Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Qualifying at the F1 2025 Japanese GP from the Suzuka Circuit as teams and drivers look to fight for pole position in the first Formula 1 triple-header of the season which starts in Japan.
Lando Norris topped the final practice session ahead of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, narrowly beating teammate Oscar Piastri in a session that was again overshadowed by grass fires erupting around the Suzuka Circuit. The session was red-flagged twice, cutting short critical soft-tyre runs just hours before qualifying.
The persistent fire risk has now disrupted every practice session so far, and raises major safety concerns for Sunday’s race. While FIA officials implemented overnight mitigation efforts after similar red flags on Friday, it’s clear more substantial action may be needed.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Japanese GP live updates for Qualifying will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and potential frontrunners as they look to claim pole position. So stay tuned with us as Qualifying at the F1 2025 Japanese GP unfolds live from Suzuka.
F1 2025 Japanese GP Qualifying LIVE: Latest Updates
Verstappen pulls it out the bag
Whilst Verstappen is a driver you can never rule out of a pole position battle, but he appeared too be a step behind the McLaren’s for miuch of qualifying and was repeatedly complaining about the balance of the car. That meant it was a genuine shock when he put together a stunning final lap in Q3 and he will be leading thr two McLaren’s into Turn 1 and he will be aware that overtaking is not easy at Suzuka.
George Russell may be left wondering what could have been given he was in the mix, but an error at the start of his final flying lap meant he was never going to improve. Piastri will also be wondering if that first sector on his last flying lap could have been better. Leclerc will feel that he can do something from P4, but Hamilton has a job on his hands from P8.
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Lap record for Verstappen
Needless to say, that pole lap from Verstappen is hte Suzuka lap record. The Dutchman put in a 1:26.983, very narrowly beating the 1:26.995 from Norris.
Your grid for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Jack Doohan (Alpine)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
VERSTAPPEN ON POLE
Almost out of nowhere, Max Verstappen is your pole sitter in Japan. Norris went quicker than Piastri but Verstappen went even quicker again and Piastri ends up in P3 after a bad first sector spoiled his lap.
Final runs in Q3
Russell made an error at Turn 1 and he is on the back on the back foot already. Norris puts in a purple first sector and he has taken pole from Piastri!
Lap record for Piastri
Piastri now holds the Suzuka lap record with a 1:27.052, snatching it away from Sebastian Vettel. Don’t be shocked to see a 1:26 during the final runs which will get underway soon. The slower than expected lap from Norris has made this feel like a much more open contest.
7 minutes to go
Verstappen had gone quicker than Russell, but then Piastri puts in the fastest lap of the day. Norris seems to have lost pace as he goes P4 on the first run. It’s Piastri from Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Norris and Hamilton after those first runs.
Q3 is underway
Lando Norris seems the clear candidate for pole position but don’t rule Oscar Piastri out if he can put a clean lap together, whilst George Russell has quietly been very fast here.
Great session for Bearman and Hadjar
Bearman has not been out of Q1 so far this season but now he has forced his way into Q3, and he seemed thrilled about it on the radio. Hadjar has also done a great job despite his seatbelt woes, all the focus is on Lawson and Tsunoda but he has comfortably outqualified the pair of them.
Penalty coming for Sainz
Seems very likely that Sainz will get a penalty once qualifying is done. He blocked Hamilton on a flying lap at Turn 1 and the replays don’t look good for the Spaniard.
Q2 results
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
Eliminated in Q2
11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
12. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
Tsunoda out in Q2
Yuki Tsunoda couldn’t find the time he needed and he qualifies P15. He will have Liam Lawson ahead of him on the grid at P14. Norris didn’t need to do another run to confirm that he is the fastest man on track.
1 minute to go
Looks like Tsunoda could be out in Q2. He goes to P11, Lawson goes ahead to P10 and Hadjar is up to P8. Plenty of cars putting in their final laps now and Lawson is dumped out by Alonso and Bearman.
4 minutes to go
The two Ferrari’s have just put in fairly underwhelming laps on new sets of soft tyres whilst nearly everyone else was in the garage. They sit P4 and P5 right now, with almost everyone else on an out lap now.
8 minutes to go
The flow will have been disrupted for the driver’s so most of them are taking some time in the garage to reassess things. The current bottom five is Sainz, Alonso, Bearman, Tsunoda and Lawson, but expect that to be shaken up soon.
RED FLAG
The grass fires are back. We have a red flag in Q2 and they’re going to get the hoses out again. This fire is on the inside of 130R, and it’s being caused by the titanium skid blocks under the cars that create sparks and with the incredibly dry conditions, the grass keeps igniting.
9 minutes to go
Lando Norris looks so composed here. He is getting close to the 1:26s now having done a 01:27.15 on his first flying run in Q2. The Ferrari’s have put in good times on used tyres, whilst Piastri made a mistake and is almost five tenths down on Norris despite having new tyres on the car.
On track for Q2
No major surprises there in Q1. Lance Stroll will be disappointed given he has had a relatively promising start to the season. Hadjar seemed to be the most unhappy man despite getting through, he still has a seatbelt problem which is causing him a huge amount of grief.
Q1 results
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Eliminated in Q1
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
18. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
19. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Q1 comes to an end
Liam Lawson was the last man across the line and he moved up to P15. Hadjar got to P12 despite his ongoing issue which is clearly bothering him a lot. Sauber are the only team to lose both drivers in Q1.
1 minute to go
Antonelli goes to P7 after a purple final sector. Piastri and Verstappen have improved, as has Russell, Hamilton and Tsunoda. Lawson is now at risk of elimination…
3 minutes to go
Cars are heading out for the final runs now, with Kimi Antonelli in the drop zone in his Mercedes. The likes of Tsunoda, Verstappen, Sainz and Hamilton will want an improved time just to avoid any nasty surprises.
5 minutes to go
Hamilton has now put a softy-tyre lap in and he only goes P6, meaning he could need another lap if the track ramps up in the final few minutes. Norris is back on top of the time sheet, with Leclerc putting his Ferrari into P2.
7 minutes to go
Lewis Hamilton is currently on an out lap on the medium tyres, and he is the only car running them at this stage despite is being Q1. At the same time, Isack Hadjar says he ‘can’t focus’ and he seems to be a likely driver to be eliminated here.
9 minutes to go
For a moment it was Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading the way after the first flying laps from the big boys, but George Russell has come through and split the two McLaren’s with an impressive time. Max Verstappen is not far behind but he’s complaining about his car on the radio again.
12 minutes to go
Charles Leclerc is the first man to get into the 1:28s around Suzuka today, but Lando Norris has gone three tenths faster than the Ferrari on his first flying lap. Yuki Tsunoda is currently on a flying lap and he goes third fastest to begin with.
Q1 is underway
Cars are queueing up at the pit exit and it is the Haas’ that are first out on track. They are the only two cars not to get out of Q1 so far this season.
5 minutes until the green light
We’re almost ready to go here for qualifying at Suzuka. Weather has been a big feature here so far but not because of rain, because of the heat. Grass fires have disrupted all three practice sessions and the temperatures are high for qualifying. There is a 40% chance of rain during the race though, so the problems could change on Sunday.
Where to Watch Qualifying at the Japanese GP?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Japanese GP Qualifying will be shown on ESPN2, with streaming on ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Japanese GP Qualifying are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is Qualifying at the Japanese GP?
Qualifying for the 2025 Japanese GP begins at 3:00pm local time on Saturday in Suzuka. That means an early start for F1 fans in the UK, where FP1 begins at 7:00am on Saturday morning.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Japanese GP Qualifying session from Suzuka begins at 2:00am ET on Saturday morning, which means an 11:00pm PT start on Friday evening.
