What can Charles Leclerc do then? Well, not much, unfortunately. The Ferrari driver has to make do with seventh place for now after a promising first and middle sector.

The first two rows are occupied by Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. Charles Leclerc is out in his Ferrari aiming to change that order.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is told the gap to Verstappen, which is 0.526. "Where's that half a second, man?" asks the seven-time world champion.

Daryl Lynch: No surprises for Q3. It is the same Top 10 as P1 & P3.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Perez slotting in that's still a big gap isn't it, Norris looking pretty decent there in the first sector.

Perez has not had a front row start since Belgium in last year where he was P2 so he will be hoping.

McLaren had a great qualifying here last year with Oscar Piastri putting his car on the front row alongside Max Verstappen. This time around, it's Lando Norris who is potentially going to be the partner to the dominate Red Bull for this year's race, as the Briton hits a 1:28.489 to push Sergio Perez down to third place.

This pole position is in the hands of Max Verstappen. The reigning world champion goes top of the board with a 1:28.240 - over three-tenths faster than Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second.

Who is going to take pole position today? Max Verstappen is quickest in the first sector while George Russell has taken the purple medal in the middle part of the circuit.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

The fight between those two Brits (Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton) for say P3, the Red Bulls are looking slightly clear, but Perez we never know with him a little bit up and down, but he was quite close to his team-mate in the second part of qualifying.

The top three in Q2 were Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton, with Lando Norris just behind in fourth.

Fight, fight, fight for pole is green.

Good morning to everyone who has joined us.

11. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

12. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

13. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

14. Alex Albon (Williams)

15. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

Yuki Tsunoda goes to 10th place and pushes down his RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo into the drop zone in the process.

"Well done, guys," the Japanese driver tells his pit wall.

Image source, Getty Images

The first Mercedes to cross the line is Lewis Hamilton, who leaps up the order to third place. George Russell, who in on older soft tyres, can only shift to seventh spot.

Valtteri Bottas is a previous Japanese Grand Prix, taking the chequered flag at Suzuka for Mercedes in 2019.

The top seven drivers are staying in, the other eight, including Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in eighth and ninth, have headed out.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

I'm very impressed with Valtteri Bottas in the Sauber at the moment, having a great run of things.

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz has noticed an issues with the throttle pedal of his Ferrari down at Turn 13 and tells his pit wall they need to take a look.

11. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

12. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

13. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

14. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas, no time)

15. Alex Albon (Williams, no time)

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

A good effort there from Lando Norris purple in that first sector just lacked a couple of tenths compared to Max Verstappen in the second.

The Haas' time near the peak of the timesheets doesn't last long, however, as here comes the McLaren of Lando Norris. The Briton hits a 1:28.940 to go third quickest.

Ah. Nico Hulkenberg had his lap time deleted, that's why the German has dropped down to 14th place.

Is Fernando Alonso the surprise for a front-row spot this weekend? The Spaniard goes into P3 behind the two Red Bulls.

But then the Aston Martin has to make way, as the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg sweeps through on his soft tyres and takes his spot.

Andrew Priestley: Alonso sitting pretty in P2 at the end of Q1, meanwhile his teammate is knocked out of qualifying altogether. Even as the owner’s son, the Aston Martin team have a difficult decision to make in the near future.