The four-time world champion might be in luck, as Pirelli have also confirmed the range of tyres still available to the drivers in Japan, with Verstappen able to rely upon an extra set of soft tyres compared to most of the grid.

Pirelli believe a one-stop strategy is the fastest strategy for Sunday’s race, and note that the medium-hard and soft-hard combinations will be very close in terms of total race time.

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director, spoke on the tyre supplier’s website about the best strategies available.

He said: “As anticipated, the fastest strategies for tomorrow’s race involve a single pit stop and make use of all three compounds.

“The two combinations, Medium–Hard and Soft–Hard, are very close in terms of total race time, although we believe teams will favour the more conservative first option.”

Using the C3 soft tyre, of which Verstappen has two fresh and available, drivers could have an advantage and exploit the distance between the starting grid and first braking point to gain positions. This scenario would see the pit window open from lap 13 to 19, two laps earlier than a medium-hard solution, according to Marrafuschi.

The Italian added: “Around ten seconds slower is the final possible one‑stop strategy, which involves using the Soft and the Medium, with the tyre change between laps eighteen and twenty‑four and the need to manage the softer compound more carefully at the expense of performance.

Marrafuschi also explained that drivers could opt for a two-stop to avoid traffic and get onto the softs for a final stages of the race, but also notes the low likelihood of a safety car at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“Some outsiders might also consider bringing forward the switch from the Soft quite significantly to get out of traffic, with the aim of tackling the final phases of the race, after the middle stint on the C1, with a fresh set of C3s.”

“They would gain an advantage before the chequered flag but would need to stop twice. A safety car could favour two‑stop strategies, although historically neutralisations are not frequent at Suzuka.”

In the event of an unlikely Safety Car, McLaren could have greater flexibility, given that drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have an extra set of fresh hards compared to the rest of the field.

Meanwhile, Verstappen has said he needs to think about "life" after another tough qualifying for Red Bull, where the Dutchman said his RB22 was "undriveable."

In recent weekends, the Dutchman has been critical of the current generation of F1 cars, explaining that what's happening on track is 'not racing'.

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