LIVE: Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Updates

By Peter Johnson

08:20: That's it for Qualifying then. We go again bright and early tomorrow!

08:17: This is how they finished in Q3: Verstappen; Norris; Piastri; Leclerc; Russell; Antonelli; Hadjar; Hamilton; Albon; Bearman

08:16: A word from the pole sitter: "It wasn't easy to find the right balance for the car, even in qualifying. Every session we just kept making improvements and I think that's where we made the difference. This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole."

08:13: Just 44 thousandths covering the top three with the ostensibly faster McLarens starting behind the Red Bull tomorrow. That will be fascinating.

08:12: With a 1:26.983, Max Verstappen is now also the proud owner of the lap record at Suzuka.

08:10: The four-time world champion snuck in ahead of Norris by just 12 thousandths of a second, while Oscar Piastri's final lap was not quick enough to climb back up from P3.

08:09: Max Verstappen goes fastest from absolutely nowhere!!!!

08:10: Only P8 for Lewis Hamilton.

08:09: Russell can't improve on P4 as Hadjar jumps to P7. Norris takes provisional pole by half a tenth, but lots of laps still to come.

08:08: Lando Norris sets a purple first sector.

08:07: George Russell goes wide at the first corner on his final flying lap. He's a tenth down at the first time check.

08:07: We're seeing some gaps starting to open up in the times. Piastri and Norris have been close all weekend but sit first and fifth currently, while there are four tenths between the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton in third and sixth. They have also been pretty evenly matched until now.

08:05: Oscar Piastri is on course to become the third driver in Formula One history to start a race from pole position on his birthday. Gerhard Berger and Mika Häkkinen were the first two.

08:02: Six minutes to go and everybody has posted a time. The order is: Piastri; Verstappen; Leclerc; Russell; Norris; Hamilton; Hadjar; Bearman; Albon; Antonelli

08:01: A 1:27.3 for Russell is the early benchmark, before Verstappen nips ahead. Piastri then goes fastest of everyone, while Norris has to settle for P5 at this stage.

07:59: The Mercedes of George Russell looks wonderfully hooked up as we ride on board with him for his first push lap.

07:56: Oliver Bearman has done very well to navigate his way to Q3 for the first time this season. Indeed, it's the first time either Haas has escaped Q1. He is the first man on track in the final part of qualifying.

07:53: A big moment between Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton down at Turn 1 towards the end of that session. Sainz gets fully in the way of Hamilton who has to slam on the brakes to avoid the mother of all collisions. The incident will be investigated after Qualifying.

07:51: By way of an early comparison, Tsunoda was half a second and 12 places behind Verstappen in Q2. The Formula One script writers have been having a bit of fun as well, because he will start alongside Liam Lawson tomorrow.

07:50: Eliminated from Q2: Gasly; Sainz; Alonso; Lawson; Tsunoda

07:50: Chequered flag in Q2 and only Charles Leclerc is on a flying lap.

07:49: Great lap from Bearman to put his Haas in P8. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, cannot drag his Williams any higher than P12.

07:48: Well, then. Liam Lawson pops ahead of Yuki Tsunoda. Mind you, he will still be eliminated.

07:47: Yuki Tsunoda has not had a tidy lap in his Red Bull. He is able to improve marginally on P14 and goes P11 but he is out of qualifying at his home Grand Prix.

07:45: Lando Norris is again satisfied that one run is all he needs. He remains in the garage while everyone else goes again.

07:43: A mistake in the first sector by Lewis Hamilton puts him on the back foot but he is able to improve to P4, only to be dislodged moments later by his teammate. Just one hundredth between the Ferrari pair.

07:42: Only Hamilton, Leclerc and Albon are out. Everybody else is going to wait until later on to go again.

07:40: Green light at the end of the pit lane and we're back.

07:39: Grass fire cleared, the session is about to resume. Lewis Hamilton is waiting at the head of the pit lane to get straight back out.

07:38: I've given you the bottom five, so here are the top ten as it stands: Norris; Russell; Verstappen; Piastri; Albon; Hamilton; Leclerc; Antonelli; Hadjar; Gasly

07:36: Marshalls are out on the track with fire extinguishers. We'll have eight minutes and 26 seconds left in Q2 when the session resumes.

07:35: The inside of 130R is currently smoking away. Sparks flying off the cars as they navigate that particular corner at full throttle are most likely responsible.

07:34: Remember those grass fires I mentioned earlier on? Well...

07:33: RED FLAG!

07:33: Eight minutes remaining and every driver has posted a lap in Q2. The bottom five are: Sainz; Alonso; Bearman; Tsunoda; Lawson

07:32: George Russell continues to look quick, going second behind Norris.

07:31: The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, on used soft tyres, go third and fourth behind Norris and Verstappen.

07:30: Verstappen is the quickest of the first runners as Tsunoda goes sixth tenths slower in the sister Red Bull.

07:29: Confirmation that the issue that Isack Hadjar has been complaining about relates to his seatbelts being incredibly uncomfortable. I can't imagine being thrown around like a sack of potatoes while trying to navigate the Esses of Suzuka is particularly enjoyable.

07:26: Q2 is underway and Max Verstappen, sporting that glorious white livery on his Red Bull, is the first man on track.

07:24 A good day for Oliver Bearman, who put his Haas in P12 to avoid early elimination for the first time this season.

07:21: Eliminated in Q1: 16th Hülkenberg; 17th Bortoleto: 18th Ocon; 19th Doohan; 20th Stroll

07:20: Liam Lawson marks his return to RB with his best qualifying of the season. He goes P15 and escapes Q1 for the first time this season.

07:19: Jack Doohan has slipped down the order and cannot improve, so he is out of qualifying. Isack Hadjar, still complaining, climbs to 12th.

07:18 Oscar Piastri goes fastest ahead of Norris, who elected to stay in the garage and not post another lap time. Antonelli springs up to 11th.

07:17: Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes is the man potentially facing a shock elimination early on today. He was eliminated in Q1 in Australia too.

07:16: The bottom five with three minutes remaining: Lawson; Alonso; Antonelli; Hadjar; Stroll.

07:15 The majority of the field is now heading out on track to post their final laps in Q1. Fair play to Jack Doohan who has had a very tricky and somewhat painful weekend so far - he is currently P14 in his Alpine and on track to advance to Q2.

07:14 Isack Hadjar is back in the garage and does look in a good deal of pain.

07:13: Lewis Hamilton is out for a second run, earlier than most. His lap is only good enough four sixth place, half a second down on Lando Norris and behind the Haas of Oliver Bearman.

07:12: Isack Hadjar, who has looked blisteringly quick in his handful of qualifying sessions so far in Formula One, isn't a happy customer in his RB: "I just can't focus. I have so much lap time to find but it's just not driveable."

07:11: Eight minutes remaining in Q1. The bottom five are: Stroll; Bortoleto; Bearman; Ocon; Doohan.

07:08: We're expecting the two McLaren drivers to be separated by less than a tenth, and that is how it's panned out so far with Oscar Piastri just nine hundredths ahead of Norris at the front. That's still a big enough gap for George Russell to fit his Mercedes into, as he goes second.

07:07: Yuki Tsunoda goes third fastest, four tenths down on Norris. His teammate Max Verstappen is next over the line and nips into second, three tenths ahead of his new teammate.

07:05: Charles Leclerc is the first man from the front-running teams to post a lap. He briefly leads a Ferrari 1-2 before Lando Norris jumps to the top of the time sheets.

07:03: If you missed the three practice sessions, which you may well have done, here's a little TLDR. The McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were quickest in all three sessions. Yuki Tsunoda has looked competitive in his first outing in the Red Bull, as has George Russell in the Mercedes. And watch out for grass fires - the second and third practice sessions were disrupted by the trackside flora setting alight.

07:00: We have a green light at the end of the pit lane and qualifying at Suzuka is underway. The Haas cars of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman are the first two out on track. They are the only men not to escape Q1 so far this season.

06:59: Rise and shine everybody! Three races into this 2025 Formula One season and for the third Saturday my alarm has gone off much earlier than it should have done.