Formula 1

Max Verstappen masterfully clung onto the race lead on the opening lap at Suzuka Circuit, despite a strong challenge from championship leader Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen loves Suzuka, as shown by his superb pole lap for Red Bull. The question now is will he be able to stay ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri when the lights go out in Japan.

Live coverage of Sunday's Formula 1 Lenovo Japanese Grand Prix 2025 at Suzuka.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner lauded Max Verstappen’s pole lap at Suzuka as "one of his best laps in Qualifying ever".

The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli may have qualified next to each other in P5 and P6 at Suzuka, but their respective reactions differed greatly as the Briton was left questioning what could have been.

There were mixed feelings at Ferrari after Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton not satisfied with his final result of P8 while Charles Leclerc felt he had maximised his car’s potential in P4, despite adding that the team are “lacking overall performance”.

Isack Hadjar had a rollercoaster Qualifying hour at Suzuka Circuit as a saga of problems in the cockpit saw him scrape into Q2 before he delivered a flying lap to secure an impressive P7 ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Matt Youson takes a look at the different pit stop and tyre options that are available to the teams on race day at Suzuka...

The drivers and team report back on the action from final practice and Qualifying for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Liam Lawson was left to rue a “disappointing end” to his first Qualifying session since returning to Racing Bulls, admitting that he “hit a wall” with the balance of the VCARB 02 around the Suzuka Circuit.

Max Verstappen found the lap time when it really mattered to secure pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, beating both McLaren drivers and blowing the Suzuka fastest lap record out of the water. Here’s a round-up of all the best facts and stats from the exhilarating Qualifying session…

Chris Medland picks out five key things to keep an eye on when the lights go out on race day at Suzuka...

A frustrated Yuki Tsunoda conceded that “everything got worse and worse” during a disappointing Qualifying debut for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix.

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Lando Norris (McLaren), 3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

Carlos Sainz has been issued with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton during Q2 of Saturday’s Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, meaning that the Spaniard will drop from P12 to P15.

Max Verstappen took a surprise pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, toppling Lando Norris who had topped both of the first two phases of Qualifying.

Lando Norris conceded that McLaren “just didn’t have enough” in Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix after losing out on pole position to Max Verstappen in the final moments, with the Briton expecting his former title rival to put up a “good fight” on race day.

Max Verstappen described his first pole position since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix a “incredibly rewarding” after topping qualifying at Suzuka.

Max Verstappen took a surprise pole position for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix, besting McLaren's Lando Norris with a last-gasp effort in Qualifying.