1 Japanese GP 2026: Antonelli Takes Pole, Verstappen Out in Q2 Kimi Antonelli beat George Russell to a Mercedes front-row lockout at Suzuka, but the hour will be remembered for the other end of the timesheet, where Max Verstappen's own best lap wasn't even fast enough to count. Qualifying Japan 28 Mar 2026 4 MIN 2 Japanese GP 2026: Antonelli Wins by 13.7s After Safety Car Oscar Piastri led for the best part of eighteen laps and looked the sharper car all afternoon, but a Safety Car that arrived on the exact lap Kimi Antonelli reached the pit lane turned Suzuka back into a Mercedes race. Race Japan 29 Mar 2026 6 MIN