The early stages of the 2026 Formula One season continue at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
It is round three of the new F1 campaign, and the last race until Miami on May 3 after April events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were both cancelled as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Mercedes have so far dominated the start of a controversial new era for the sport that has heralded so many significant changes, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli converting their pole positions into race wins in Australia and China respectively.
Early championship leader Russell was also fastest in FP1 on Friday, but Oscar Piastri then finished ahead of the Silver Arrows duo in FP2 to give hope of a challenge in Suzuka and a McLaren renaissance after a very difficult start to their constructors’ title defence and Lando Norris’ bid for back-to-back drivers’ triumphs.
Max Verstappen’s early-season struggles have continued so far in Japan, with the four-time world champion only 10th-fastest in practice on Friday having also clashed with a British journalist during a tense media session on Thursday.
When is the Japanese Grand Prix?
The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, March 29 at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan.
Japanese Grand Prix start time
The race is due to begin at 6am GMT in the UK, which is 3pm local time.
Japanese Grand Prix schedule
The first two practice sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix took place on Friday, with FP3 coming up on Saturday at 2:30am GMT.
Qualifying takes place between 6am and 7am GMT on Saturday morning, with the race itself at 6am GMT on Sunday.
Japanese Grand Prix starting grid
The starting grid for Sunday’s race will be determined during qualifying on Saturday. Check back in then to see it in full.
How to watch Japanese Grand Prix
TV channel: Every session from the Japanese Grand Prix is available to watch live in the UK on Sky Sports’ dedicated F1 channel, with coverage of Grand Prix Sunday from 5am GMT on Sunday morning.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch every session from Suzuka live online via the Sky Go app.
Free highlights: Channel 4 will show free-to-air highlights of the race from 1pm GMT on Sunday afternoon.
Japanese Grand Prix weather forecast
It will be warm and sunny across the race weekend in Suzuka, where some cloud is forecast for Sunday. There should be no rain, with a highest temperature of around 21 degrees on race day.
