Max Verstappen’s engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, rarely sounds as impressed as he did on the radio when his driver’s pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix was confirmed. He had been through this routine 40 times before,

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.

A trick Max Verstappen may have used at the Chinese Grand Prix, could have saved Ferrari and the doomed Charles Leclerc from disqualification in Shanghai. Lewis Hamilton wants to take his relationship with Ferrari beyond Formula 1 to help produce a supercar for the Maranello outfit.