Sainz: Top 3 for Ferrari “impossible” today
Opposite Sky The Spaniard explains that after the training we knew that it would be “a tougher weekend”. “We actually made a good step in qualifying,” he emphasizes.
“I’m happy with my performance,” he explains and makes it clear: “It’s a track on which the Ferrari is not the fastest car. And we know why that is.” More than P4 was therefore not possible.
“I hope that we are in the race [Norris] “We can fight because that was impossible in qualifying,” he emphasizes and adds: “It should be an interesting fight for the podium. I think the Red Bulls are unfortunately in a different league.”
However, he wants to fight for the last podium place tomorrow.
Verstappen: It would have been even faster
It was already clear on the radio after qualifying that the Dutchman was not 100 percent satisfied with his lap. “In the end it was pretty close,” he emphasizes again.
Verstappen explains: “Overall, this track is very sensitive when it comes to the tires, the asphalt is very aggressive. And if you really want to push yourself to the limit, it doesn’t always work.”
“Still, I think it’s important to be on pole. Of course you want every lap to be perfect, but on a track like this that’s not always the case. Overall, a very good day,” said the world champion.
Norris wants to be on the podium
The Brit finished second in Suzuka last year and explains that he “of course” wants to do it again in 2024. “We had a good car all weekend. We made some good steps forward,” he said with satisfaction.
He said about his qualifying: “I drove some good laps, especially in Q3. That’s why I’m very happy with today.” He emphasizes: “We’re trying to catch up with the two Red Bulls, but they’re doing a good job.”
In P3 he ended up 0.226 seconds short of Verstappen’s time.
5th poles in series
Max Verstappen took his fifth pole in a row today across all seasons. Most recently, another driver, Charles Leclerc, took first place on the grid at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. That was almost five months ago now!
By the way, Ayrton Senna holds the record. The Brazilian took an incredible eight pole positions in a row in 1988 and 1989.
Open session ticker now!
Qualifying in Suzuka begins in ten minutes and we’re moving the action back to our session ticker. So there is a short break here, after the end of the qualification we will continue here with the votes for Saturday.
And if you want to know how you can watch Formula 1 in Japan live stream, you can find out here!
Fastest sectors
Curious: Max Verstappen set the best time in FT3 earlier. But he wasn’t ahead in any sector! Lando Norris was the fastest man in Sector 1, George Russell in Sector 2 and (somewhat surprisingly) Alexander Albon in Sector 3.
This suggests that the world champion still had room for improvement. We are even more excited about qualifying soon!
Hamilton: I’ll talk to Wolff first, then to Ferrari
The seven-time world champion’s move to Scuderia is looming and he himself says that he will first speak to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff before starting discussions about working with Ferrari for 2025.
“I think it will start with a conversation with Toto because I don’t know how to navigate this,” admits Hamilton. Because he has never experienced a situation like this in Formula 1.
You can find his complete statements here!
Verstappen: Active suspension would not be a good idea
A return of active suspension in Formula 1? At least that’s what Carlos Sainz wants from 2026 because the current cars are too stiff for him and he’s worried about the drivers’ backs and safety.
But Max Verstappen is anything but a fan of it and warns: “On the contrary, we shouldn’t get involved in active suspension, active aerodynamics and things like that,” says the three-time world champion.
He reasons: “That makes everything much more complicated, and some teams will stand out that do a better job than others. You have to keep it as simple as possible,” he says.
You can find the complete story here!
Trouble at Ferrari
Leclerc wasn’t happy after P10 in FT3 earlier. He was annoyed about the timing on his last run and made that clear on the radio. Ferrari has to do better in qualifying.
His angry radio message can be seen again in the video here:
Is this really a no from Aston Martin to Newey?
Mike Krack, Aston Martin team boss, denies media reports that his racing team made star designer Adrian Newey an astronomically high offer in financial terms.
In Suzuka, Krack answers someone’s question with a seemingly clear “no”. Sky-Reporter asked whether Aston Martin had really made an “astronomical offer” to Newey.
With a grin on his face, however, he leaves it open whether his no refers to the “astronomical” thing or to the offer itself. So what is the status between Aston Martin and Newey?
You can read all the background information here!
Poles are more than half the battle
These statistics show how important qualifying is: Since the Japanese Grand Prix in 2016, the race in Suzuka has only been failed to win from pole position once!
In 2019, Valtteri Bottas won after only starting the race from third place. Otherwise, since 2016, starting with Nico Rosberg, the pole sitter has always been ahead in the race.
You can find more exciting statistics about the Japanese GP in our large database!
Ricciardo’s spin in FT3…
… can be found here again in the video. The Australian ended the session in P13 and was not the only driver with difficulties. Teammate Tsunoda, on the other hand, made it back into the top 10 in ninth place.
Could the Racing Bulls be a candidate for Q3 again in qualifying?
Steiner: Gene Haas was so cold when he fired him!
It was short and painless and lasted seven minutes when Gene Haas and Günther Steiner agreed on the phone to end their collaboration after ten years.
“I was very frustrated with what was going on with the team,” says Steiner now exclusive video review with editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll, that Members on the Formula1.de YouTube channel have been able to see it since Wednesday.
Steiner also talks about his difficult relationship with Mick and Ralf Schumacher, what he believes to be the great potential of Nico Hülkenberg and the reasons why Gene Haas will not get off the ground in Formula 1 until he is finally ready to make more money invest.
Steiner: Gene Haas was so cold when he fired him!
It was short and painless and lasted seven minutes when Gene Haas and Günther Steiner agreed to end their collaboration. More Formula 1 videos
All the best!
Congratulations go out today before qualifying – to Oscar Piastri. The Australian is celebrating his 23rd birthday. Let’s see if he can “gift” himself with a good result this weekend.
In 2023 he took his first Formula 1 podium in Suzuka in third place.