Alonso amazed at Verstappen's pole lap at Suzuka: 'No one else can do that'

10:04, 05 Apr

Updated: 17:54, 05 Apr

byOlly Darcy

Fernando Alonso shared his amazement at Max Verstappen's stunning pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, hailing it as a "magical moment".

It looked like the battle for P1 would be between the two McLaren drivers, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri dominating the free practice sessions at Suzuka in the buildup to qualifying.

However, a simply sublime lap from Verstappen meant he stole pole by +0.012 ahead of Norris in P2, finding pace in an RB21 that looked almost impossible.

"No other drivers" would take P1 with the RB21 says Alonso

The whole of the Formula 1 world was stunned and amazed by what Verstappen was able to do in Q3, including the most experienced man on the grid, Fernando Alonso.

"There is no other driver at the moment that can drive a car and put it so high," said the Spaniard in conversation with Viaplay.

"[The RB21] is higher than it deserves to be. It was a magical moment for everyone here to see."

For Alonso, he was unable to emulate the pace Verstappen did at Suzuka, only able to set the 13th fastest time of the session. Teammate Lance Stroll had a very poor session, finishing right at the back of the pack in P20.

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