Ferrari and McLaren hunt Mercedes: 2026 Japanese Grand Prix starting grid and race preview. Get the full provisional starting grid for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix..

Andrea Kimi Antonelli delivers joy to Italian fans. After unlocking his potential with a stunning pole and brilliant triumph in China, the Bolognese driver has once again claimed pole position at Suzuka, beating his teammate by 298 thousandths of a second. This result gives him strong confidence heading into tomorrow, when he will aim for back-to-back victories.

George Russell settles for a somewhat disappointing second place, closely monitored by Oscar Piastri’s McLaren behind him.

Ferrari struggles

For Ferrari, there was little hope. Charles Leclerc made a mistake on his flying lap, but realistically, there was little he could do today against the pace of Mercedes and McLaren. The power unit and energy recovery play a very significant role here in Japan in terms of performance. However, the race pace looked promising on Friday. Lewis Hamilton isn’t completely comfortable yet, but the SF-26 seems to have improved in terms of balance, setting the stage for an exciting race tomorrow. Click here for the race pace analysis.

Red Bull disappointment

A huge disappointment awaits Max Verstappen. Eliminated in Q2 despite running the updated car with the new developments brought to Japan, he was even beaten by Hadjar, who, unlike Max, made it into Q3 and claimed the eighth starting position behind Pierre Gasly in the Alpine. It will be a tough race for Red Bull, and it will be difficult for them to accept not being competitive even within the top five.

Provisional starting grid for the Japan GP 2026 (07:00 CET)

Just like in China, there were no penalties applied today, so we can provide the starting grid directly based on on-track action. Remember, the Suzuka GP will start tomorrow, March 29, at 07:00 CET. Pay attention to the time change due to daylight saving.

Why call it a provisional grid? Because team engineers may still encounter issues with their cars before tomorrow’s race. If any component requiring regulatory compliance needs to be replaced, the FIA would be forced to drop the driver several positions on the starting grid.