2026 Japanese Grand Prix – RaceFans

Mercedes stay the crew to beat at Suzuka, however for the primary time one in every of their rivals is performing even higher than they’re in comparison with final yr.

Groups’ efficiency

The pecking order among the many prime 5 automobiles by way of outright one-lap tempo is strictly the identical because it was in China. Haas, nevertheless, are a lot much less aggressive than they had been in Shanghai, dropping to eighth-fastest crew.

The efficiency hole between the very best and worst automobiles is wider at Suzuka. Cadillac and Aston Martin are each nicely over a second off the ninth-fastest crew, Williams (this isn’t a results of Carlos Sainz Jnr benefitting from observe evolution by progressing from Q1; his greatest Q2 lap time was slower).

Audi are having fun with a robust weekend and, with Max Verstappen and Franco Colapinto failing to make the lower for Q3, may have had each automobiles within the prime 10 in qualifying. Nico Hulkenberg stated he didn’t handle to supply a clear lap in Q2, the place he really lapped slower than he did within the earlier spherical.

Nonetheless, Audi received closest to their greatest lap time at Suzuka final yr, after they competed as Sauber. Mercedes achieved this within the first two rounds of the season.

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Sector instances

Just one driver was additional away from his theoretical ultimate time than Hulkenberg: Lewis Hamilton, who was able to getting onto the second row.

P.
#
Driver
S1
S2
S3
Final lap (deficit)

1
12
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
31.827 (4)
39.398 (1)
17.464 (1)
1’28.689 (+0.089)

2
63
George Russell
31.782 (3)
39.607 (3)
17.616 (12)
1’29.005 (+0.071)

3
81
Oscar Piastri
31.954 (5)
39.557 (2)
17.577 (9)
1’29.088 (+0.044)

4
16
Charles Leclerc
31.655 (1)
39.855 (5)
17.668 (15)
1’29.178 (+0.125)

5
44
Lewis Hamilton
31.762 (2)
39.933 (6)
17.625 (13)
1’29.320 (+0.247)

6
1
Lando Norris
32.049 (6)
39.716 (4)
17.627 (14)
1’29.392 (+0.017)

7
10
Pierre Gasly
32.143 (7)
40.029 (7)
17.519 (4)
1’29.691

8
6
Isack Hadjar
32.164 (8)
40.094 (10)
17.608 (10)
1’29.866 (+0.112)

9
5
Gabriel Bortoleto
32.288 (9)
40.149 (11)
17.492 (2)
1’29.929 (+0.061)

10
41
Arvid Lindblad
32.548 (14)
40.043 (8)
17.501 (3)
1’30.092 (+0.017)

11
3
Max Verstappen
32.369 (10)
40.196 (14)
17.565 (7)
1’30.130 (+0.132)

12
27
Nico Hulkenberg
32.400 (11)
40.181 (13)
17.564 (6)
1’30.145 (+0.213)

13
31
Esteban Ocon
32.481 (13)
40.048 (9)
17.700 (16)
1’30.229 (+0.080)

14
30
Liam Lawson
32.791 (15)
40.175 (12)
17.529 (5)
1’30.495

15
43
Franco Colapinto
32.463 (12)
40.433 (16)
17.610 (11)
1’30.506 (+0.121)

16
55
Carlos Sainz Jnr
32.844 (17)
40.434 (17)
17.576 (8)
1’30.854 (+0.073)

17
23
Alexander Albon
32.858 (18)
40.489 (18)
17.741 (17)
1’31.088

18
87
Oliver Bearman
32.824 (16)
40.421 (15)
17.845 (18)
1’31.090

19
11
Sergio Perez
33.512 (20)
40.667 (19)
18.027 (22)
1’32.206

20
77
Valtteri Bottas
33.362 (19)
40.961 (20)
17.947 (20)
1’32.270 (+0.060)

21
14
Fernando Alonso
33.536 (21)
41.206 (21)
17.904 (19)
1’32.646

22
18
Lance Stroll
33.595 (22)
41.341 (22)
17.948 (21)
1’32.884 (+0.036)

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Subject efficiency

The brand new automobiles are nearly two seconds per lap slower than they had been final yr round Suzuka. That places them roughly on the identical efficiency stage because the automobiles three years in the past.

Nonetheless Suzuka has been resurfaced during the last two seasons: a good portion was re-laid final yr and the remaining was finished earlier than this yr’s race. Due to this fact the general grip ranges ought to have improved.

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2026 Japanese Grand Prix

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