F1 is racing overnight at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, and surprise, surprise, Max Verstappen claimed pole in qualifying early Saturday morning. Qualifying ran at 2 a.m. ET and Verstappen beat out Oscar Piastri for the top spot. Piastri will join him on the front row, and they’ll be followed by Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
The performance comes a week after a rough performance for Red Bull at the Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen finished qualifying in 11th place and finished the race in fifth while Sergio Pérez was 13th in qualifying and finished the race in eighth place. Pérez will start Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix in the fifth position.
Verstappen is an overwhelming favorite to win Sunday’s race with -600 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook coming out of qualifying. He opened at -360 coming into race weekend. Lando Norris follows at +950 after opening at +1200.
The green flag drops for the race at 1 a.m. ET and will air on ESPN2. A live stream will be available at WatchESPN.
2023 Japanese Grand Prix starting grid
| Pos | Driver | No. |
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Driver | No. |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 1 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | 81 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 4 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 16 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | 11 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | 55 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | 44 |
| 8 | George Russell | 63 |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda | 22 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | 14 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | 40 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | 10 |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | 23 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | 31 |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | 20 |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | 77 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | 18 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | 27 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | 24 |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant | 2 |