Max Verstappen's stunning P11 qualifying at Suzuka exposes the growing pains of F1's 2026 energy regulations, with the FIA scrambling to fix rules that even the world champion calls undriveable.
Kimi Antonelli claims his second consecutive pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, beating Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 0.298 seconds, while Max Verstappen faces an uphill battle from 11th after a shock Q2 exit.
George Russell topped first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix with a time of 1:31.666, leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.026 seconds in a Mercedes one-two, while McLaren regrouped after their China battery disaster.
Fernando Alonso misses Thursday media day at the Japanese Grand Prix after welcoming his first child with partner Melissa Jimenez. The 44-year-old two-time world champion will be back in the car on Friday.