F1 qualifying takes place today (Saturday, March 28) for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Circuit.
This weekend’s Japanese GP marks the last before a month long break due to the race cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with Mercedes once again looking like the red hot favourites.
The party at the top has been disrupted by McLaren however, where Oscar Piastri had a successful Friday at Suzuka and topped the timesheets in FP2. But, are Mercedes holding back their true pace? All will be revealed in qualifying.
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Below is a table where the results will be posted after Japanese Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday March 28. Further down you can also find out what time and how to watch qualifying in your region.
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F1 Qualifying Results: Japanese Grand Prix 2026
Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Results
Position
Driver
Team
Time
1TBCTBCTBC
2TBCTBCTBC
3TBCTBCTBC
4TBCTBCTBC
5TBCTBCTBC
6TBCTBCTBC
7TBCTBCTBC
8TBCTBCTBC
9TBCTBCTBC
10TBCTBCTBC
11TBCTBCTBC
12TBCTBCTBC
13TBCTBCTBC
14TBCTBCTBC
15TBCTBCTBC
16TBCTBCTBC
17TBCTBCTBC
18TBCTBCTBC
19TBCTBCTBC
20TBCTBCTBC
21TBCTBCTBC
22TBCTBCTBC
F1 Qualifying Times – 2026 Japanese Grand Prix
Following the third and final practice session on Saturday morning, the Suzuka International Circuit plays host to grand prix qualifying at 3pm local time (JST), or 6am GMT.
Find the session start time converted to your local time zone below:
Japanese Grand Prix 2026 Session Times Qualifying – Saturday, March 28, 2026 LocationTime Local time (JST)15:00 Saturday Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)06:00 Saturday Central European Time (CET)07:00 Saturday United States (ET)02:00 Saturday United States (CT)01:00 SaturdayUnited States (PT)23:00 Friday Brazil (BRT)03:00 Saturday Australia (AWST)14:00 Saturday Australia (ACDT)16:30 Saturday Australia (AEDT)17:00 Saturday Mexico (CST)00:00 Saturday China (CST)14:00 Saturday South Africa (SAST)08:00 Saturday Egypt (EET)08:00 Saturday India (IST)11:30 Saturday Singapore (SGT)14:00 Saturday Turkey (TRT)09:00 Saturday United Arab Emirates (GST)10:00 SaturdaySaudi Arabia (AST)09:00 Saturday
How to watch the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying live on TV today
Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Check below to see how to tune in for some major countries:
Where to watch: F1 2026 broadcasters by region
Region/Country
Broadcaster(s)
United KingdomSky Sports
*United StatesApple TV
ChinaShanghai TV, Guandong Television Channel, Tencent
ItalySky Italia
NetherlandsViaplay, Viaplay Xtra
JapanFuji TV, DAZN
AustraliaFox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten
SpainDAZN
CanadaRDS, TSN
GermanySky Deutschland, RTL
FranceCanal+
BelgiumRTBF, Telenet
LuxembourgRTL Lux, Sky DE
MexicoFox Sports Mexico
SingaporebeIN SPORTS
HungaryM4 Sport
BrazilBandeirantes
AustriaServus TV, ORF
Middle East & TurkeybeIN SPORTS
AfricaSuperSport
Latin AmericaESPN
* – A free seven-day trial of Apple TV is available for fans in the US, allowing them to watch F1 for free this weekend.
F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.
When do the clocks go forward in the UK?
The clocks go forward this weekend in the UK, on Sunday, March 29. This will happen at 2am UK time, and will mean that we are onto BST rather than GMT.
This means that although Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix is an hour earlier than qualifying local time at 2pm JST, both qualifying and the race will be on at 6am UK time.
Changes to F1 Qualifying in 2026
There are a couple of changes to the way qualifying works this year, not quite as sweeping as the new technical regulations.
Firstly we now have 22 cars on the grid, so instead of 5 cars exiting after Q1 and Q2, we will have 6 being eliminated. That still leaves 10 for the pole shootout in Q3.
The other notable change is in the timings – Q3 now gets an extra minute and lasts for 13 rather than 12.
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Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.
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