LIVE – Antonelli ahead of Russell, relive the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying with live commentary

Mercedes Benz Still untouchable at Suzuka? If McLaren has managed to cause trouble at the top of the Free Practice standings since the start of this Japanese Grand Prix weekend, the third round of the 2026 season. F1The speed of the Silver Arrows over a single lap still seems beyond doubt just minutes before the start of qualifying. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will have to battle it out after the Italian's stellar weekend in China, while the Classic Ferrari for sale will have to find a solution to avoid falling further behind. Firmly holding second place in the Constructors' Championship since the start of this season, the single-seaters of Charles Leclerc et Lewis Hamilton have shown themselves to be more delicate in Japan, and could leave debates more open which are just waiting to intensify.

F1 – Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
Follow the qualifications live with commentary

Q3 – 0'00 – 🏁 Pole position confirmed for Kimi Antonelli!

Q3 – 0'30 – Neither Mercedes driver improves their time! Lando Norris No, not anymore… The game could be over!

Q3 3'30 – The tires are shining in the pit lane, the drivers have fitted new tires to attack their final attempt!

Q3- 7'00 – Taking Lewis Hamilton as an example, the Briton set the fastest time in the first sector… before losing six-tenths of a second in the second sector. The Mercedes and McLaren cars appear to be in excellent form, as seen in Free Practice.

Q3 – 8'00 – 📊 Following the first laps, here is the first image of this Q3.

Q3 – 9'15 – ⏱️ Kimi Antonelli sets the provisional fastest time with a 1:28.778, beating George Russell by three tenths!

Q3 – 11'00 – ❓ Both Mercedes are on track. Will they manage to maintain their streak of pole positions?

Q3 – 13'00 – 🟢 This is the first decisive moment of the weekend, time for the final part of qualifying!

Q2 – 0'00 – 📊 SainzColapinto, Lawson, Hulkenberg, Or with and therefore Verstappen are eliminated at this stage of the qualifiers.

Q2 – 0'00 – ⏱️ Kimi Antonelli sets the fastest time at the buzzer in 1:29.048!

Q2 – 0'00 – Max Verstappen is eliminated by Arvid Lindblad!

Q2 – 1'00 – Isack Hadjar passes in front Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen.

Q2 – 1'30 – Max Verstappen only manages the 9th fastest time and finds himself in danger!

Q2 – 3'00 – ⏱️ Charles Leclerc in purple! 1:29.303 for the Monegasque driver in the lead Piastres !

Q2 – 5'00 – George Russell embarks on another fast lap but still fails to break the records. He finishes his lap three-tenths of a second behind Oscar Piastri.

Q2 – 8'00 – 📊 Unexpectedly, here is the intermediate ranking for this Q2.

Q2 – 9'00 – ⏱️ Oscar Piastri lights up all sectors in purple and takes the lead with a time of 1:29.451!

Q2 – 10'00 – Note Charles Leclerc's second-place finish, just 11 thousandths of a second behind Kimi Antonelli!

Q2 – 11'00 – 📻 George Russell third fastest, the Briton indicates over the radio that he is experiencing difficulties with his rear end.

Q2 – 12'20 – ⏱️ Sector 1 record for Lewis Hamilton, sector 2 record for Kimi Antonelli… And it's the Italian who sets the provisional record!

Q2 – 15'00 – 🟢 The lights are green! Both Ferraris and both Mercedes leave the pits with used tires.

07h23 - Among the notable elements of this first session, the sixth and seventh positions of the two Audis stand out! The German team confirms its constant progress, while Nico Hülkenberg is less than a tenth of a second behind Lewis Hamilton.

Q1 – 0'00 – 📊 At the end of this first part of the qualifiers, the eliminated players are Lance stroll, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez, Oliver Bearman and Alexander albon. Both Alpine have qualified for Q2!

Q1 – 1'30 – George Russell sets the second fastest time but remains ahead of Charles Leclerc by 52 thousandths of a second! The Ferrari bearing the number 16 is definitely fast at this stage!

Q1 – 4'00 – While the Red Bull are preparing to do another lap, here is the intermediate ranking!

Q1 – 6'20 – ⏱️ Charles Leclerc is the first driver to break the 30-minute barrier this weekend and takes the provisional fastest time, 0.120 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli!

Q1 – 7'00 – Here's a look at the standings with 7 minutes remaining in Q1!

Q1 – 8'00 – Note the provisional sixth position of Isack Hadjar.

Q1 – 9'00 – ⏱️ Kimi Antonelli sets the fastest time in 1:30.035 and is only 43 thousandths of a second behind Charles Leclerc while George Russell is only fifth.

Q1 – 10'45 – ⏱️ Charles Leclerc takes the provisional fastest time with a 1:30.078! A stunning performance from the Monegasque driver who beats Oscar Piastri by three and a half tenths!

Q1 – 13'20 – Oscar Piastri sets off and takes the first sector record, before being beaten by Lewis Hamilton!

Q1 – 14'00 – Esteban Ocon places himself in front of Racing Bulls in 1:31.466.

Q1 – 15'00 – 1:31.634, this is the first mark set by the British rookie.

Q1 – 17'00 – Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are the first two on the track.

Q1 – 18'00 – 🟢 The lights are green at the pit exit, let's get this qualifying session underway!

6h54 - 📊 If these difficulties persist this Saturday morning, Max Verstappen could lose a title he has held for several years! The Dutchman has secured four consecutive pole positions at the Suzuka circuit.

6h50 - For Red Bull, the task ahead looks tricky again this morning at Suzuka. Performance is still lacking for Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who are struggling with a car that is too heavy and difficult to handle…

6h46 - 🇫🇷 Also note that during the morning, you will be able to find the continuation of the Rally Le Touquet with Yoann Bonato at the top of the rankings!

Touquet Rally – SS8: Bonato finishes strong

6h44 - At the exit of Spoon, Oliver Bearman also had a small scare during these FP3, experiencing a spin fortunately without consequence.

10/10 for that controlled skid 👏🇯🇵

A scare for Ollie Bearman during FP3. #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/c4MLddgKwJ

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) March 28, 2026

6h40 - 🛠️ Note that in the events of FP3, Lando Norris did not participate in the first half of the session, as his McLaren was immobilized in the garage. The Briton still managed to set the sixth fastest time at the end of the session.

6h35 - 📊 Earlier last night, Mercedes set the record straight in Free Practice 3! Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets ahead of George Russell, while Charles Leclerc finished third. The gaps between Ferrari and McLaren were much closer than in FP2.

Japanese GP – FP3: Mercedes dominates, Norris struggles with his car

6h30 - 👋 Hello everyone, and welcome to our live coverage just moments before the start of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit!