Kimi Antonelli will lead off the F1 field for the Japanese Grand Prix after a dominant pole position at Suzuka.
Antonelli was 0.298s faster than team-mate George Russell on Saturday in Japan as the Mercedes proved to be the class of the field, staving off challenges from Ferrari and McLaren, who share the second and third rows.
Row two will be made up of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, with world champions Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth, respectively.
Max Verstappen's run of four straight Suzuka poles ended with an embarrassing Q2 exit as Red Bull badly struggled for pace. He will start 11th.
Check out the full starting grid for the 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix from Suzuka below!
NOTE: Grid remains provisional until officially confirmed by the FIA.
Full 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix starting grid
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 2nd | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 3rd | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 4th | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 5th | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 6th | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 7th | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 8th | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 9th | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 10th | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 11th | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 12th | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 13th | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi |
| 14th | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 15th | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 16th | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 17th | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 18th | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 19th | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
| 20th | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| 21st | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 22nd | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look ahead to this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. Jonathan Wheatley's Audi exit is a key talking point, as is whether Max Verstappen's critical comments are damaging F1.
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