Antonelli Takes Pole In Japan As Russell Laments Strange Qualifying Session

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Kimi Antonelli secured pole for the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying session, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout ahead of George Russell. Antonelli’s 1:28.778 in Q3 stood as the benchmark, with Russell 0.298 seconds slower. Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc line up behind, while Max Verstappen’s difficult start continued with an exit in Q2.

The Japanese Grand Prix qualifying result extended Mercedes’ strong 2026 form, but Russell described the session as unusual. The championship leader never felt fully in control, despite finishing second. Russell and Antonelli have led most weekends this season, yet Russell again reported balance concerns over one lap at Suzuka.

Russell’s issues during Japanese Grand Prix qualifying built through the segments. In Q2, Russell was over 0.6 seconds slower than Antonelli and radioed: "I think we’re missing something here." Russell later reduced the gap in Q3, yet still felt uneasy with the car and surprised to secure another front-row start.

Explaining the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying run, Russell said the performance shift after practice confused the team. "It was a really strange session for us," Russell said. "We were both very fast all weekend. We made some adjustments after FP3, and then at the beginning of qualifying, we were nowhere."

Russell also linked Japanese Grand Prix qualifying frustrations to the previous round. "A really difficult sessiona bit annoying because its been two weeks in a row now. In China I was much more competitive and then it went wrong in Q3; here I felt pretty confident after practice and then it was wrong. Very lucky again to be in P2. The last two weekends it'sgone wrong come qualifying, but the race is tomorrow and there's still a lot to play for."

Antonelli’s Japanese Grand Prix qualifying pole continued a strong early campaign. This was Antonelli’s second consecutive pole, and it also marked the 50th pole position by an Italian driver in Formula One history. Italy became the sixth nation to reach at least 50 poles in the championship’s record books.

Reflecting on Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, Antonelli focused on consistency and a small mistake on the final lap. "I'm super happy with the session. It was a good one, it was a clean one," Antonelli said. "I felt very good in the car and every run I was improving and improving. A shame for the last lap because of a lock up at Turn 11, but it was a good one. I'm really happy with the session."

The Japanese Grand Prix qualifying result also delivered another headline statistic for Mercedes, with a third straight front-row lockout to begin 2026.

Japanese Grand Prix qualifying grid and midfield outlook

Behind the Mercedes pair in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, McLaren and Ferrari shared the second and third rows. Piastri starts third ahead of Leclerc, with Lando Norris fifth. Lewis Hamilton lines up sixth for Ferrari. Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten starters.

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The Japanese Grand Prix qualifying pattern suggests contrasting strengths for race day. Mercedes carried strong one-lap form but some set-up doubts, especially for Russell. Antonelli heads the field with rising confidence, while Verstappen’s Q2 exit highlights ongoing difficulties at Red Bull. The race offers another major chance for Russell and Antonelli in the title fight.