F1 made its long awaited return to Suzuka after three years away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with heavy rain acting as the key factor in both Friday practice sessions.
After Fernando Alonso topped first practice, Russell led a Mercedes 1-2 from team-mate Lewis Hamilton in FP2 as the German manufacturer impressed despite struggling in the rain in Singapore last weekend.
Max Verstappen ended the second practice session third fastest and directly ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, while Verstappen’s closest title rival Charles Leclerc could only manage 11th in FP2.
Verstappen holds a 104-point lead over Leclerc at the top of the F1 standings with five races to go, while Red Bull team-mate Perez remains in contention 106 points off the Dutch driver after his victory in Singapore.
In short, Verstappen needs to be 112 points clear at the end of the Japanese GP to clinch the title with four races to spare. Therefore, Verstappen must outscore Leclerc by eight points and Perez by six points to take the title in Japan.
How can Verstappen can seal the F1 world title at the Japanese GP?
If Verstappen wins and sets the fastest lap he is champion
If Verstappen wins without the fastest lap and Leclerc finishes lower than second
If Verstappen finishes second, Leclerc finishes fifth without the fastest lap or sixth with the fastest lap or lower, Perez finishes fifth or lower
If Verstappen finishes third with the fastest lap, Leclerc finishes sixth or lower and Perez finishes fifth or lower
If Verstappen finishes third without the fastest lap, Leclerc finishes seventh or lower and Perez finishes fifth or lower
If Verstappen finishes fourth, Leclerc finishes eighth or lower or Perez finishes seventh without the fastest lap or lower
If Verstappen finishes fifth, Leclerc finishes ninth or lower and Perez finishes eighth or lower
If Verstappen finishes sixth, Leclerc finishes 11th or lower and Perez is ninth or lower
Any alternative results which don’t fit into these multiple scenarios and the title fight rolls on to the United States GP.
What time does qualifying start for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix?
Qualifying for the Japanese GP starts at 3pm local time (7am BST), using the regular Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.
Date: Saturday 8th October 2022
Start time: 3pm local time – 7am BST
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £33.99p per month.
How can I watch F1 Japanese GP qualifying?
In the United Kingdom every F1 practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with Japanese GP qualifying coverage starting at 6:00am BST on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event.
- Channel: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
- Start time: 6:00am BST 8th October 2022
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of qualifying here.
When can I watch the highlights of F1 Japanese GP qualifying?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of qualifying for the Japanese GP at 10:50am BST on Saturday. The full programme will run for 90 minutes, covering both qualifying and wrapping up the major talking points of the race weekend so far.
For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
- Channel: Channel 4
- Start time: 10:50am BST 8th October 2022
Will F1 Japanese GP qualifying be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website.
Coverage of Japanese GP qualifying will start at 7:00am BST on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.
What's the weather forecast for qualifying at Suzuka?
Warm and dry weather conditions are forecast for Saturday for the start of qualifying at Suzuka, with a low chance of rain. The temperature is set to be 25 degrees Celsius at the start of qualifying, three degrees colder than Singapore GP qualifying last time out.
Japanese Grand Prix FP1 result
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | 7 | 1'42.248 | ||
| 2 | Carlos Sainz |
Ferrari | 15 | 1'42.563 | 0.315 | 0.315 |
| 3 |  Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | 16 | 1'42.634 | 0.386 | 0.071 |
| 4 |  Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | 5 | 1'43.022 | 0.774 | 0.388 |
| 5 |  Kevin Magnussen |
Haas | 15 | 1'43.258 | 1.010 | 0.236 |
| 6 |  Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | 4 | 1'43.362 | 1.114 | 0.104 |
| 7 |  Mick Schumacher |
Haas | 13 | 1'43.761 | 1.513 | 0.399 |
| 8 |  Lando Norris |
McLaren | 7 | 1'43.889 | 1.641 | 0.128 |
| 9 |  Valtteri Bottas |
Alfa Romeo | 13 | 1'43.969 | 1.721 | 0.080 |
| 10 |  Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | 4 | 1'44.234 | 1.986 | 0.265 |
| 11 |  Zhou Guanyu |
Alfa Romeo | 15 | 1'44.429 | 2.181 | 0.195 |
| 12 |  Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | 8 | 1'44.486 | 2.238 | 0.057 |
| 13 | Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | 6 | 1'44.558 | 2.310 | 0.072 |
| 14 |  Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | 10 | 1'44.570 | 2.322 | 0.012 |
| 15 |  Alex Albon |
Williams | 9 | 1'44.791 | 2.543 | 0.221 |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | 12 | 1'44.878 | 2.630 | 0.087 |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | 11 | 1'45.424 | 3.176 | 0.546 |
| 18 | George Russell |
Mercedes | 4 | 1'46.103 | 3.855 | 0.679 |
| 19 |  Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | 16 | 1'46.192 | 3.944 | 0.089 |
| 20 | Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | 8 | 1'48.090 | 5.842 | 1.898 |
| View full results | ||||||
Japanese Grand Prix FP2 result
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell |
Mercedes | 23 | 1'41.935 | ||
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | 22 | 1'42.170 | 0.235 | 0.235 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | 24 | 1'42.786 | 0.851 | 0.616 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | 26 | 1'42.834 | 0.899 | 0.048 |
| 5 | Kevin Magnussen |
Haas | 17 | 1'43.187 | 1.252 | 0.353 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz |
Ferrari | 23 | 1'43.204 | 1.269 | 0.017 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | 14 | 1'43.533 | 1.598 | 0.329 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas |
Alfa Romeo | 20 | 1'43.733 | 1.798 | 0.200 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | 13 | 1'43.884 | 1.949 | 0.151 |
| 10 | Zhou Guanyu |
Alfa Romeo | 17 | 1'44.525 | 2.590 | 0.641 |
| 11 | Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | 10 | 1'44.709 | 2.774 | 0.184 |
| 12 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | 16 | 1'44.962 | 3.027 | 0.253 |
| 13 | Alex Albon |
Williams | 15 | 1'45.039 | 3.104 | 0.077 |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | 27 | 1'45.257 | 3.322 | 0.218 |
| 15 | Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | 24 | 1'45.261 | 3.326 | 0.004 |
| 16 | Lando Norris |
McLaren | 11 | 1'45.885 | 3.950 | 0.624 |
| 17 | Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | 9 | 1'46.030 | 4.095 | 0.145 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | 21 | 1'46.776 | 4.841 | 0.746 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | 13 | 1'47.109 | 5.174 | 0.333 |
| 20 | Mick Schumacher |
Haas | 0 | |||
| View full results | ||||||
