For the first time this Formula 1 season, a McLaren will not start on pole position for a Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen surprised the grid, and himself, by snatching pole position ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the Japanese Grand Prix. While Verstappen admitted earlier this week that he was lacking “confidence” in the RB21, Red Bull’s challenger for the 2025 season, the defending Drivers’ champion delivered one of his most impressive qualifying performances, taking P1 away from the blazing McLaren duo.
Still, Norris and Piastri will be right behind him when the lights go out in Suzuka, looking to make it three wins in three grands prix for McLaren this season. Norris took the win in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, and Piastri took victory at the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Here is the provisional starting grid for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix:
2025 Japanese Grand Prix Provisional Starting Grid
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
| Row 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| Row 2 | 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| Row 3 | 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| Row 4 | 7 | Isack Hadjar | VCARB | 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| Row 5 | 9 | Alex Albon | Williams | 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| Row 6 | 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| Row 7 | 13 | Liam Lawson | VCARB | 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull |
| Row 8 | 15 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber |
| Row 9 | 17 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| Row 10 | 19 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 20 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
If you are looking for tire strategies for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, we have you covered here.
We will be covering the race live when lights go out at 1:00 a.m. Eastern, so come back early and often!
Updates are either in Eastern time (pre- and post-race) or by Lap number.
