Max Verstappen pips Charles Leclerc to pole at Suzuka

Max Verstappen is in the perfect position to clinch a second world title at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday by grabbing pole at Suzuka.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc just missed out on beating Verstappen's earlier time with his final lap but the Red Bull driver held on by 0.01 seconds.

Verstappen made an error on his own final lap, running wide at Turn Two and losing some bodywork, but held on.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz took third ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

Verstappen will become champion if he wins the race with fastest lap, regardless of the results of Leclerc and Perez.

A win without fastest lap for the Dutchman would require Leclerc to be lower than second for Verstappen to put the title to bed.

Verstappen was later handed a reprimand by the race stewards following a scary moment with McLaren's Lando Norris during the final session.

Verstappen almost lost control of his car on the exit of the flat-out 130R while on a slow lap as Norris approached at high speed. And when the Red Bull snapped sideways, Norris had to take to the grass to avoid him.

"I was driving quite slow and tried to accelerate," Verstappen said, "but my tyres were quite cold so I had a snap."

For his part, Norris saw the incident very differently, insisting it was "quite clear" Verstappen had tried to defend his position on track.

Asked if he would expect a penalty if he was in Verstappen's situation, Norris said: "Oh yeah, for sure."

According to a statement confirming the ruling, Norris accepted it had been an "unfortunate incident" but the stewards noted it was "the driver's responsibility to at all times maintain control of their car" and that all previous such incidents had resulted in a reprimand.

Speaking before seeing the stewards, Verstappen said he had enjoyed F1's return to the fabled Suzuka track for the first time since 2019, after a break because of the pandemic.

"It was incredible to drive here again," Verstappen said. "These cars really come alive in the first sector.

"I lost a part of the [floor] duct in the second lap, which is why I couldn't improve, but the first lap was enough."

It was Verstappen's first pole for three races and his fifth of the season. He will be bidding for his 12th win of the year on Sunday, which would be one short of the record for a season held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

Alpine's Esteban Ocon grabbed fifth place with his final lap, jumping ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes and the Frenchman's team-mate Fernando Alonso.

George Russell in the second Mercedes was eighth, followed by an impressive ninth from Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin on his final appearance at his favourite track and Lando Norris' McLaren completing the top 10.