How Verstappen edged McLaren duo in F1 Japanese GP qualifying

Coming into Q3, McLaren had topped every session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend – free practice, Q1, and Q2 – positioning the Woking-based team as the clear favourite for pole. Oscar Piastri led the way after the first runs in Q3, with Verstappen trailing by a quarter of a second.
“I just thought, ‘I’m going to give it everything in that last run,’” Verstappen explained his …Keep reading

Bearman and Komatsu taken aback by top-10 qualifying at F1 Japanese GP

Oliver Bearman admitted he did not expect to get out of the first qualifying session for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix before putting his Haas 10th on the grid.
Having benefitted from a trio of disqualifications to finish eighth last time out in China, Bearman continued to impress after progressing to Q3 at Suzuka.
In contrast, team-mate Esteban Ocon failed to get out of Q1 and will …Keep reading

Bearman and Komatsu taken aback by top-10 qualifying at F1 Japanese GP

Oliver Bearman admitted he did not expect to get out of the first qualifying session for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix before putting his Haas 10th on the grid.
Having benefitted from a trio of disqualifications to finish eighth last time out in China, Bearman continued to impress after progressing to Q3 at Suzuka.
In contrast, team-mate Esteban Ocon failed to get out of Q1 and will …Keep reading

Hamilton and Leclerc counting down to Ferrari upgrade package

Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are pinning their hopes on upgrades in Ferrari’s pipeline. The Scuderia’s drivers feel that the SF-25 in its current specification is lacking performance in comparison to the Mercedes and Red Bull cars.
Ferrari made a significant change to its car concept over the off-season in switching to a pull-rod front suspension layout, as technical director Loic …Keep reading

Red Bull’s controversial Tsunoda-Lawson F1 swap may be working already

Despite returning to the slower Racing Bulls car, Liam Lawson outqualified his Red Bull replacement Yuki Tsunoda in Japan. But there are signs Red Bull’s merciless switch may actually be working already.
Leaving aside the ruthlessness of Red Bull’s decision to demote Lawson after two difficult races on circuits he didn’t know, what ultimately mattered to the team is having someone in the second …Keep reading

FIA grass fire concerns ease with rain forecast at F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Lengthy rain showers have been forecast for Suzuka overnight on Saturday and into Sunday, with the expected downpours set to halt the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix grass fires.
Five separate incidents of scorched turf have delayed track action across the weekend so far, with two red flags in FP2, two in FP3 and another during Q2 as the FIA and race organisers grappled with finding a …Keep reading

Norris happy with car again as “small margin” costs him Japanese GP pole

Lando Norris insists he is much happier with his McLaren Formula 1 car than he was in China – despite being beaten to Japanese Grand Prix pole by Max Verstappen.
The current championship leader bemoaned small margins for missing out on pole by 0.012 seconds at Suzuka as Verstappen surprisingly took the top spot ahead of both Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Throughout the …Keep reading

Sainz hit with Japanese GP grid drop for impeding Hamilton in qualifying

Williams driver Carlos Sainz has received a three-place grid penalty for Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix for impeding Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in qualifying.
Arriving at high speed into Turn 1 for his final flying lap in Q2, Hamilton encountered Sainz in the middle of the road, having to abort his lap and take avoiding action into the runoff area.
Sainz said he had no warning that Hamilton …Keep reading

Hadjar explains “nightmare” seatbelt pain in Japanese GP qualifying

Pain from his seatbelts almost cost Isack Hadjar a chance at making the second part of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, but the Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver reckoned he put together an “unbelievable” lap to overcome it.
Hadjar was heard over the radio complaining about an unspecified cockpit issue in FP3, and had reported in the first part of qualifying that the problem had reoccurred …Keep reading

Verstappen: RB21 still needs solutions despite “special” Japan GP pole

Max Verstappen has said Red Bull has not fixed its troublesome Formula 1 car despite taking a stunning Japanese Grand Prix pole that he called one of his finest career laps.
The four-time world champion was bidding for his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka, but balance issues with his 2025 Red Bull car combined with McLaren’s dominant form looked set to end that streak.
But after not making …Keep reading