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Formula One young gun Oscar Piastri will share the front row of the grid for the Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
In the Australian\u2019s debut season on motor racing\u2019s greatest stage, Piastri joined Max Verstappen at the top of the time lists following the second qualifying session.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the 22-year-old Melburnian\u2019s best result in qualifying for McLaren despite being no match for Red Bull\u2019s double world champion ahead of Sunday\u2019s race at the Suzuka International Racing Course.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri\u2019s McLaren soars around the McLaren circuit.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe thought we would have a decent chance around here,\u201d Piastri said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you\u2019ve still got to make it happen and (I\u2019m) so happy to be second and the team second and third. Very, very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Piastri has Verstappen firmly in his sights.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is only one car ahead to try and overtake so I\u2019ll try and make that happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Dutchman Verstappen topped all three practice sessions to suggest his UK-based team had banished the issues they experienced in Singapore.<\/p>\n His record 10-race winning run, and Red Bull\u2019s unbeaten season, came to an end in the city-state last weekend.<\/p>\n Verstappen was imperious around the high-speed Suzuka circuit – where Lewis Hamilton warned the Red Bull would be \u201cphenomenal\u201d – taking pole by a massive 0.581 seconds ahead of Piastri.<\/p>\n \u201cIncredible weekend so far, especially in qualifying when you can push it to the limit,\u201d Verstappen said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a bad weekend in Singapore. I felt this was going to be a good track. From lap one it has been really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Piastri had never even been to Japan before this week but got the edge on his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to line up on the front row.<\/p>\n Red Bull will almost certainly clinch the constructors\u2019 championship on Sunday at the home race of their engine supplier Honda.<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s teammate Sergio Perez finished fifth, more than 0.7 seconds adrift of the pace-setter.<\/p>\n Hamilton and George Russell were well off the pace for Mercedes, who are battling with Ferrari to finish second in the constructors\u2019 championship, and will line up seventh and eighth on the grid.<\/p>\n Ferrari, who are running a new floor at Suzuka, took fourth via Charles Leclerc, while Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz finished sixth.<\/p>\n Yuki Tsunoda was confirmed by AlphaTauri to be driving alongside Australia\u2019s Daniel Ricciardo in 2024 and delighted his home crowd by making the top-10 shootout, finishing ninth.<\/p>\n Q1 was red-flagged with just over nine minutes remaining when Williams\u2019 Logan Sargeant over steered out of the final corner and slid heavily into the barriers.<\/p>\n