Mercedes F1 driver George Russell
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Formula 1 leaders Mercedes go into Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix chasing a season-opening hat-trick of one-two wins, with Kimi Antonelli fired up after a maiden victory and George Russell seeking to cement his status as title favourite.
The pair have won one Sunday race each but Russell, winner of the season-opener in Australia and the Saturday sprint in China, leads his Chinese Grand Prix-winning teammate by four points.
Mercedes last kicked off with a hat-trick of wins in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic-hit season in which Austria’s Red Bull Ring hosted the first two races.
The last time they started with three one-two finishes was in 2019.
Having made a similarly dominant start to the sport’s new era this season, including locking out the front row in every qualifying session, they could tick off both milestones on Sunday.
“We have made a positive start to the season but it is only that,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. “We know that the moment you think you’ve got this sport figured out, you are usually proven wrong.”
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Photo: Clay Cross / PHOTOSPORT
Ferrari chasing first win at Suzuka since 2004
Despite Wolff’s caution, either Russell or Antonelli should be celebrating a first win at Suzuka, a 5.8km figure-of-eight layout widely hailed as a drivers’ track that hosts the 40th running of the Japanese round.
Ferrari, who last won at Suzuka in 2004 and have been second-best to Mercedes in the opening two races, will hope to rise to the challenge.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, thanks to their fast starts and intra-team duels, have served up plenty of wheel-to-wheel entertainment.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, in particular, has shown plenty of fight and ended his podium drought in China with a third-place finish. A four-time Suzuka winner, the Briton will be hoping that run continues.
Circuit owners Honda will be hoping for a happier homecoming as power unit suppliers to Aston Martin after a dismal start to their year.
Neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll have finished the opening two races, with vibrations from the Japanese manufacturer’s power unit severely limiting running.
Just getting to the chequered flag would be big progress for the Japanese manufacturer that powered Max Verstappen to four successive wins on the circuit from 2022 to 2025 when they were partners to Red Bull.
The four-time world champion, who now has a Ford-badged Red Bull power unit in his car, will also be looking to bounce back after retiring in China.
McLaren will be hoping for a strong showing after reigning champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unable to start in China.
Australian Piastri will be especially keen to get a full race distance under his belt, having only completed the China sprint so far after also crashing out on a reconnaissance lap ahead of his home race in Melbourne.
After a disappointing Australian GP, New Zealander Liam Lawson finished seventh in both the sprint and main race in Shanghai and will again be aiming to be in the points at Suzuka.
The Japanese Grand Prix marks a year since Lawson returned to Racing Bulls following his short stint with the Red Bull team.
The Japanese Grand Prix will be the last race until the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May with April’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
New Zealand Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka.
Photo: Eric Alonso / PHOTOSPORT
Statistics for the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit, third race of the season:
Lap distance: 5.807km. Total distance: 307.471km (53 laps)
2025 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull one minute 26.983 seconds
2025 race winner: Verstappen
Race lap record: Kimi Antonelli (Italy) Mercedes 1:30.965 (2025)
Start time: Sunday 17:00 NZ time (1400 local)
Japan
Sunday’s race will be the 40th Japanese Grand Prix in world championship history and 36th at Suzuka.
The Honda-owned circuit is an old-style figure-of-eight layout, with fast corners Degner 1 and 2, Spoon and 130R, taken at 295km/h. Pirelli are bringing the three hardest tyres in their range.
The track has been resurfaced from Turn Seven to 17, after Turns One to Eight were done last year.
Of current drivers, Lewis Hamilton has won five times in Japan (2007 at Fuji, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018), Verstappen four (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), Fernando Alonso twice (2006 Suzuka and 2008 Fuji) and Valtteri Bottas once (2019).
Verstappen has started on pole in the last four races in Japan and won all of them.
Ferrari last won at Suzuka with Michael Schumacher in 2004. The German won the Japanese Grand Prix a record six times, with a total of eight in the country when the Pacific Grands Prix at Aida are included.
McLaren are the most successful team in Japan with nine wins over the years but Red Bull have won most at Suzuka (eight).
In 35 races at Suzuka, the winner has come from the front row on 30 occasions and been on pole in 19. Kimi Raikkonen won from 17th on the grid in 2005 with McLaren.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took his first F1 podium at Suzuka, a third place in 2023.
There is no Japanese race driver this year.
– Reuters, with additional reporting from RNZ