Kimi Antonelli followed up his maiden victory in Formula 1 last time around in China with a pole at Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
The 19-year-old Italian will have an eye on the points lead if he can come away with another win from pole. He’d be the first teenager to ever lead the championship.
George Russell, the current points leader, qualified second and made it a Mercedes front-row lockout. Oscar Piastri, still looking to just make his first race start of the season, qualified in third.
“Really strange session for us,” Russell said. “We were both very fast all weekend. We made some adjustments after FP3. Then, at the beginning of qualifying, we were nowhere. Very lucky to be in P2.”
“Qualifying has been pretty okay this year,” Piastri said. “It’s nice to get into the top three. We’ve looked good and executed well. Don’t have the pace or the grip to match the Mercedes still, but we’re closer.”
Q3
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:28:778m |
| 2. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.298s |
| 3. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | Mclaren Mercedes | +0.354s |
| 4. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.627s |
| 5. | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | +0.631s |
| 6. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.789s |
| 7. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes | +0.913s |
| 8. | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | +1.200s |
| 9. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.496s |
| 10. | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | +1.541s |
Q2
In a big surprise, Max Verstappen was eliminated in this round, getting nipped at the last second by 18-year-old rookie junior team driver Arvid Lindblad.
Verstappen has won the previous four Japanese Grand Prix entering this weekend.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | +0.153s |
| 12. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | +0.200s |
| 13. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +0.278s |
| 14. | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | +0.386s |
| 15. | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes | +0.518s |
| 16. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Atlassian Williams Mercedes | +0.924s |
Q1
There were no issues in this qualifying session.
In a surprise, Oliver Bearman was knocked out in this round. The fifth place driver in the standings will have to start 18th on the grid in his quest for another points finish.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 17. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Atlassian Williams Mercedes | +0.157s |
| 18. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | +0.159s |
| 19. | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac Ferrari | +1.275s |
| 20. | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari | +1.399s |
| 21. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | +1.715s |
| 22. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | +1.989s |
Now that qualifying has concluded, the actual race is next. Lights out for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, with cherry blossoms in full bloom, will come at 1:00 am EST on March 29th.
