F1 2026: Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Recap

Kimi Antonelli Continues to Impress with Pole Position at Suzuka

Kimi Antonelli has made it back-to-back pole positions, as the young Italian driver secured pole at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix 2026. He beat his much more experienced teammate, George Russell, who will start second, giving Mercedes a front-row lockout. Oscar Piastri managed to secure a second-row start ahead of the Ferraris, with the Australian finally getting on-track action after missing the opening two races.

The biggest upset of the session was Max Verstappen failing to make the top 10, as the four-time Red Bull world champion suffered a Q2 exit, meaning he will start well behind his competitors.

Here is a quick recap of the Japanese Grand Prix 2026 qualifying session.

Q1 – Bearman suffers shock exit alongside the usual suspects from Cadillac and Aston Martin

Esteban Ocon’s 1:31.466 set the early benchmark before Oscar Piastri’s 1:30.438 put him on top of the timesheets, 0.238s quicker than his teammate. Even Lewis Hamilton’s first lap was 0.190s slower than Piastri’s.

Charles Leclerc then went fastest with a 1:30.078 before Kimi Antonelli edged ahead with a 1:30.035.

Antonelli’s time remained the fastest after all drivers set their initial laps, with George Russell more than half a second down on his teammate after a disappointing first run.

With five minutes to go, Leclerc went fastest again, breaking into the 1:29s. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon were in the drop zone along with both Cadillacs and the two Aston Martins.

As the chequered flag fell, Sainz managed to escape the bottom six, while Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll were eliminated.

Drivers eliminated in Q1:
Alex Albon
Oliver Bearman
Sergio Pérez
Valtteri Bottas
Fernando Alonso
Lance Stroll

Q2 – Verstappen misses Q3 as Lindblad impresses

The Mercedes cars were out early, with Antonelli setting a 1:29.774 to go quickest, again faster than his teammate and both Ferraris.

On fresh tyres, Oscar Piastri delivered a lap with all purple sectors to take P1 with a 1:29.451, while Lando Norris was more than three-tenths slower after the first runs.

While the front-runners stayed competitive, Max Verstappen struggled and suffered a shock Q2 exit. He was eliminated alongside Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, and Carlos Sainz.

For Verstappen, it marked the second time in three races he was outqualified by his teammate, Isack Hadjar. Meanwhile, Arvid Lindblad impressed with a stunning final lap to make it into Q3.

Drivers eliminated in Q2:
Max Verstappen
Esteban Ocon
Nico Hülkenberg
Liam Lawson
Franco Colapinto
Carlos Sainz

Q3 – Antonelli secures back-to-back poles

Antonelli set the benchmark once again with a 1:28.778, going 0.298s quicker than his teammate.

The two McLarens slotted in behind Russell, while Hamilton could only manage P6 after a messy final sector. Leclerc finished just ahead in P4 but was still more than half a second slower than Antonelli.

During the final runs, very few drivers improved, allowing Antonelli to secure consecutive pole positions. A poor second sector from Leclerc meant he could only manage P4, while Mercedes locked out the front row with Russell holding onto second.