Struggles continue as Verstappen qualifies 11th for Japanese Grand Prix
Max Verstappen continued his difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, qualifying 11th for the Japanese Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli secured pole position ahead of teammate George Russell, Nu.nl reports.
Verstappen narrowly missed advancing to Q3, falling just over a tenth of a second short in Q2. Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad pushed him down to 11th place late in the session.
The Dutch driver was also slower than teammate Isack Hadjar, who qualified eighth. During his cooldown lap, Verstappen reported a potential issue over team radio, saying, “Suddenly it was no longer possible to drive during qualifying. Something must be wrong.”
The result marks Verstappen’s second failure to reach Q3 in three races this season. He crashed in Q1 during the opening race in Melbourne and qualified eighth in China the following week.
Verstappen finished sixth in Australia and retired in China due to technical problems. He had won the Japanese Grand Prix in each of the past four years.
Antonelli continued his strong form by claiming pole in Q3, finishing with a lap time of 1:28.778. Oscar Piastri placed third for McLaren despite not completing a race so far this season. He crashed en route to the grid in Australia and encountered technical issues before the start in China.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, followed by Lando Norris in fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Pierre Gasly (seventh), Hadjar (eighth), Gabriel Bortoleto (ninth), and Lindblad (10th) will all start ahead of Verstappen.
