4.
08:53
Max Verstappen’s new best time in Q3
Max Verstappen marks a new best time in Q3
4.
08:52
Charles Leclerc’s new best time in Q3
Charles Leclerc sets a new best time in Q3 with a 1:29.557. Can Max Verstappen still beat that? His first sector was really fast.
3.
08:51
Ocon sets first lap times
Esteban Ocon sets first lap time in Q3. However, his 1:31.106 should not be a hurdle for the big favorites.
1.
08:48
Q3 started
It continues with Q3. Now it will be decided who will start tomorrow’s race from pole! Red Bull and Ferrari send their drivers straight onto the track.
12.
08:41
Q2 ended
Q2 is over and Sebastian Vettel makes it into Q2 with tenth place. Charles Leclerc, who finished ninth, also had to tremble at the end. In addition to Mick Schumacher in 15th place, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda and Guanyu Zhou were eliminated.
12.
08:40
Sergio Pérez sets a new best time in Q2
Sergio Pérez sets a new best time in Q2 with a 1:29.925. With third place, Ocon also went far ahead. Sebastian Vettel is initially sixth.
12.
08:37
It goes out again
Sebastian Vettel opens the second runs and is the first driver to steer his car back onto the track. Verstappen, Sainz and Leclerc seem to be sitting out the last few minutes in the pits.
10
08:34
All in the garage
All drivers are back at the garage to prepare for a possible second run. Verstappen leads in front of Sainz and Leclerc. Ocon, Ricciardo and Hamilton complete the top ten.
8th.
08:33
Vettel and Schumacher outside the top ten
Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher are currently outside the top ten, so they definitely have to find something in their second run. Vettel is 12th, Schumacher is 14th.
6.
08:31
Max Verstappen’s new best time in Q2
Max Verstappen marks a new best time in Q2. 1:30.346 minutes put him 0.098 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz. Esteban Ocon is fourth ahead of Fernando Alonso.
4.
08:29
First times in Q2
There are the first times in Q2. Carlos Sainz clocks a 1:30.444. Charles Leclerc has to place himself just behind.
3.
08:28
Ferrari gets company
For a long time, the two Ferraris were on their own, but now more and more drivers are directing their cars onto the track. Red Bull is also on used softs.
1.
08:25
Q2 started
Start of Q2! Over the next 15 minutes, drivers battle it out for a place in the top ten. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are already out on used softs.
18
08:20
Q1 ended
With 15th place, Sebastian Vettel is doing just fine. He’s in Q1 with a razor-thin lead over Alex Albon. Mick Schumacher is also 13th in the next round. In addition to Albon, Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Nicholas Latifi were also eliminated.
18
08:18
Is that enough for Vettel?
Sebastian Vettel can improve to eleventh place, but is that enough to secure a place in Q2? The majority is still on the final lap.
15
08:15
It’s going to the showdown
The showdown in Q1 begins. With the exception of the top 5, all drivers are back on the track. Russell and Hamilton improved again on the soft and made it into the top ten.
13.
08:13
Vettel needs the increase
Sebastian Vettel is currently only 17th place. So the German urgently needs an improvement in his second run if he wants to get involved in Q2. Mick Schumacher is in 13th place.
12.
08:12
Pit radio Pierre Gasly
“Something’s wrong with the brakes,” complains Pierre Gasly on the radio. “What the hell is going on?”
11.
08:11
Alonso gets involved
Fernando Alonso had already put in a good performance in training and now things are going well for the Spaniard. He finds himself in third place behind Verstappen and the two Ferraris.
10
08:10
Mediums don’t work
At Mercedes, the first run with the medium didn’t work out. George Russell finds himself in 15th place. Lewis Hamilton is 18.
9.
08:09
Schumacher starts in ninth place
Mick Schumacher starts his qualifying session in ninth place. Sebastian Vettel is 14th after the first fast lap.
7.
08:07
Max Verstappen’s new best time in Q1
It remains a snapshot, because a little later Max Verstappen crosses the line. With 1:30.224 minutes he was over a second faster than Norris.
7.
08:07
Lando Norris sets a new best time in Q1
Lando Norris sets a new best time in Q1. The Brit got a 1:31.431 on his first fast lap with the soft.
6.
08:06
Leclerc on the way
Charles Leclerc is now also on the road. He’s on the softest tire compound. Alonso, Ocon and Albon are still in the garage.
5.
08:05
It fills up
The track is now beginning to fill up. All are on soft, the Mercedes do not. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are on the medium.
4.
08:04
First lap times in Q1
There are the first lap times in Q1. Yuki Tsunoda runs a 1:31.631 on the softest tire compound. Pierre Gasly was 0.4 seconds slower.
3.
08:03
Three riders on the track
It’s still relatively quiet in qualifying. Only four drivers are on the track in Q1. Most recently, Lando Norris left his box in the McLaren.
2.
08:01
Are there problems at Leclerc?
There seems to have been a technical problem with Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari is jacked up in the pits and work is being done on the car. However, Leclerc gets on board so that you lose as little time as possible.
1.
08:00
Start qualifying
The traffic lights are green, qualifying has started in Suzuka. Nicholas Latifi is the first driver to take to the track.
07:54
The distance
The Suzuka Circuit is one of those tracks on the calendar where the drivers are challenged all the time. The track is 5.807 kilometers long and has eight left-handers and ten right-handers. In particular, the “S-curves” and the fast left-hand bend “130R” demand a great deal of skill from the drivers.
07:47
What is possible for the German drivers?
It will probably be difficult for the German drivers today in the fight for Q3. Both Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher ended up behind the top ten places in the final practice session.
07:42
Verstappen wins final training
While it rained in Suzuka on Friday, today’s final practice session took place in dry conditions. Max Verstappen completed the best performance in 1:30.671 minutes. He ended up a good three tenths ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Fernando Alonso, who finished fourth, was doing well. Sergio Pérez was fifth ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the second Red Bull. Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll completed the top ten.
07:36
Only two places left for 2023
Saturday in Suzuka started with new driver announcements for 2023. Pierre Gasly is leaving AlphaTauri and will drive alongside Esteban Ocon at Alpine from the coming season. Gasly is leaving the Red Bull family after nine years. AlphaTauri has already found a successor. Nyck de Vries was signed. De Vries won Formula 2 in 2019 and the Formula E World Championship in 2021. In addition, he was under contract with several racing teams as a test driver and, above all, got talked about as a replacement for Alex Albon at the race in Monza. This leaves only two free seats for 2023. One at Haas and one at Williams.
07:29
In Suzuka to the world title?
It’s really only a matter of time before Max Verstappen secures the 2022 World Championship. In Japan, the Dutchman, who currently has 341 points, would only need eight points more than Charles Leclerc and six more than teammate Sergio Perez. Leclerc could then still equalize on points, but then the victories would count and there he can no longer catch up with Verstappen.
Warm welcome!
Things are getting really serious for the first time this weekend at Formula 1 in Suzuka. Starting at 8:00 a.m., drivers will be fighting for pole position for tomorrow’s race in Japan!