now start at the back of the grid with Williams teammate Logan Sargeant, who did not compete in qualifying after a heavy crash in the final practice session. 

Lando Norris claimed pole for the Dutch Grand Prix but expects Max Verstappen to "put up a good fight" in his home race.

The McLaren driver had cemented himself as the favourite following promising practice sessions and produced a stunning lap to edge the Dutchman by 0.356s in the final round of qualifying.

It is the first time that Verstappen will not start on pole at Zandvoort in his career and will face stiff competition as he aims for a fourth-straight win in the Netherlands, with Oscar Piastri behind him in third and Mercedes' George Russell in fourth. Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez rounds out the top five.

While Norris had been self-critical in the lead-up to the mid-season break, he was much more optimistic about his chances of claiming a second-ever Formula 1 victory at Zandvoort.

"An amazing day. It's nice to be back and start with a pole. It was a nice lap, honestly," he said after qualifying.

"The qualifying was always pretty smooth, and I put in some good laps, especially the one at the end, which is always the most important. A great job by the team, and I'm happy.

"It's not easy, but I felt comfortable out there, the car was feeling amazing. We've got some upgrades on the car for the first time in a while and everything's working very well, so a big thanks to the team too.

"I'm sure it's going to be tough. Max has been quick all weekend. I know we got him today, but he's still second, and he's going to be putting up a good fight, especially at his home race. I'm looking forward to it."

Charles Leclerc, in sixth, is Ferrari's sole representative in the top 10, while Alex Albon finished eighth, in between the two Aston Martin drivers, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll seventh and ninth respectively.

Pierre Gasly finished 10th, while Lewis Hamilton will start 12th after being knocked out in the second session after a mistake on the penultimate corner of his final lap.

The seven-time champion also faces a stewards' investigation to see whether he impeded Perez in the first qualifying session. 

Top 10

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

4. George Russell (Mercedes)

5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

8. Alex Albon (Williams)

9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has said the Austrian-based teams RB20 "didn't deliver what was expected" in every area this season. 

Red Bull claimed a sixth Constructors' Championship in 2023, with Max Verstappen winning his third World Drivers' Championship in a row, scoring 575 points, which was more than double of second placed team-mate, Sergio Perez. 

Despite their dominance, the team wanted to remain at the top of the grid and made significant changes to this year's RB20. 

Verstappen and Perez would secure three one-two finishes in the first four Grand Prix's of the season, but performances of late have seen the team's around them close in.

Both McLaren and Mercedes have continually improved and have looked competitive since May, with Wache saying the cars' performance this year has fallen below expectations. 

"I would say not really. We improved compared to last year, without doubt, but we didn’t deliver what we expected in some areas," Wache told Motorsport.com. 

"Especially in the high-speed corners we expected a little bit more than what we have. Without thinking about the competitiveness of the car, so just based on our own references, we expected a little bit more with our tools.

"In medium-speed and low-speed we improved quite a lot compared to last year. We were a little bit weaker in the high-speed corners compared to last year relative to the competition.

"In kerb riding we are clearly weak, but we were already last year. I think we didn’t make the improvement we expected in that aspect."

While Verstappen still holds a comfortable advantage over McLaren's Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship, the same cannot be said for the Constructors'.

McLaren are now just 42 points behind Red Bull, with Ferrari just 11 points behind the British-based team. 

That subsequent dip in results has largely been down to the form of Perez, who is yet to finish on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. 

Verstappen's fourth placed finish at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out was also the first time since 2020 that the Dutchman had failed to win a race in four attempts. 

Despite their recent form, it did not come as a surprise to Wache, who said he expected the rival teams to catch up as the season went on. 

"We expected the opposition to come earlier, to be honest with you," Wache added. "When we started the 2022 season, we didn’t have the quickest car. 

"Ferrari had the quickest car in the beginning of 2022. We expected a massive competition in 2023, but that didn’t happen.

"In 2024 we also expected the competition to be there more or less from the start, because the performance you can find with the car is limited under the same regulations.

"After the first four or five races the others came back, maybe with a bit of delay, but we expected that from the start.

"The limitations you have with these regulations are quite high and what you can find to make more steps is getting more difficult. Then it is almost sure that the opposition will come back at some point."

Williams team boss James Vowles admitted he was surprised that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes wanted to sign Carlos Sainz for the 2025 season.

The Spaniard signed a two-year contract with the option to extend at Williams earlier this week, ending speculation surrounding his future.

Ferrari had confirmed earlier this year that he would not continue with them past the end of the season, having signed Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes to partner Charles Leclerc.

While Sainz was initially seen as a candidate to replace Hamilton, Mercedes look set to promote 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli instead, while Red Bull preferred to extend Sergio Perez's contract for the next two years.

Vowles was full of praise for the 29-year-old, explaining how it was an easy choice to bring him into the team.

"Look at Carlos," said Vowles. "Look at every team he has been in. They have improved significantly - and I get why.

"After spending the last nine months talking to him at least weekly, what I've realised is he is a performance machine.

"He will do everything in his power to transform himself and the team around him. And that's powerful. That's worth more than what he can drive the car at.

[He is] one of the top four drivers - if not at times the number two driver on the grid. Why wouldn't you want that in your stable?"

Sainz has achieved three Formula 1 wins to date, including a victory at the Australian Grand Prix in March, and currently sits fifth in the drivers' championship.

He is only 15 points behind team-mate Leclerc, who sits in third, while his five podium finishes this season have also helped Ferrari to third in the constructors' championship, where they sit 63 points behind leaders Red Bull.

There is speculation that Mercedes could make a swoop for Max Verstappen for the 2026 season, despite his Red Bull contract running until 2028.

With so many F1 futures up in the air, Vowles was surprised to find out there was not more interest in their new driver.

"Red Bull have a constructors' championship at risk - I would have Carlos alongside Max [rather than Perez]," he added.

"Mercedes have more info than I do. It's more than likely that they are very confident in the direction they will be travelling in. Whether that will be Max or Kimi, I'm unsure - but they're not fools.

"Red Bull will also have reasons behind it that I won't be aware of because they are multiple world champions. They don't make decisions lightly, but I was surprised."

Sergio Perez will retain his seat for the back half of the 2024 Formula One season, so says Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Perez has endured a difficult campaign so far this year. After four podium finishes across the first five races of the season, the Mexican has not finished higher than fourth across the next nine events.

Red Bull have Yuki Tsunoda and the experienced Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings, but Horner indicated there will be no change for the second half of the season.

"Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the speculation of late," Horner told Dutch publication De Telegraaf.

"We look forward to seeing him perform on circuits where he has done well before."

Red Bull lead the way in the constructor standings, while Max Verstappen is the top driver.

However, the team have had a wobble in recent weeks, with Verstappen having gone four races without a win for the first time since 2020.

Sergio Perez is confident he will still be at Red Bull after this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix regardless of the result.

There has been a lot of speculation over the Mexican's future in recent weeks following a series of poor results at recent races, despite him signing a two-year extension with the team just last month.

Since coming fourth at the Miami Grand Prix in May, Perez's best finish has been seventh, both in Austria and Hungary, and he failed to advance beyond Q1 in four of the last six races.

His drop in form has allowed McLaren to close the gap to Red Bull in the constructors' championship to just 51 points.

With the four-week break soon approaching, both RB driver Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull's reserve driver Liam Lawson have been linked with Perez's seat.

However, the 34-year-old is certain he will still be competing alongside Max Verstappen when the season resumes.

"I am 100% sure," Perez said.

"Because I know basically what's in my contract and I know what the team trusts in me. And I know where is the main focus, which is on delivering on the track.

"It's no different to what it was in Hungary or [at the first race] in Bahrain or how it will be in Zandvoort or the rest of the year," Perez said.

"Every single weekend we've got to deliver the maximum, especially now that, with McLaren catching up in the constructors, it's really important to put everything together if we can achieve it.

"I'm not worried about it. Like I said, I know where I stand. That's not my concern. My only concern I have is to get my season back on track. The rest, I'm pretty chilled about."

Max Verstappen takes pole position at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, equalling Ayrton Senna’s record in the process.

It is Verstappen’s eighth consecutive pole in Formula One after he recorded a best time of 1:14.746 around the track in the final qualification session for Sunday’s race.

The Dutchman will share the front row with Oscar Piastri, though he may receive a penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in Q1.

Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris finished just behind him in third, while the two Ferraris, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, rounded out the top five after failing to build on their strong starts.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez failed to make it past Q2 after dropping to 11th, while Fernando Alonso was forced to pit before the end of Q3, finishing last. 

Max Verstappen continued to be critical of his own performance despite taking pole position for the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who won the sprint earlier on Saturday and had on Friday claimed pole in qualifying for that event, recorded a best time of 1:27.241 round the track in the final qualification session for Sunday's race.

The reigning Formula One world champion will share the front row with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who like in the sprint, came second.

Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz pipped Red Bull's Sergio Perez to third, while Lando Norris rounded out the top five.

Verstappen, though, was not particularly thrilled with his drive, continuing the trend after both qualifying on Friday and the sprint race.

He said: "We definitely improved the car a bit but I don’t know what it is but every single year we come here I find it extremely difficult to be very consistent with the car and tyre feeling over one lap. It’s super hard to make sure that Sector One feels good and Sector Three at the end of the lap to make that happen together is incredibly tough.

"Again today it was really about finding that balance, I think we did ok, it wasn't the most enjoyable lap out of my career especially with how slippery it is and you aren't very confident on the lap but we are on pole."

Leclerc said: "I felt so much on the limit. It was very close until Q3, where we started to push for the last one or two tenths. We started to lose the tyres in sector two and three, overheating them quite a bit. That's where we lost a little bit of time.

"However, the race is long and this morning we showed a good pace, so I hope tomorrow we can put Max under a bit more pressure."

Lewis Hamilton recovered from a 20-second penalty in the sprint race to qualify in seventh, one place behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen claimed victory in the sprint race ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen clinched pole for the sprint in Friday's qualifying session, and capitalised on that effort to finish ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on Saturday.

The Dutchman had to see off an early push from Leclerc, but ultimately had too much.

Sergio Perez, Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate, recovered from an early mistake to finish third.

Daniel Ricciardo took fourth, having fended off the challenge of both Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri.

It was a bad drive for Lewis Hamilton, who was penalised for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him from eighth down to 16th.

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen was surprised to claim pole position for Saturday's sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen was 0.108 seconds faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in Friday's qualifying session.

That is despite the Dutchman believing his drive had not gone well at all.

"To be honest, it felt really terrible," said Verstappen, who holds a 25-point lead at the top of the F1 drivers' championship.

"Maybe that last session was just incredibly difficult to get the tyres to work. I didn't really improve a lot on the soft but somehow we were first.

"Practice felt really nice, it felt like the car was in a really good window but in qualifying it didn’t feel like that anymore. I was really not happy.

"In Q3 I saw I was only going 0.2secs faster and I was sliding around, no grip and they told me it was P1 and I thought it must be a joke but we'll take it."

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez qualified third for the sprint, which will take place ahead of the main qualifying session for Sunday's race.

Lando Norris fears Max Verstappen’s “boring” dominance of Formula One is forcing fans away.

Verstappen became the first driver this century to start the season with five consecutive pole positions after a crushing performance in qualifying for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.

The Dutchman, 26, saw off Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by 0.322 seconds at the Shanghai International Circuit to take top spot, after he earlier raced from fourth to first in the 19-lap sprint race.

Remarkably, since Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the 2021 world championship in Abu Dhabi, the Red Bull driver has won 37 of the 48 races staged, and he is firmly on course to wrap up his fourth title in as many seasons.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has already said that Verstappen will not be caught – despite there being 20 races of this record-breaking 24-race season left.

And speaking ahead of the fifth round of the campaign in China, Norris, considered to be Verstappen’s best friend on the grid, said: “It is frustrating for people watching but it has always been like this.

“Now, we are seeing more dominance than ever, so it is never going to be the best to watch and the only exciting races have been the ones that Max is not in.”

Asked if he was concerned Verstappen’s stranglehold on the sport could be a turn-off for fans, Norris replied: “Of course it is going to be. Of course it is going be. There is no way you can say it won’t be.

“If you see the same driver winning every single time without a fight then of course it does start to become boring and that is obvious.

“You have got one of the best drivers ever in Formula One, in one of the most dominant cars and it is a combination that is deadly. If Max wasn’t there and you had two (Sergio) Perezs it wouldn’t be the case.”

Verstappen struggled for speed in the early stages of Saturday’s sprint race but he caught, and overtook, Lewis Hamilton on the ninth lap and then pulled out an eye-watering two seconds on the Mercedes driver in just one lap. He took the chequered flag 13 sec clear.

Fernando Alonso was the closest non-Red Bull finisher to Verstappen in qualifying but the Spaniard was almost half-a-second back.

Norris, 24, continued: “Am I surprised how far Red Bull is ahead? No. When you know how tricky it is to get it right, then it makes sense. They are just smart people.

“You hope teams plateau and we are starting to get there but at the same time to suddenly jump and catch them (Red Bull), it just doesn’t work like that.”

Mercedes, behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Norris’ McLaren in the constructors’ standings, are a team far removed from the one which dominated the sport.

Hamilton will start 18th in China on Sunday, with team-mate George Russell only eighth on the grid.

Norris, who qualified fourth, added: “If you look at how dominant Mercedes have been in the past, you would have expected more from them. I did, especially how much over the last few years they have said: ‘ah, now we have got it’, and they never seem to.

“We have had that, where we have hit another roadblock, so it is tricky. But they were almost more competitive last year than they are now and you just wouldn’t expect that from them. But it shows how complicated this sport can be.”

Max Verstappen denied Lewis Hamilton the first sprint win of his career after passing his rival to win in China on Saturday.

Hamilton started second, and rolled back the years at the Shanghai International Circuit by beating pole-sitter Lando Norris off the line, and taking control of the 19-lap charge to the chequered flag.

But Verstappen, who started fourth, ended Hamilton’s dream of re-entering the winner’s enclosure for the first time in 867 days when he blasted past the Mercedes driver on the ninth lap.

Verstappen crossed the line 13 seconds clear of Hamilton with Sergio Perez taking third.

Hamilton joined Norris to form an all-British front-row in something of a topsy-turvy grid following yesterday’s rain-hit qualifying session.

The seven-time world champion was quicker away from his marks than Norris, and as they entered the first corner, he was fractionally ahead of his compatriot.

Hamilton hugged the inside line of the long, right-handed first bend, with Norris desperately trying to remain at least on level terms.

But off the racing line, Norris struggled for grip, and he slid off the track, dropping back down the field to seventh.

Hamilton, who has endured the worst-ever start to a season in his misfiring Mercedes machine, was back in the lead of an F1 race, with Fernando Alonso tucked in behind and Verstappen being forced to fend off Carlos Sainz.

“Why is my battery flat,” yelled Verstappen as he struggled to make any impression on Alonso ahead.

For a moment, it looked as though Hamilton could be in a position to take the victory – his first of any sort in F1 since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on December 5, 2021, only for Verstappen to sensationally unlock the speed in his all-conquering Red Bull machine.

On the seventh lap, Verstappen passed Alonso at the penultimate corner and then set about closing the 1.8-second gap to Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver was immediately on the radio. “This thing won’t turn in the low-speed corners,” he bemoaned, with Verstappen taking a second out of his lead in just one lap.

At the start of lap nine, Verstappen was crawling all over the back of Hamilton’s mirrors in scenes reminiscent of their championship battle for the ages back in 2021.

Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington came on the intercom to tell Hamilton that Verstappen was behind.

“Leave me to it, man,” snapped Hamilton. “I can see him.”

Verstappen moved into Hamilton’s tow on the 210mph drag to the last-but one corner before jinking to the right of the Mercedes and launching his Red Bull up the inside.

Hamilton was unable to afford any sort of resistance and Verstappen made the move stick. He then demonstrated the speed of his Red Bull by establishing a two-second lead in just one lap.

Further back, and Alonso, 43 this summer, was commendably keeping a gaggle of faster cars behind.

But his resistance ended on a fascinating 16th lap which saw him go wheel-to-wheel with the Ferrari of Sainz.

Alonso and Sainz even banged wheels through the seventh corner with Perez able to sneak ahead of the duelling duo. Charles Leclerc followed through, too, as Alonso lost three places in one lap before diving into the pits with a front-right puncture. He later retired the car.

Sainz then appeared to force team-mate Leclerc off the road as they battled for fourth position in the closing stages.

“What the f***,” yelled Leclerc who managed to pass his team-mate a few corners later to finished fourth. Sainz crossed the line in fifth with Norris sixth.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton said he was pleased with the result.

“This is the best result I have had in a long time so I am super happy,” he said.

“This is a huge step and a huge improvement. The rain helped yesterday. The race was tough and if I started further back I would have struggled to make progress.”

Lando Norris has dismissed suggestions from dominant Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez that they could struggle for pace in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen took pole position to continue his run of locking out the first spot on the grid so far this season, while Perez was just 0.066 seconds slower to secure his place on the front row.

Norris emerged from a pack of cars all running very similar times to take the place as best of the rest for McLaren on another Saturday where it was Red Bull who shone.

Despite a 27th qualifying one-two for the Red Bull team, both drivers were quick to point out they are not as happy with their longer race pace.

Having run with their race set-up in the final practice session ahead of qualifying, Verstappen complained: “So far, I haven’t been happy with my long runs. The pace wasn’t what I would have liked, so there’s a bit of a question mark going into tomorrow.

“Our race pace is still not too bad, but it’s not how I have been feeling in some of the races this year, last year, as comfortable, let’s say it like that.”

Perez, meanwhile, echoed the views of his team-mate: “Let’s see what we are able to do tomorrow,” he said.

“I don’t think we are looking great at the moment in our long run pace, but we’ve done some changes and hopefully that will translate into our race pace.”

However, Norris did not seem to buy the suggestions that Red Bull may have any sort of Sunday struggles.

“Obviously last year I was side by side with Max into turn one. So hopefully trying to redo that,” he said of his plans for the race.

“But it’s tricky. They’re quick. They complained about their race pace, but I don’t think they’ve had a bad race in the last four or five years, so I think they’re going to be good tomorrow.

“Of course we’ve got a lot of pressure from behind so we have to keep an eye on the mirrors. But at the same time I want to go forward and I think we have pace to stay where we are, so that’s my goal.

“That will be our target for tomorrow. But I think realistically, we’re still too far away to challenge them. They’re too quick for us. Yes, we are quicker in qualifying, but in the race, normally, they always pull away a bit more.

“So, I think we’ll be realistic. I’m always realistic when I say it. So I think our competition is with the guys behind and at the same time, I’ll do my best to push forward.”

Carlos Sainz won in Australia last time out and will start Sunday’s race fourth for Ferrari, with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso fifth.

Oscar Piastri was sixth-fastest in the second McLaren, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are down in seventh and ninth respectively – with Mercedes later fined 5,000 euros for an unsafe pit-lane release of Russell.

Charles Leclerc is sandwiched between the pair, with home favourite Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top 10.

Tsunoda scraped into the final session, eliminating RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo at the end of Q2 to the roar of the Suzuka crowd.

Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon also failed to make it through and will start 12-15th, respectively.

Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu were knocked out in Q1.

Max Verstappen stormed to pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix as his dominance in qualifying continued.

The world champion has locked out the first spot on the grid this season and there was no answer to his pace at Suzuka.

His time of one minute 28.197 beat Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez into second place by just 0.066 seconds, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was the best of the rest.

Verstappen’s run of pole positions now stretches back to the last race of last season and he is now toasting a third pole in Japan.

The Dutchman never looked like being beaten and was quickest across all three qualifying sessions – as well as Saturday morning’s final practice.

He is aiming to get back on track after retiring in Melbourne and the rest of the field will be concerned that he could drive off into the distance from the start.

“It was quite close at the end,” Verstappen said of his latest pole lap.

“Overall this track is sensitive with the tyres and when you want to go to the limit it doesn’t always work out but what is important is being on pole. Overall, a very good day, a good starting position tomorrow and of course tomorrow is what counts.

“It is great as a team to be P1 and P2, hopefully we can keep that going tomorrow.”

Carlos Sainz won in Australia last time out and will start Sunday’s race fourth for Ferrari, with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso fifth.

Oscar Piastri was sixth-fastest in the second McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell down in seventh and ninth, respectively.

Charles Leclerc is sandwiched between the pair, with home favourite Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top 10.

Tsunoda scraped into the final session, eliminating RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo at the end of Q2 to the roar of the Suzuka crowd.

Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon also failed to make it through and will start 12-15th, respectively.

Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu were knocked out in Q1.