It is time for qualifying at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen suffered a shock Q2 elimination in Singapore last week but is on a mission to return to the summit in Suzuka.
The Red Bull driver notably topped the timing charts in all three practice sessions as he pushes for his first pole position since the Netherlands.
Ferrari’s duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc also performed strongly during practice on Friday, while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri recorded the second and third-fastest times in the final practice session.
The Sporting News is following F1 qualifying live, providing updates from Q1, Q2 and Q3 below.
WATCH: F1’s Japanese Grand Prix live in the U.S. with Fubo (free trial)
F1 grid, qualifying times for Japanese Grand Prix
| Position | Driver | Team | Qual. time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1.31:049 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:31.181 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:31.299 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:31.398 |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | NO TIME |
F1 qualifying live updates from Japan
START OF Q2: The remaining 15 drivers are back on track!
END OF Q1: A session to forget for Alfa Romeo with both Bottas and Zhou eliminated. They are joined by Stroll, Hulkenberg and Sargeant.
Zhou notably had a lap time deleted late in the session for exceeding track limits, costing him a place in Q2.
Honourable mention to AlphaTauri, with Lawson (P4) and Tsunoda (P8) performing strongly. Can they keep it up?
❌ Q1 ELIMINATED DRIVERS ❌
Bottas
Stroll
Hulkenberg
Zhou 📸
Sargeant #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/OdOhX8KRX7— Formula 1 (@F1) September 23, 2023
4:00 left in Q1: Lawson delivers an impressive lap and sits in seventh, just over a second behind session leader Verstappen. There’s now a traffic jam in the pit lane as the majority of the grid heads out again to improve their times.
Bottas, Hulkenberg, Albon and Gasly are looking at a Q1 exit as it stands, with Sargeant already a confirmed elimination.
6:00 left in Q1: Leclerc, Zhou and Bottas have been noted by race control for failing to follow race director instructions regarding maximum lap times.
8:00 left in Q1: We’re back underway. The track marshals have worked quickly to remove Sargeant’s car and repair the barriers.
Seven drivers still haven’t set times, so they will be keen to do so in case there is another red flag.
RED FLAG: Sargeant loses control on the last corner and ends up in the wall, resulting in some significant damage to his car. The American is out of the car and has walked back to the Williams garage.
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
Logan Sargeant crashes heavily at the final corner
Driver is OK#JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/L6XBcd5WO2
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 23, 2023
10:00 left in Q1: No surprises so far, with Verstappen setting the fastest time. The McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri sit behind the Dutchman.
13:00 left in Q1: Lawson — who has experience racing here in Super Formula — sets the early pace. Only he and Stroll have set times so far, as the other 18 drivers begin their out laps.
LIGHTS OUT: We are underway in Q1!
5 mins to lights out: Verstappen claimed pole position last time out in Japan — the same weekend he won his second consecutive drivers’ championship. He mathematically won’t be able to secure a third title this weekend but will be hoping to move one step closer.
20 mins to lights out: The weather is picture-perfect in Suzuka for qualifying. There is hardly a cloud in sight, with the temperature currently sitting at 28 degrees Celcius (82 Fahrenheit). It will be worth keeping an eye on tire degradation in the warm conditions though, particularly in a demanding first sector.
40 mins to lights out: Plenty of eyes will be on AlphaTauri today after their decision to retain Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda for 2024. It has been an underwhelming and tumultuous campaign for the Red Bull-owned team thus far, sitting at the bottom of the constructor standings with just five points.
Ricciardo and Tsunoda’s contract extensions notably leaves Liam Lawson — AlphaTauri’s current replacement driver — without a full-time drive next year, despite a string of promising performances.
1 hour to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Saturday evening qualifying at Suzuka.
Ferrari are looking for a third straight pole position, with Carlos Sainz having topped qualifying at both Monza and Singapore this month, the latter also seeing him hold on to P1 in the race itself. Charles Leclerc is now aiming to catch up to his teammate.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has looked electric in practice though, and will be desperate to re-stamp his dominance in Japan.
F1 2023 schedule: What time is Japanese qualifying?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | India | |
| Date | Sat, September 23 | Sat, September 23 | Sat, September 23 | Sat, September 23 | Sat, September 23 |
| Time | 7:00 a.m. BST | 2:00 a.m. ET | 2:00 a.m. ET | 4:00 p.m. AEST | 11:30 a.m. IST |
F1 2023 schedule: What time is the Japanese Grand Prix race?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | India | |
| Date | Sun, September 24 | Sun, September 24 | Sun, September 24 | Sun, September 24 | Sun, September 24 |
| Time | 6:00 a.m. BST | 1:00 a.m. ET | 1:00 a.m. ET | 3:00 p.m. AEST | 10:30 a.m. IST |
What channel is F1 on this weekend?
F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2023 TV channel
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | India | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN2 | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports | N/A |
F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2023 live stream
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | India | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+, Fubo | TSN Direct | Kayo | F1 TV Pro |
WATCH: F1’s Japanese Grand Prix live in the U.S. with Fubo (free trial)