🇯🇵 Japanese GP 2026

When was the Japanese GP?

The Japanese GP is round 3 of the 2026 Formula 1 season, held at Suzuka Circuit in Japan. Lights out was Sunday, March 29 at 05:00 UTC. The card above shows that start time converted to your local timezone.

What time is the Japanese GP around the world?

Lights out is at 05:00 UTC. That puts the Japanese GP start at 1:00 AM EDT (US Eastern / ET, New York) for North American fans, 6:00 AM BST in the UK and Ireland (London & Dublin), and 4:00 PM AEDT in eastern Australia (Sydney & Melbourne). Full conversion across major regions and cities:

Session start times verified against the official F1 timetable on October 6, 2026. Times can change — this page reflects the last verified schedule and updates automatically when it does.

What time does the Japanese GP finish?

The Japanese GP was scheduled to finish at approximately 07:00 UTC — about two hours after the 05:00 UTC start. F1 races run to the lesser of 305 km or two hours of racing, so most last around 1h45–2h of green-flag running; a red flag or repeated safety cars can push the finish later, and the FIA caps total race time at three hours (how long is an F1 race?). How many stops it takes to get there comes down to the soft, medium and hard tyre compounds and how fast they wear. In the UK and Ireland that is roughly 8:00 AM BST, and on the US East Coast about 3:00 AM EDT. Treat it as a planning estimate — take the exact start time above and add roughly two hours.

Qualifying converts the same way — set your alarm for 6:00 AM GMT in the UK:

When does F1 Fantasy lock for the Japanese GP?

F1 Fantasy players need the same thing this page does best — a time, in your own timezone. Your team locks at the start of qualifying for the Japanese GP:

F1 Fantasy lock deadline: Qualifying start — Sat, Mar 28, 6:00 AM (UTC). Set your team before qualifying begins. See every round’s F1 Fantasy deadline →

Derived from this round’s qualifying start time above, so it always matches the schedule. For every round’s deadline in your timezone with a live countdown, see the F1 Fantasy deadline tracker.

About Suzuka Circuit

The Japanese GP is run over 53 laps of the 5.807 km Suzuka Circuit — one of the few figure-of-eight layouts in motorsport, where the track crosses over itself. The venue first hosted a round of the Formula 1 World Championship in 1987.

• Circuit length: 5.807 km
• Race distance: 53 laps
• First World Championship race here: 1987
• Race lap record: 1:30.965, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in 2025

The official Formula 1 race lap record at Suzuka Circuit is 1:30.965, set by Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) during the 2025 Grand Prix. Only laps set in the race itself count, so faster qualifying laps don’t — see every circuit’s mark on the F1 lap records page. (Source: formula1.com.)

Full Suzuka Circuit circuit guide — length, race distance & every recent winner →

2025: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won. Full 2025 Japanese GP result

Who won the last Japanese GP? Recent winners at Suzuka Circuit

Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) won the most recent Formula 1 race at Suzuka Circuit in 2025. Max Verstappen has won here 4 times in the last 6 runnings — more than any other driver in this span. Here are the winners of the last 6 runnings at Suzuka Circuit:

Historical results are immutable facts, compiled from public Formula 1 records — unofficial and not affiliated with Formula 1. Verified 2026-10-06.

Japanese GP practice, qualifying times

A Grand Prix weekend is more than race day. The Japanese GP runs 4 timed sessions before lights out, listed here in UTC — the table above shows each one in your own timezone:

• Free Practice 1: Friday, March 27 at 02:30 UTC
• Free Practice 2: Friday, March 27 at 06:00 UTC
• Free Practice 3: Saturday, March 28 at 02:30 UTC
• Qualifying: Saturday, March 28 at 06:00 UTC

Qualifying for the Japanese GP sets the grid on Saturday, March 28 at 06:00 UTC. Open this page on race weekend and every time shown updates to wherever you are in the world.

How to watch the Japanese GP live

In the US the Japanese GP is live on Apple TV, which became the exclusive home of Formula 1 in the United States from 2026 with every session live. In the UK it’s on Sky Sports F1, with free highlights on Channel 4; and worldwide, F1 TV Pro streams every session where it’s available. Major viewer markets:

For subscription costs, free trials and how to watch F1 free in every market, see the full 2026 F1 TV & streaming guide.

Broadcast details can change — confirm with your provider before lights out. Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1 or any broadcaster.

Watch the Japanese GP back — highlights & replays

Missed it? Official Japanese GP highlights are posted free on the Formula 1 YouTube channel and at formula1.com/video within a few hours of the chequered flag. Full-race replays and every session on demand are available to F1 TV Pro subscribers wherever F1 TV is offered.

Free-to-air catch-up and highlights in your country:

• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Channel 4 (free-to-air highlights; live coverage of the British GP)
• 🇦🇺 Australia: Network 10 (free-to-air for the Australian GP)
• 🇧🇷 Brazil: TV Globo (free-to-air) — 15 Grands Prix live and on delay
• 🇲🇽 Mexico: Canal 5 (free-to-air for the Mexican GP)
• 🇩🇪 Germany: RTL (free-to-air for select races)
• 🇮🇹 Italy: TV8 (free-to-air for select races/highlights)

Highlights and replay availability vary by region and can change; only official Formula 1 and licensed broadcaster sources are listed. Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1 or any broadcaster.

Common questions about the Japanese GP

Add it to your calendar

One click adds the Japanese GP to your calendar with the 05:00 UTC start time already localised to wherever you are — no download, no app:

Prefer a file? Use the Add to calendar button above to download an .ics for this race with a 30-minute heads-up alarm. Want every round at once? Subscribe to the full-season calendar — one tap adds it to Google, Apple or Outlook and keeps it in sync if a session time changes.