Kimi Antonelli grabbed his second straight pole position at Suzuka after team-mate George Russell struggled with rear-grip issues throughout qualifying. Building on the confidence from his maiden pole and win in Shanghai two weeks ago, Antonelli was fastest in the final practice sessions and carried that form into qualifying, producing a superb 1:28.778 on his first Q3 flying lap — 0.298s clear of Russell.
Russell had complained of a lack of rear grip and was unusually off the pace in Q1 and Q2, though he trimmed some of the deficit in the shootout to claim second. Sky Sports F1 commentator Jenson Button praised Antonelli’s performance: “What a lap! Three tenths on his team-mate George Russell – very, very impressive. I feel we have seen a different Kimi this weekend. He has always been extremely quick but the consistency is there.”
McLaren and Ferrari had presented early pressure, with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc challenging the Silver Arrows in the opening qualifying segments. When it mattered, however, Mercedes reasserted themselves in a two-car fight for pole. Piastri continued a strong weekend by taking third, while Leclerc slipped to fourth after a mistake at Spoon on what had looked like a promising final effort. Recovered from practice unreliability, Lando Norris was fifth in the second McLaren, and Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Ferrari.
There was a major setback for Max Verstappen, who called his Red Bull “undrivable” after failing to reach Q3. The four-time Suzuka pole-sitter will start 11th after struggling with the RB22’s balance; team-mate Isack Hadjar made it into the top 10 in eighth. Pierre Gasly posted an impressive seventh for Alpine. Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto was ninth and British newcomer Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten after edging Verstappen out in Q2.
Oliver Bearman, one of the season’s early standouts, was eliminated in Q1 and will line up 18th for Haas, ahead only of the Cadillacs and Aston Martins.
Antonelli’s Saturday form is becoming a theme in his first F1 season. While he has only occasionally outqualified the more experienced Russell, he has shown an edge on weekends so far. A late lock-up at Turn 11 on his final Q3 lap prevented an even faster time, but his earlier run proved sufficient.
“I’m super happy with the session. It was a good one, it was a clean one,” Antonelli said. “I felt very good in the car and every run I was improving and improving. A shame for the last lap because of a lock up at Turn 11 but it was a good one. I’m really happy with the session.”
Russell, frustrated by the sudden drop in pace, reported over the radio during Q2: “I think we’re missing something here. We couldn’t lose this much pace.” He acknowledged improvements in Q3 but called the session “really strange,” saying adjustments made after FP3 left the team nowhere at the start of qualifying. “Very lucky again to be in P2… the race is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to play for,” he added.
Japanese GP Qualifying: Top 22 (times where provided)
1) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — 1:28.778
2) George Russell, Mercedes — +0.298
3) Oscar Piastri, McLaren — +0.354
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.627
5) Lando Norris, McLaren — +0.631
6) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.789
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine — +0.913
8) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull — +1.200
9) Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi — +1.496
10) Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls — +1.541
Knocked out in Q2:
11) Max Verstappen, Red Bull — 1:30.262
12) Esteban Ocon, Haas — 1:30.309
13) Nico Hülkenberg, Audi — 1:30.387
14) Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls — 1:30.495
15) Franco Colapinto, Alpine — 1:30.627
16) Carlos Sainz, Williams — 1:31.033
Knocked out in Q1:
17) Alex Albon, Williams — 1:31.088
18) Oliver Bearman, Haas — 1:31.090
19) Sergio Perez, Cadillac — 1:32.206
20) Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac — 1:32.330
21) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin — 1:32.646
22) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin — 1:32.920
The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka takes place on Sunday, with build-up and race coverage live on Sky Sports F1.