Second consecutive pole for Antonelli
That’s all for the report on the Japanese GP Qualifying, thank you for being with us. Enjoy the rest of your day with FormulaPassion.it. We leave you with the full starting grid for the Japanese GP.
08.05 – The second consecutive pole for Antonelli confirms the excellent moment the Italian driver is experiencing; tomorrow he can dream of the championship lead in case of a victory ahead of George Russell.
08.04 – Antonelli did not improve on his second attempt due to a lock-up at the hairpin, but in the end, Russell didn’t improve either due to a visible mistake at the triangle chicane.
08.02 – Antonelli has secured the 50th pole for Italian drivers in F1.
08.01 – Leclerc grabs the second row by four thousandths; the Ferrari driver managed significant oversteer at the Spoon curve.
Checkered flag
08.00 – Antonelli and Russell do not improve.
07.58 – Antonelli goes again for his second and final attempt.
07.56 – The mission for Russell seems impossible. Three tenths to ‘shave off’ is an enormity.
07.54 – This is the situation at the end of the first run.
07.52 – For now, the McLarens are ahead of the Ferraris: Piastri third, Norris fourth, then Leclerc and Hamilton.
07.50 – Antonelli continues to fly, 1’28″778, a 298-thousandth margin over Russell.
07.48 – Green light at the end of the pit lane, Q3 begins.
🟢 Q3 GREEN LIGHT 🟢
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 28, 2026
The battle for pole begins! #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/1EWSSKo5Jj
07.45 – We’ll see if there are any surprises in Q3; Leclerc and Piastri seem to have what it takes to challenge for the front row. Russell has complained over the radio during this qualifying about not having an exceptional feeling behind the wheel. Antonelli, on the other hand, seems to be flying on the wings of enthusiasm.
07.42 – Those eliminated are Verstappen, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Colapinto, and Sainz.
Checkered flag
07.41 – Antonelli takes the lead with 1’29″048.
07.40 – Lindblad eliminates Verstappen.
07.39 – Verstappen finished his lap, but he’s only tenth and risks elimination.
07.38 – Leclerc flies to the top with 1’29″303.
07.37 – Russell moved into second place, 316 thousandths behind Piastri.
07.35 – The drivers leave the pits for their second attempt.
07.32 – Piastri takes the lead with 1’29″451, Norris is fourth. Below is the situation after the first runs; the driver at risk is Max Verstappen.
07.30 – Antonelli stops the clock at 1’29″774, Leclerc is second by just 11 thousandths. Then Russell, Hamilton, Hadjar, and Verstappen.
07.27 – Used tires for Mercedes and Ferrari, while Verstappen starts with new tires.
07.25 – Green light at the end of the pit lane, Q2 begins.
Q1 CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 28, 2026
Leclerc on top, Bearman the surprise elimination 👇#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/sjVQ232wn6
07.20 – And instead, there is a twist: Ollie Bearman is eliminated, and Sainz has made it into Q2. Below is the situation at the end of Q1. Those eliminated are Albon, Bearman, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, and Stroll.
Checkered flag
07.18 – The only ‘vulnerable’ driver for Albon and Sainz seems to be Colapinto.
07.17 – Russell moved into second place on used tires, 52 thousandths behind Leclerc; Verstappen moved up to seventh, Hadjar to ninth.
07.15 – Second run for the Red Bulls, but on used tires.
07.13 – Leclerc moved to the top with a 1’29″915. Hamilton moved up to third. For now, the six eliminated are the same as at the start of 2026: the Williams, Cadillac, and Aston Martin drivers.
07.11 – The situation with 7 minutes remaining in Q1. Excellent fifth time for Hulkenberg.
07.10 – Antonelli moved to the top with a 1’30″035, 43 thousandths faster than Leclerc; Russell is ‘only’ fifth ahead of Hadjar and Verstappen.
07.08 – Leclerc takes the lead with a 1’30″078, 360 thousandths faster than Piastri. Hamilton slotted into third. The Mercedes are starting their laps.
07.07 – Piastri lowers the time to 1’30″438; Norris is second, 238 thousandths behind.
07.05 – For now, Esteban Ocon is the fastest with a 1’31″466 ahead of Lawson and Albon. Now the McLarens are starting their laps.
07.02 – The first to start a lap is Liam Lawson.
07.00 – Green light at the end of the pit lane, Q1 begins.
Green light in the pit lane 🟢
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 28, 2026
QUALIFYING AT SUZUKA IS GO! #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/MUTqFUJoB6
06.55 – So far in Q1, the ‘regulars’ for the cut have been Aston Martin, Cadillac, and Williams; we’ll see if there’s any news today.
06.50 – Air temperature 17°C, track temperature 32°C.
06.45 – Some telemetry insights from FP3.
some data from #FP3:
— Federico Albano (@Fred__18) March 28, 2026
– #Ferrari has significantly improved its behavior and there are no doubts about that.
– #Leclerc had some problems during the various laps and was no longer able to put together a good lap after the first push.
– there are differences in harvesting… pic.twitter.com/JmZrPZlCzn
06.40 – Speaking of Audi, Piastri received a simple warning for impeding Nico Hulkenberg during FP3.
06.30 – Audi used one of the 4 ‘jokers’ available during the season to ‘break’ the curfew beyond the limit allowed by the regulations to continue working on the R26s.
Good morning dear readers of FormulaPassion.it and welcome back to our live text coverage of the Japanese GP Qualifying.
In FP3, the Mercedes dominated, finishing nearly a second ahead of Charles Leclerc in third. Andrea Kimi Antonelli led George Russell, and both Audis performed very well, finishing in the top 10.
