Kimi Antonelli served George Russell a title warning by beating his British team-mate to pole position for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.
Buoyed by his maiden victory in China a fortnight ago, Antonelli delivered another composed performance as he secured top spot in Suzuka by 0.298 seconds. Russell holds a four-point championship lead over Antonelli but he was no match for the Italian teenager during a session in which he grumbled about the handling of his Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri took third place for McLaren, one spot clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. World champion Lando Norris starts fifth with Lewis Hamilton sixth, and Max Verstappen a distant 11th.
Russell opened his season with victory in Australia but Antonelli laid down his own championship marker by winning from pole last time out in Shanghai. At the previous round, Russell's bid for pole was derailed by technical gremlins after he broke down in Q3. However, here he was simply outgunned by Antonelli's pure pace.
Follow live updates from the Japanese Grand Prix
F1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The Japan GP starts at 6am (BST)
- Kimi Antonelli claims pole in Japan; Russell 2nd; Piastri 3rd
- Max Verstappen fails to make top-10
- Kimi Antonellli quickest in FP3; Russell 2nd; Leclerc 3rd
- COMMENT: Aston Martin and Honda: the despairing start of an F1 partnership
What time is the Japan GP?
12:17 , Kieran JacksonTime BST
Sunday 29 March
- Race: 6am
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Japanese Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 4:30am (GMT).
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur:
18:00 , Kieran Jackson“At the moment, we are still going through the learning process regarding how to approach qualifying and how to improve from Q1 to Q3, without being too aggressive. It’s not just about energy management or about pure performance: it’s about how to extract the best from the car.
“That can sometimes be counterintuitive for the driver, and we will have to fully understand why we had a better Q2 than Q3. Tonight, we will focus on tomorrow’s race as it is Sunday when the points are given out. So, let’s hope we get a good start, choose the right strategy and then see what we can do.
“So far, our race pace has been solid, let’s see how many points we can score tomorrow.”
Pierre Gasly, who qualified 7th:
17:00 , Kieran Jackson“I am very happy with P7 in Qualifying today. The team did a very good job to find a lot more performance in the car so big thanks to everyone for their hard work overnight in finding those improvements.
“Yesterday I was not feeling too happy in the car and I could not drive the way I wanted so we definitely had a lot to analyse. We made good changes overnight and it felt much better in Free Practice 3 and we made a few further tweaks ahead of Qualifying where the car felt the best it has been all weekend, so that's really pleasing. I think P7 is the best we could have realistically achieved today given where the top three teams are, so to be quite close to a Ferrari is a good effort from everyone.
“Tomorrow we will have a challenge on our hands to stay in P7 with some quick cars behind. That is our aim, though, to capitalise on our good starting spot and be on it at the start and any potential restarts. Our high fuel running looked reasonable on Friday so hopefully we can have the pace to compete for good points again.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella:
16:00 , Kieran Jackson“Today was a positive step for us, with clear indications of progress in competitiveness. Oscar has been fast all season and showed it again, and Lando delivered strongly despite issues in every Practice session.
“Our improved collaboration with the Mercedes HPP engineers is helping us unlock more from this power unit, and combined with better setup work on the MCL40, we’ve been able to cash in some lap time.
A Qualifying result of P3 and P5 today reflects where we realistically are right now, fighting with Ferrari, while recognising that Mercedes remains a step ahead on pure pace. We know Ferrari tend to gain relative pace in the race, so podium contention will be hard fought, but we’ll be there to take opportunities
“We’re not blind to the areas we must improve. Reliability, particularly the recurring issues on the battery module supplied by Mercedes HPP – today's one that forced us to fit a third energy store unit in Free Practice 3 - is something we’re working to stabilise as we assess whether the second battery can be recovered.”
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Kimi Antonelli after claiming pole:
15:00 , Kieran Jackson“It feels great to take pole position today here at Suzuka. I've been having a lot of fun driving around such a brilliant circuit and pushing to the limit in qualifying.
“The car was a little snappier than it had been in FP3, so it wasn't straightforward. We had some tyre overheating which we were dealing with too, but we were able to put together two solid laps in Q3. Thankfully our pace was strong enough to take P1. I am looking forward to tomorrow.
“The start will be key, but we are just focused on ourselves and what we can do to make sure we hold the lead into turn one. We will be working on that with Bono and my other engineers this evening so we are as ready as possible.
“Hopefully we can do that, get the car in some clear air, and utilise the long run pace that we showed on Friday. Let's see what we can do.”
Lewis Hamilton doubts Ferrari’s F1 upgrades amid Mercedes dominance in Japan
14:00 , Kieran JacksonHamilton starts Sunday’s race in sixth.
“I don’t know if we can turn it into a podium,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “McLaren have taken a step forward and they have the Mercedes engine which is naturally a long way ahead of us.
“Even if you bring a three-tenths upgrade, it’s still a long way off. To close that gap is going to take a mighty push.”
Oscar Piastri after qualifying third:
13:00 , Kieran Jackson“A good Qualifying session today, it was nice to be in the top three and closer to the leading team so overall we can be pretty happy with this afternoon’s result. All weekend I think we’ve looked reasonably good, and the team has executed every session well, getting things right for the moment across each day which is pleasing.
“We clearly don’t have the pace or the grip to match Mercedes still, but we’re getting closer and that’s the most important point in our on-track performance. There are plenty of positives today, and it was good to be able to qualify ahead of Ferrari too.
“We’ll now continue to work hard to make important further gains as a team overnight, working on power management and exploiting maximum performance in preparation for the race tomorrow.”
Charles Leclerc after qualifying fourth:
09:50 , Kieran JacksonInteresting comments....
“It’s very frustrating because in Q3, you go into that last lap and you try things which are above what you’ve tried before. The system needs to reoptimise everything. I lose time in the straights, you never put a lap together, always comprimising things.
“We’re more exposed to that than the Mercedes engine. The FIA are still looking to fix those issues. Apart from that, I was very happy with my lap.
“This would be arrogant to say like that but I think for everybody, going into Q3 is not the nicest feeling, we want to be at the limit of the cars but you pay the price with a snap. Whenever you play with the limit, you get destroyed in the straights.
“You need to be under the limit, I think it’s less rewarding for the drivers who want to push over it. Usually in Q3 it pays off, but not with these cars.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff:
07:44 , Kieran Jackson“He’s just calm, not putting himself too much under pressure. Put a banker in, then pushed it a bit hard. It’s really pleasing to see.
George: “We did a set-up tweak, it put the car on the nose, too much oversteer, was very difficult for him.
“He needs to carry this into the race.”
Oscar Piastri after qualifying P3:
07:31 , Kieran Jackson“Qualifying has been OK this year, nice to be in the top three.
“We clearly don’t have the pace or grip to match Mercedes.”
George Russell after qualifying P2:
07:23 , Kieran Jackson“Strange session, we were both very happy IN FP3.
“Beginning of qualifying, we were nowhere, very lucky to be P2.”
Kimi Antonelli after claiming pole:
07:07 , Kieran Jackson“Super happy with the session. Was a clean one. Now we focus on tomorrow.
“The fans here in Japan are pretty incredible. Racing in such a historic track is an incredible feeling, thank you so much for coming.”
Top-10 in Q3
07:04 , Kieran Jackson1. Kimi Antonelli - 1:28:778
2. George Russell +0.298
3. Oscar Piastri +0.354
4. Charles Leclerc +0.627
5. Lando Norris +0.631
6. Lewis Hamilton +0.789
7. Pierre Gasly +0.913
8. Isack Hadjar +1.200
9. Gabriel Bortoleto +1.496
10. Arvid Lindblad +1.541
Kimi Antonelli on team radio:
07:02 , Kieran Jackson“Let’s go man! It’s a shame the last lap, it was a good one, good I’m happy! Good quali!”
Kimi Antonelli on pole position!
07:01 , Kieran JacksonRussell fails to improve! He has to settle for second - and Antonelli takes it by 0.298 secs.
Oscar Piastri is third, Charles Leclerc in fourth but could have gone quicker - he had a big snap in sector two!
5-10: Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Hadjar, Bortoleto, Lindblad
Pressure on Russell
06:57 , Kieran JacksonSignificant moments this then in the intra-team battle - can Russell find some time to Antonelli?
And can McLaren crash the party? Ferrari look a step off...
Max Verstappen after only qualifying P11:
06:55 , Kieran Jackson“The car never turns mid-corner. We oversteer a lot on entry, it’s really difficult, unpredictable, we thought we fixed it a little bit in FP3 - there’s still a lot of understeer, for me in qualifying it was undriveable.
“I’m driving with a different aero package which also wasn’t good.
“We have problems that I cannot explain in detail here, in qualifying it comes back to a point where it became undriveable.”
Kimi Antonelli on provisional pole
06:52 , Kieran JacksonAntonelli, with a 1:28:8, is around two-tenths ahead of Russell in second.
Piastri is three-tenths off, with Norris six-tenths off in third and fourth.
5-10: Leclerc, Hamilton, Hadjar, Gasly, Bortoleto, Lindblad
Advantage to start to the Italian...
Q3 underway
06:48 , Kieran Jackson13 minutes for the top-10 shootout - here we go!
10 drivers involved: Russell, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Hadjar, Bortoleto, Lindblad, Gasly
Arvid Lindblad:
06:46 , Kieran Jackson“Come on mate, that’s got to be a good one!”
Q2 KNOCK-OUT TIMES
06:44 , Kieran JacksonVerstappen missed out by over a tenth.
11. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:30:262
12. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 1:30:309
13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 1:30:387
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 1:30:395
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 1:30:627
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 1:31:033
Max Verstappen:
06:42 , Kieran Jackson“I think there is something with the car mate, it’s completely undriveable suddenly in qualifying. A lot of jumping.”
Max Verstappen out in Q2!
06:42 , Kieran JacksonVerstappen is out by a tenth! Arvid Lindblad knocks him out right at the end!
Verstappen only P11. And Red Bull teammate Hadjar is through! Gosh.
Bottom-six (11-16) and out in Q2: Verstappen, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Colapinto, Sainz
Russell not happy
06:38 , Kieran Jackson“We need to find some pace.”
Russell P3, but trailing Leclerc and Piastri right now.
Max Verstappen on the cusp
06:37 , Kieran JacksonVerstappen’s first lap? Only P10. Issues remain for Red Bull.
Current bottom-six (11-16): Hulkenberg, Ocon, Lindblad, Colapinto, Lawson, Sainz
Will we get any shake-up? 4:00 to go in Q2.
Q2 underway
06:28 , Kieran Jackson15 minutes on this occasion where we’ll again lose the slowest six - will we have any shocks ahead of the top-10 shootout?
Q1 KNOCK-OUT TIMES
06:22 , Kieran Jackson17. Alex Albon (Williams) - 1:31:088
18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 1:31:090
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 1:32:206
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 1:32:330
21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 1:32:645
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) -1:32:920
Bearman out
06:21 , Kieran JacksonA rare off session for Ollie Bearman, who is out in P17!
Carlos Sainz is the man who escapes from the bottom-three teams.
Out in Q1 (17-22); Albon, Bearman, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, Stroll
Top-3: Leclerc, Russell, Antonelli
Verstappen only P7
06:18 , Kieran JacksonMax should be safe, such is the bleakness of the bottom three teams, but it’s still not rapid.
Two mins to go. Can any of the bottom-six somehow carve their way out?
Lawson, Bearman, Colapinto the men closest to the drop-zone.
Antonelli fastest early on (Q1)
06:12 , Kieran JacksonNot all-important right now, but Antonelli is first - six-tenths ahead of Russell down in fifth.
Leclerc and Piastri make up the top-three.
More importantly, though, here’s the bottom-six after the opening laps (17-22): Sainz, Albon, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, Stroll
Must say, that’s largely what we expected at the bottom: Williams, Cadillac, Aston Martin.
7:00 to go in Q1...
Ocon fastest
06:06 , Kieran JacksonOnly half the field have set times in the opening six minutes and it’s the Haas of Esteban Ocon in first, ahead of RB’s Arvid Lindblad.
Here come the big boys though!
Q1 underway
06:02 , Kieran JacksonLiam Lawson is the first car out on track with a big queue at the end of the pit-lane.
We’re expecting Cadillac and Aston Martin to get knocked out.
A reminder: 18 minutes for this first session where we’ll lose the slowest six cars.
F1 qualifying in Suzuka
05:58 , Kieran JacksonSo what we thinking - Russell or Antonelli?
Mercedes are the hot favourites for pole in Suzuka, but can McLaren and Ferrari get involved in the fight?
And what about Red Bull - can they show some improvement?
Top-10 in FP3
05:55 , Kieran Jackson1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 1:29.362
2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.254
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.867
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.002
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.021
6. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.238
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +1.296
8. Max verstappen (Red Bull) +1.548
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.638
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.720
Lewis Hamilton makes concerning Ferrari revelation before sharing plan to fix problems
05:48 , Kieran JacksonLewis Hamilton has sounded a warning over Ferrari’s chances at the Japanese Grand Prix by sharing his dissatisfaction with his car.
After a promising start to the 2026 F1 campaign, Hamilton vented his frustration during practice at Suzuka, highlighting the SF-26’s potential.
Oscar Piastri, yet to complete a lap in a grand prix after a crash in Melbourne and a power unit issue preventing him and McLaren teammate Lando Norris from starting the race in China, was fastest after FP2, with a +0.847 edge on Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton shares concerning Ferrari revelation and plan to improve
F1 constructor standings ahead of Japan:
05:40 , Kieran Jackson1. Mercedes - 98 points
2. Ferrari - 67 points
3. McLaren - 18 points
4. Haas - 17 points
5. Red Bull - 12 points
6. Racing Bulls - 12 points
7. Alpine - 10 point
8. Audi - 2 points
9. Williams - 0 points
10. Cadillac - 0 points
11. Aston Martin - 0 points
F1 standings ahead of Japan:
05:22 , Kieran JacksonRussell’s gap is four points:
1. George Russell (Mercedes) - 51 points
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 47 points
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 34 points
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 33 points
5. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 17 points
6. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 15 points
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 9 points
8. Max Verstappen Red Bull) - 8 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 8 points
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 4 points
11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 4 points
12. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 3 points
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 2 points
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 2 points
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 1 point
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 0 points
17. Alex Albon (Williams) - 0 points
18. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
19. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 0 points
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 0 points
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
George Russell on McLaren's practice pace:
04:56 , Kieran Jackson"Lando has had a pretty disrupted day but Oscar's looked pretty on it from the first lap out of the box this morning so we will find out come qualifying,” said Russell.
"We have got some more to give and things weren't quite optimised on my side, especially with the energy management, so hopefully a little bit more to come tomorrow [Saturday]."
What are the times this weekend?
04:50 , Kieran JacksonAll times GMT/BST
Saturday 28 March
- Qualifying: 6am
Sunday 29 March
- Race: 6am
F1 Japanese Grand Prix
04:45 , Kieran JacksonFormula 1 heads to Japan for the third race of the season at the popular Suzuka circuit - before the five-week break as a result of the cancellation of F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month.
Mercedes are hot favourites this weekend, given their dominance at the opening two rounds. George Russell leads the world championship by four points over teammate Kimi Antonelli, who claimed his first-ever win at the last race in China amid emotional scenes.
Ferrari look to be Mercedes’s closest rivals, with Lewis Hamilton earning his first podium in Scuderia red in Shanghai. The big question remains: can Hamilton or Charles Leclerc claim Ferrari’s first win in nearly 18 months?
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen banished a journalist from his pre-race press conference on Thursday, but his Red Bull team look short on pace, while reigning world champions McLaren will be looking to bounce back after their disastrous double DNS in China. Last year, Verstappen claimed an impressive win in Japan after a stunning pole position.
