SUZUKA, Japan — Max Verstappen is back. With only two victories in his last 16 races and in a “mini-slump,” the four-time world champion shocked himself, his Red Bull team and fans by taking pole position for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen’s engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, rarely sounds as impressed as he did on the radio when his driver’s pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix was confirmed. He had been through this routine 40 times before,

Max Verstappen wowed the Formula 1 grid with his record-setting pole position lap at Suzuka, but one driver in particular was especially impressed with the Dutchman’s performance. Aston Martin driver and two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso showered Verstappen with praise in a post-qualifying interview.