F1 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying as it happened

Here come some of the perceived big boys, with only the Mercedes duo still in the garage. 

Ocon sets the initial pace for Haas with a 1m31.466s, as Lindblad goes second. In FP3, we saw the best times delivered on the second or even third timed efforts on soft tyres, though, so expect these to fall quickly. 

The expected front-runners have all remained in the garages for these early minutes, electing to allow those battling to survive Q1 to clean up the track for them. 

The music has played, and it's time to do this. Which Mercedes will be on pole? Will McLaren or Ferrari head the second row? Will Aston Martin show they've been sandbagging the whole time? 

Ok, maybe that last one is a little bit tongue in cheek. 

With 10 minutes remaining before we get underway, the work continues at Red Bull as the team attempts to unlock some performance that has so far been lacking. There is a real chance that at least one of the Red Bull cars drops out in Q2 and, if the changes backfire, it could be worse than that. 

Remember, Verstappen has not been beaten in either qualifying or the race here in the last four years. 

Conditions, as has been the case all weekend so far, are almost perfect for racing, with blue skies and minimal wind. That said, the odd gust or two into Spoon continued to catch drivers out in FP3, and with the pressure ramping up in qualifying, that will certainly be an area to watch in the coming hour. 

Beyond the seemingly exclusive Mercedes pole battle, however, there is more than enough intrigue to keep things interesting. McLaren and Ferrari seem locked in a constant battle over the second and third rows, while Audi has emerged as a surprise front-runner in the midfield. 

Red Bull has struggled far worse than could ever have been expected, while Aston Martin...well, the less said about their struggles, the better. A green car, but very red faces in the garage after falling a second short of Cadillac in FP3. 

Antonelli and Russell top the order and return to the track in order to complete their practice starts. 0.254s separated the Mercedes pair, with a chasm to Leclerc in third, who was 0.867s back on the ultimate pace. Piastri is fourth, with Hamilton and Norris behind. 

A lesser-spotted Aston Martin is on the screen! But Alonso backs out after a very odd moment at Degner 2, and we switch focus to another driver. At least we saw an Aston Martin for a few seconds, that's something. 

"Everywhere, everywhere is just ****," says Verstappen when complaining about gearshifts vias the team radio. Safe to say, the four-time champion isn't keen on his return to the midfield. 

With less than 10 minutes remaining, here come the final hot laps of the hour. Can anyone close the gap to Mercedes?

At the other end of things, Aston Martin...

Alonso is 4.982s off the lead pace, and over 0.8s back from Bottas's Cadillac. Stroll is further back still, but neither car has been seen on the footage...at Honda's home track. 

As we typed that order, Hulkenberg being P5 caught us by surprise. Ahead of a Ferrari, and a McLaren - although Norris can't really be compared genuinely at this point - that is a mightily impressive performance. Both Audis are in the top 7, and that is frankly spectacular. 

15 minutes remain, and your top 10 is: 

1. Antonelli
2. Russell
3. Leclerc
4. Piastri
5. Hulkenberg
6. Hamilton
7. Norris
8. Bortoleto
9. Lindblad
10. Verstappen

A big spin from Bearman on the exit of Spoon. Those tyres will go straight in the bin with huge flat spots. He got caught out on acceleration out of the corner, and lost the rear before the kerbing that could have unsettled the car. 

WOW! Talk about impressive, and a 1m29.362s from Antonelli will have caught the attention of everyone in the paddock. Russell is 0.254s back on his latest effort set moments before his team-mate. Leclerc is third, 0.867s back from the Mercedes pair, with Piastri 1.002s off the pace. 

It's not eye-catching, but a 1m31.463s for Norris is about in the ballpark of what other drivers have achieved so far on their first efforts. Quietly impressive from Norris. 

Here comes Norris, and what a job by McLaren to get that car back out onto the track. Soft tyres are on immediately with 22 minutes remaining. He has no time to lose in making up experience and laps. 

In the early stages of the 2025 season, it was suggested that Verstappen might want to test the RB as it appeared to be a stronger car than the Red Bull. Looking at the times, the same question is likely to be asked once more. 

Back at the front, Russell and Antonelli continue to edge down the benchmark time, with both dropping under the 90-second mark. Russell currently leads the way by 0.011s with a 1m29.918s.