Is Verstappen F1's greatest-ever qualifier?

Max Verstappen's lap to secure pole position in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix was one for the ages.

The Dutchman beautifully thread the needle around the infamous Suzuka Circuit, despite the deficiencies of his difficult RB21.

On a weekend in which McLaren looked poised to continue its monopoly of first place on the grid in 2025, the Red Bull driver laid bare his brilliance - and further staked claim to being the championship's greatest-ever qualifier.

That was pole position number 41 for the Dutchman from 212 attempts. It also means he moves ahead of fellow Red Bull F1 drivers' champion Sebastian Vettel in conversion percentage. He now sits eighth on the list.

The German took pole 19 percent of the time during his career, with Verstappen jumping from 18.96% to 19.34% following his success at Suzuka.

Whilst the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Alberto Ascari secured pole over 55, 45 and 42 percent of the time, respectively, the only driver with over 100 starts above the 40 percent threshold is Ayrton Senna. After the Brazilian, it's Lewis Hamilton on just under 29 percent.

But given Verstappen's age, and dominance, can he make claim to the greatest-ever qualifier crown? And is a more qualitative - as opposed to quantitative - approach required?

Senna stunned with his pole position at Monaco in 1988, beating team-mate Alain Prost in second place by 1.427 seconds, and who can forget Lewis Hamilton's sublime lap at Singapore in 2018. And, now, Verstappen has delivered a breath-taking display at Suzuka.

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