Qualifying for the 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka Circuit.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position.
Antonelli set a 1:28.778 on his first run in Q3 and stayed on top for the rest of the session.
His team-mate George Russell took second, giving Mercedes a front-row lockout.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth.
■Key Points
- Antonelli claimed back-to-back pole positions at Suzuka
- Russell took second as Mercedes locked out the front row
- Verstappen was eliminated in Q2, while Lindblad reached Q3
│ Result
| Pos | Team | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Kimi Antonelli |
| 2 | | George Russell |
| 3 |  | Oscar Piastri |
| 4 |  | Charles Leclerc |
| 5 | | Lando Norris |
| 6 | | Lewis Hamilton |
| 7 |  | Pierre Gasly |
| 8 |  | Isack Hadjar |
| 9 |  | Gabriel Bortoleto |
| 10 |  | Arvid Lindblad |
| 11 | | Max Verstappen |
| 12 |  | Esteban Ocon |
| 13 | | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 14 | | Liam Lawson |
| 15 | | Franco Colapinto |
| 16 |  | Carlos Sainz |
| 17 | | Alex Albon |
| 18 | | Oliver Bearman |
| 19 |  | Sergio Perez |
| 20 | | Valtteri Bottas |
| 21 |  | Fernando Alonso |
| 22 | | Lance Stroll |
│Qualifying Review
Mercedes was the clear headline act in Q3.
Antonelli set a 1:28.778 on his first flying lap and moved to the top.
Russell took second despite complaining about the rear behaviour of the car, but he was unable to beat Antonelli’s time.
Piastri qualified third and was the highest-placed McLaren driver.
Leclerc put together sector one on his final run, but he lost time at the exit of Spoon and had to settle for fourth.
Lando Norris qualified fifth, with Lewis Hamilton in sixth.
Ferrari had one car near the front with Leclerc, but Hamilton was slightly further back.
Pierre Gasly put Alpine seventh, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar took eighth.
Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad qualified ninth and tenth, highlighting a strong performance from the midfield runners.
Q2 brought one of the biggest surprises of the session.
Max Verstappen was eliminated in 11th place.
Verstappen struggled with the handling of the car throughout qualifying and also expressed frustration over team radio.
While Hadjar managed to reach Q3 for Red Bull, Verstappen failed to make the top 10.
There were also several eliminations in Q1.
Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll were knocked out in the first segment.
In Q2, Verstappen, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, and Carlos Sainz were eliminated.
Overall, it was a qualifying session that underlined Mercedes’ advantage.
At the same time, Ferrari and McLaren are still close enough to target a turnaround in the race.
Suzuka is a circuit where track position matters greatly, so the battle immediately after the start could prove decisive.