F1 2026: Japanese Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

Formula One, in its new era, has already seen one of the newest faces on its grid on the top step of the podium, with Kimi Antonelli picking up his maiden win in China two weeks ago.

Now, as the grid moves to Japan, the Silver Arrows and their youngest race winner will look to continue their strong start to the season. Mercedes look a step ahead of the rest of the frontrunners, and they will look to increase their lead moving to Suzuka.

For the 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix, here we present our preview and predictions.

Red Bull falling backwards?

It has been a nightmare start for Red Bull, who have been plagued by reliability issues. The Austrian team haven’t managed to see their two cars reach the chequered flag in either race thus far, with Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen having suffered retirements in both.

While they have shown some good race pace, struggles on Saturdays have ensured Red Bull don’t start in the front couple of rows and are left needing to do a lot of catch-up on Sundays. Verstappen and Hadjar both have been vocal in their displeasure regarding the driveability of the Red Bull challenger.

The new Red Bull power unit also hasn’t been the strongest, which has left the team way off the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, with even Haas having been able to challenge them on track. Mechanical issues have been affecting the team. On top of that, the Red Bull cars have been woeful during race starts, which also drop them back at the very beginning, leaving them with more to do again. Verstappen suffered an ERS (Energy Recovery System) cooling issue in Shanghai that forced him to retire late on in the race.

If there is one silver lining for Red Bull, however, it is their general race pace. If the RB22 can manage to see the chequered flag, the team should pick up a couple of points, though we expect another tough weekend for them in Japan.

Are Haas the outliers?

After the opening two races, while Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren are the top three, it’s Haas who are sitting in fourth place as the best of the rest, even ahead of Red Bull.

The American team have made full use of a strong Ferrari power unit and have maximised the struggles of those around and even ahead of them. Haas are just one point behind McLaren, and while it might just be the start of the season, they have impressed on track and have a chance to build an early lead in the Constructors’ Standings before the rest of the grid catches up.

Haas scored in the opening two races courtesy of Oliver Bearman’s P7 and P5 finishes, with his experienced teammate, Esteban Ocon, yet to get on the board. Bearman has shown strong race pace and race craft to hold his own against much more experienced racers, thus managing to put Haas ahead of at least one Red Bull car in Australia and China. The VF-26 isn’t as quick as the Ferrari or Mercedes cars, yet Haas have managed to put considerable space between themselves and the remainder of the grid, being much clearer of the likes of Racing Bulls, Alpine, and Williams.

With Red Bull clearly struggling for consistency and reliability, and McLaren in more or less the same boat, Haas are slowly setting themselves up for being this year’s best-of-the-rest side. Expect the American team to have another strong outing in Japan and count on them to score a strong haul of points once again.

Hamilton returning to the top?

It is slowly beginning to look like a two-way battle for the Constructors’ Championship just two races into the season. Mercedes and Ferrari already have built up quite the gap at the top of the table, with Mercedes currently leading the standings with 31 points from Ferrari, who are 49 points clear of McLaren in third.

Mercedes have won the opening two races, with George Russell even adding the Chinese Sprint to his victory collection. While Mercedes picked up another 1-2 in Shanghai, it was Lewis Hamilton with a big milestone; the seven-time world champion picked up his first-ever podium with Ferrari after struggling to get in sync with the car in his debut season last year.

Having been part of the team that worked on the development of the 2026 Ferrari challenger, Hamilton already looks more comfortable, and the results are showing on track. The seven-time world champion is currently fourth in the Drivers’ Standings, one point behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, 14 points behind Kimi Antonelli in second, and 18 points behind George Russell in the top spot.

Hamilton finished fourth in the season-opener in Australia before picking up two P3 finishes in China across the Sprint as well as the main race. Right off the line, he showed his race craft as he took the lead of the race and pushed Antonelli multiple times in the opening stages, with the two exchanging the lead. While Ferrari were unable to keep up with Mercedes in the latter stages, Hamilton fought off his teammate following an intense battle and showed some glimpses of his old self — digging deep, getting his elbows out, but making sure to keep himself and his opponent on track.

As he gets more comfortable with the Ferrari challenger, and it does look like the Scuderia have a strong challenger this time around, expect Hamilton to take the fight to Mercedes. At Suzuka, where he has won five times, count on him to do well, especially after a confidence-boosting podium in Shanghai.

Pole prediction: George Russell / Lewis Hamilton
Race winners prediction: Mercedes / Ferrari

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2026: Race details

Circuit: Suzuka International Racing Course
Venue: Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Practice Session 1 time: 08:00 IST, March 27, 2026
Practice Session 2 time: 11:30 IST, March 27, 2026
Practice Session 3 time: 08:00 IST, March 28, 2026
Qualifying time: 11:30 IST, March 28, 2026
Main race time: 10:30 IST, March 29, 2026
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode