Japanese Grand Prix: Verstappen beats Perez to pole
Max Verstappen will start ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix
The Red Bull driver edged out Perez by just 0.010 seconds in a thrilling qualifying session at Suzuka
Verstappen went top with his first flying lap in Q3 and improved on his next attempt as Red Bull looked comfortable throughout the session.
Perez had closed the gap to just 0.063 seconds by the end of the first runs but could not improve second time around, despite having a tow from Verstappen on his final lap.
The second row of the grid will be occupied by Lando Norris of McLaren and Fernando Alonso of Alpine, who was impressive in fifth position.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell qualified sixth and seventh for Mercedes, with Carlos Sainz taking eighth for Ferrari ahead of the two AlphaTauris of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda.
The session was not without controversy, with several drivers complaining about cars slowing down ahead of them on their flying laps.
Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel and Kevin Magnussen were all investigated by the stewards for impeding other drivers, but no penalties were issued.
Verstappen is now the favorite to win Sunday's race as he seeks to extend his championship lead over Perez.
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