Kimi Antonelli will lead off the F1 field for the Japanese Grand Prix after a dominant pole position at Suzuka.
Antonelli was 0.298s faster than team-mate George Russell on Saturday in Japan as the Mercedes proved to be the class of the field, staving off challenges from Ferrari and McLaren, who share the second and third rows.
Row two will be made up of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, with world champions Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth, respectively.
Max Verstappen’s run of four straight Suzuka poles ended with an embarrassing Q2 exit as Red Bull badly struggled for pace. He will start 11th.
Full starting grid for 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix
Position Driver Team
1st Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
2nd George Russell Mercedes
3rd Oscar Piastri McLaren
4th Charles Leclerc Ferrari
5th Lando Norris McLaren
6th Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
7th Pierre Gasly Alpine
8th Isack Hadjar Red Bull
9th Gabriel Bortoleto Audi
10th Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls
11th Max Verstappen Red Bull
12th Esteban Ocon Haas
13th Nico Hulkenberg Audi
14th Liam Lawson Racing Bulls
15th Franco Colapinto Alpine
16th Carlos Sainz Williams
17th Alex Albon Williams
18th Oliver Bearman Haas
19th Sergio Perez Cadillac
20th Valtteri Bottas Cadillac
21st Fernando Alonso Aston Martin
22nd Lance Stroll Aston Martin
