Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, making it back-to-back poles for the 18-year-old Mercedes driver following his historic maiden pole in China.
The session’s biggest story came in Q2, where Arvid Lindblad pushed Max Verstappen out of qualifying, the rookie sending the three-time world champion to the back of the grid for the second consecutive race weekend. Isack Hadjar also outqualified Verstappen for the second time in a row, continuing what is becoming an uncomfortable pattern for the Red Bull number one car.
Gabriel Bortoleto delivered one of the performances of the session, taking Audi into Q3 for what is shaping up to be a breakthrough weekend for the team. Pierre Gasly also made it through for Alpine, giving the French outfit a car in the top ten shootout.
For Racing Bulls, the session was a tale of two drivers. Lindblad did not leave the pit lane at any point, leaving the team with no data from the second car while Lawson worked through the session alone.
Antonelli topped Q3 to seal his second consecutive pole, with Mercedes arriving at Suzuka in commanding form. The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix grid is set and the championship picture is developing a very clear pecking order at the front.
| P | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Tyre | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:28.778 | — | POLE | |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.076 | +0.298 | ||
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.132 | +0.354 | ||
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.405 | +0.627 | ||
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:29.409 | +0.631 | ||
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:29.567 | +0.789 | ||
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:29.691 | +0.913 | ||
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:29.978 | +1.200 | ||
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:30.274 | +1.496 | ||
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:30.319 | +1.541 | ||
| 11 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:30.262 | — | DNQ | |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:30.309 | — | DNQ | |
| 13 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:30.387 | — | DNQ | |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:30.495 | — | DNQ | |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:30.627 | — | DNQ | |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:31.033 | — | DNQ | |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:31.088 | — | DNQ | |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:31.090 | — | DNQ | |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:32.206 | — | DNQ | |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:32.330 | — | DNQ | |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32.646 | — | DNQ | |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:32.920 | — | DNQ |
⚡ Fastest Sectors: S1: Leclerc 31.655 | S2: Antonelli 39.398 | S3: Antonelli 17.464
