F1 qualifying: Verstappen takes pole in Suzuka rain

Dutch driver claims seventh successive Formula 1 pole position

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start from pole position in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix after topping qualifying in wet conditions at Suzuka.

The 25-year-old Dutchman, who is chasing his second consecutive world title, beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.010 seconds to take his seventh successive pole position.

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was third, 0.057 seconds behind Leclerc.

The session was red-flagged twice, first after AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly crashed at the Spoon Curve and then after Williams' Nicholas Latifi spun at the same spot.

The rain made conditions treacherous throughout the session, with several drivers spinning off during qualifying.

Verstappen said: "It was a bit messy, the qualifying, with the red flags and everything. But I think in the end we had a good lap. It was very tricky out there."

Leclerc said: "It was incredibly difficult. The track was changing so quickly, it was very difficult to get the tyres in the right window."

The race will start at 07:00 BST on Sunday.