Runaway championship leader Max Verstappen took pole position on Saturday for the Japanese Grand Prix as he looks to take a giant stride towards a third-straight title this weekend.

The Red Bull driver topped the timesheets in dry conditions in Suzuka with a fastest time of 1min 28.877sec -- 0.581sec ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris was third.

Verstappen, who leads teammate and nearest rival Sergio Perez by 151 points in the championship standings, cannot clinch the title on Sunday but a favourable result can set him up to seal the deal at the Qatar Grand Prix next month.

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

 

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