Max Verstappen

Verstappen and his Red Bull team brushed off a challenging weekend in Singapore by storming to pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, getting the better of McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris during Saturday's qualifying session at Suzuka, Formula1.com reports.

Verstappen and Red Bull put the memories of a challenging Singapore weekend behind them as they doubled up during Friday practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, following up their pace-setting FP1 efforts with the fastest time in FP2, which was red-flagged late on when Alpine's Pierre Gasly crashed out, Formula1.com reports.

Verstappen and Red Bull returned to their pace-setting form in the opening hour of running in Japan, as the Dutch racer set the early pace in the first practice session to comfortably lead rivals Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, Formula1.com reports.

Verstappen finished fifth in the Singapore Grand Prix F1 race at Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sunday.

Verstappen and Red Bull came out on top in a battle against the Ferraris to secure victory in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix and make more F1 history - the Dutchman moving ahead of Sebastian Vettel with 10 wins on the bounce and the team stretching their winning run to 15 races, Formula1.com reports.