Verstappen hails pole at Suzuka as a "proper highlight" after stunning lap

Max Verstappen has hailed his stunning pole position lap as a "proper highlight" at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Dutchman pulled out all of the pace he could possibly muster from his RB21 to put down an unbelievable lap time, beating Lando Norris in P2 by +0.012 seconds.

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It looked like McLaren would be the ones to take pole position at Suzka, dominating the weekend prior to qualifying. However, a stunning lap from Verstppen meant he was able to finish ahead of the papaya-coloured cars.

Verstappen debrief an "insane" lap

Speaking right after his sublime lap, Verstappen said, "We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance. It wasn't easy, but every session we had little improvements.

"Each session, we kept making little improvements. Then the last lap was just flat out. In a Formula 1 car around here, it is insane."

That pole postion meant he was able to seal a P1 start at Suzuka for the fourth consecutive season, underlining his dominace around this circuit.

"The last lap was just flat out, and it is incredibly rewarding. We will look to tomorrow and do our best.

"This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here. There might be some rain around, but we will do our very best," concluded the Dutchman.