Max Verstappen snatched the pole position at Japanese Grand Prix practice.

Auto Racing General

Max Verstappen snatched the pole position at Japanese Grand Prix practice.

Max Verstappen grabbed his fifth pole position of the season in a tight qualifying battle with the Ferrari drivers at Suzuka, taking the first step to sealing his second consecutive drivers' championship. 

Verstappen finished by setting a time of 1m 29.304s that could not be bettered by his rivals, with Charles Leclerc, in second, just 0.010s off the pace. Carlos Sainz, in third, was 0.057s behind the Red Bull driver, with Sergio Perez rounding out the top four.