Mercedes
Antonelli made it back-to-back Grand Prix wins with victory in Japan, but he had to work hard at Suzuka after a poor getaway dropped him to sixth. He climbed back through the field, running second and was closing in on his team mate when Russell pitted. That handed Antonelli the lead and the next lap, the Safety Car came out which gave the Italian a cheap stop, enabling him to emerge still in the lead. It might have been lucky, but from there Antonelli was in imperious form, driving away from the field to win by nearly 14 seconds.
As for Russell, a bad getaway dropped him backwards too. He climbed back to second, but could not find a way past Piastri. Once the McLaren man pitted, Mercedes brought Russell in to avoid too much of an undercut, but the timing of the Safety Car meant he came out behind both Antonelli and Piastri. He then lost out to the Ferraris at the restart, but was able to at least pick off Hamilton before an entertaining multi-lap fight with Leclerc for the final podium spot.
Kimi Antonelli, 1st
“It feels great to get my second win! I made a bad start from pole and was kicking myself that we lost so many positions. When we were in free air on the Medium tyre though, I was able to improve my pace quite a lot. We were fortunate with the timing of the Safety Car and that put us in the lead; it made my life a lot easier! Who knows what would have happened without that, but I felt like we had the speed today to challenge for the win without it.
“This is the best way to head into this mini break in the season. I am going to enjoy the moment but use the time well to work on where I can improve. As a team, and despite winning the first three races, we know we need to keep raising our game too. We had a real battle today and we know that it’s not going to be easy to keep up this run of form. We’re looking forward to using the time ahead of Miami well and hopefully putting ourselves in a strong position once the season resumes.”
George Russell, 4th
“We’ve had a lot of bad luck this weekend and that is unfortunate as we were definitely in the fight for the win today. After a difficult start, we’d managed to get ourselves back to P2 but stopped just one lap before the safety car was deployed. That changed the complexion of the race and unfortunately, after taking the restart in P3, we lost two more positions as a result firstly of hitting the harvesting limit and then an unexpected superclip. It was pretty frustrating but that’s the way racing goes sometimes.
“It’s clear from this weekend that our competitors are beginning to optimise their cars much more now. We have enjoyed a great start to the season, but our rivals are hot on our heels as we saw today. The upcoming gap in the calendar will also give everyone a chance to develop further so we know that, once we’re back on track in Miami, we are in for a proper fight.”
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“We had an exciting race today with plenty of overtaking which hasn’t always been the case here at Suzuka. It’s a new way of racing where you have to think strategically in order to both pass and then make sure it sticks. It’s a great challenge for both the drivers and the teams and it makes the race very unpredictable.
“Sometimes you need the luck to go your way in racing and that was the case with Kimi today. He lost positions at the start but was able to get them back with a fortunately timed safety car. Whilst that was helpful to him, his pace in the second half of the race showed what he was capable of. George was on the flip side of that equation and lost out having pitted just one lap before the safety car came out. He then lost more positions, firstly on the restart as he hit the harvesting limit and was low on deployment and then secondly with an unexpected superclip. He fought hard to get back to P4, but he’s certainly had more than his share of bad luck this weekend.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
“Well done to Kimi on his second win. He had really strong pace and, whilst he benefited from the safety car to put him into the lead, he was able to comfortably control the race once he was in that position.
“Kimi’s fortune was George’s misfortune. Had we stopped George a lap later, he would have retained the lead for the restart. As it happened, he dropped to P3 and lost a further place to Lewis when he hit the harvesting limit too early in the lap and had insufficient battery for the restart. He then had another frustrating issue where a bug in the software code, triggered by a button press and a gear shift at the same time, caused the power unit to go into superclip and charge the battery which allowed Charles to pass. He battled back to P4 but it was a frustrating afternoon for George.
“Clearly there is a lot that we need to work on and understand in the next few weeks. We’ve made a great start to the season, but our competitors are closing in. Happily, we have several areas of improvement and we will make the maximum use of the gap in the calendar to develop in the places where we are not strong enough.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates on arrival in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates on arrival in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
McLaren
Getting two cars to the start was the first win for McLaren today, and they so nearly had another. Piastri was quick off the line, swooping into the lead and holding Russell at bay in the first portion of the race – even pulling away from the Mercedes at times. But he pitted before the Safety Car, and that dropped him to second when the positions shook out. Whether he would have been able to hold the Mercedes cars at bay had there been no Safety Car will forever be unknown, but it would certainly have been fun to watch.
As for Norris, he initially dropped off the pace and looked set for a quiet race, until a late burst carried him up to the back of Hamilton – and he did manage to pick off the Ferrari man after several tries to finish fifth.
Lando Norris, 5th
“A strong day for the team, with many positives. I got a great start, and we managed to show a bit more of our competitive pace, especially in clean air. I’m pleased with how we managed the tyres and that we managed to pass Lewis in the final laps. We’ve clearly made significant progress with our power unit deployment, and this track suited our car well. Second and fifth is a good result, and a sign of the hard work the team is putting in, so thanks to them. It’s a sign we’re heading in the right direction. We’ll head back to the factory now and put some work in over this extended gap in racing and focus on coming back in Miami in the best shape possible.”
Oscar Piastri, 2nd
“We go alright when we make the start! A good result today, it would have been really interesting to see what would have happened without the Safety Car. I could keep George behind and just before the stops we were actually pulling away a little bit. A shame that we never got to see what would have happened. But I think for us, at this point, to be disappointed about finishing second is a pretty good place to be. Massive thanks to the team. I think we did a really good job of executing with what we had. We clearly still need to find a bit of performance, but we took every opportunity we had today.”
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
“This was a good weekend that allows us to leave Suzuka encouraged. The speed we showed in Qualifying was confirmed in the race, and we were genuinely able to fight with Ferrari and, at times, Mercedes. Oscar delivered a superb drive after a great start with strong pace, fully deserving of his podium. Despite missing the first two Grands Prix starts, he is showing the strongest version of himself since he started to compete in Formula 1 – calm, resilient and inspirational for the whole team. Lando brought home important points despite heavily disrupted Practice sessions that meant he barely strung two consecutive laps together before the race. Our race execution, the starts, the strategy, and how we exploited the power unit, was strong.
“While we are encouraged by this result, our objective remains clear: we must improve the fundamental performance of our chassis. The characteristics of this circuit and the strong performance from our power unit played to our advantage, but we know our rivals still have an edge in cornering grip. We are aware we need a few tenths from the chassis to be able to contend for victories consistently. It is now our responsibility to provide both Oscar and Lando with a car that can consistently challenge for wins, and we are focused on bringing the necessary upgrades in the upcoming races to achieve that.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Second placed Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Second placed Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Ferrari
Leclerc got a great start in Japan, running second behind Piastri before Russell fought his way back through. He was then involved in plenty of overtakes, battling Russell, Antonelli and his own team mate at times. Hamilton wound up ahead of Leclerc thanks to pitting under the Safety Car, but lacked his team mate’s speed so Leclerc was able to battle past for the last podium spot.
While the Monegasque driver had to then work hard to keep Russell at bay, Hamilton lost out to both the Mercedes and the McLaren of Norris, dropping from third to sixth as he struggled for pace and was at a loss to understand why.
Charles Leclerc, 3rd
“We really had to work hard this time. We were a bit unlucky with the Safety Car, so I found myself having to chase the cars ahead. On the first few laps after the pit stop, I lost a few positions, but in the end stopping earlier wasn’t a big disadvantage. I had to be very careful and manage the tyres well to make it to the end.
“The race was good, I just lacked a bit of pace to catch Oscar (Piastri), but it was still a positive race, and with good energy management, I could defend the podium from George (Russell)’s attacks and bring home good points for the team.
“We will use the next weeks to review and work on taking some steps forward before we head back to track in Miami and see how things stand after the break.”
Lewis Hamilton, 6th
“It was a demanding race, and clearly not the result I wanted. My first stint went well in terms of tyre management, but I simply didn’t have the pace to compete.
The focus now is on understanding why and finding ways to improve. With a month before the next race, we’ll use the time to analyse every detail from these first three races and make sure we come back stronger.”
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal
“I think this race was good for Formula 1 and good for the championship, as it was an exciting show. There was much more overtaking than we had at this track in the past. For us, this is a third consecutive podium. It was a very strong race from Charles in his battle with Russell, keeping him behind in the closing stages. It was a clever drive, sometimes making sure the Mercedes was in front so that he could pass him going into turn 1. It was good for the team and for everyone back in the factory to see that we were able to do this. It’s a good way to go into the enforced break. We know that we have to push, we have to work to develop the car. As for Lewis, it’s clear that once you do not have overtake mode you lose pace and a train forms on track. When the gap to the car ahead is more than a second, everything becomes more difficult. We know we have a deficit in terms of straight-line performance and we will work on that over the next weeks.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Third placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Third placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mario Renzi – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Alpine
Gasly had a great start, holding on to P7 in the first section of the race and keeping a healthy margin to those behind. He pitted under the Safety car too to hold position, but soon found himself under pressure from Verstappen behind. Those two engaged in a fight for much of the second half of the race, the Dutchman briefly getting through but Gasly returning the favour, to bag more points as he made it three top 10 finishes in a row to start the year.
Colapinto had a quieter race down the order, and he was fortunate to avoid the spinning Bearman when the Haas man slid back across the track at Turn 13.
Pierre Gasly, 7th
“That was a really intense race throughout and I am very happy with P7 and score more points for the championship. It was a very good race and well managed by the team throughout. It was like having two different phases before and after the Safety Car. Based off what we have seen so far this season, the races have been quite action packed so we probably expected a Safety Car or VSC at some point. During the first part of the race we were building a nice gap to the cars behind. Then, after the Safety Car, we had to defend from Max (Verstappen) who put on a lot of pressure for 25 laps. We had to defend a lot and that is not easy against a four-time world champion, so I am glad we could hold onto the position and secure some solid points. It’s been a positive weekend for the team and we are not too far off some of the quicker teams ahead. The car has a solid baseline so we have to stay motivated and keep working hard to catch those ahead.”
Franco Colapinto, 16th
“It was a very long and frustrating race today, where we spent a lot of time staring at the rear wing of another car. We had a really good start off the line and made up a place on the opening lap, running closely with both VCARBs and within reaching distance of the points. We reacted and pitted to cover Ollie (Bearman) and managed to stay ahead. I was racing with him for a few laps and suddenly saw him slide in front of me across the grass into Spoon. Having viewed the footage afterwards, there was a big speed difference, which can be a characteristic of these cars, and I’m really glad he’s ok. The Safety Car came out after that, which was badly timed for us and meant we lost places. It’s a pity, as we were in the mix with Liam (Lawson) and others before that, and those I was fighting with at the time ended in the points. Ultimately, we need to have a stronger Saturday to put ourselves in a better position to race. Now we will use the gap in the season to work hard at Enstone and come back stronger in Miami.”
Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor
“It was another positive weekend for the team, with another strong points finish to add in the early part of the season. Also, to repeat it at a different track configuration like Suzuka, confirms the gains we made in Shanghai and shows we’re in the mix with Red Bull as the fourth quickest car currently. Pierre drove a fantastic race again and extremely well under pressure to keep Max (Verstappen) behind him for more than 25 laps. The Safety Car fell at a bad time for Franco who was running very close to the points in the opening stint. With Franco, the result on Saturday was a limiting factor and meant he was always chasing in the race. The aim should be to put himself in a better position to race more competitively in the coming races. With the short break, we absolutely won’t stand still and will be working hard at Enstone to add more performance to the car and continue to give equal opportunity to both drivers to perform and score points.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Alpine F1 A526 Mercedes leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Alpine F1 A526 Mercedes leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Red Bull
Verstappen made a great start from P11 and was running just behind his team mate in the early stages. He went past Hadjar, who did not fight the move overly hard. Verstappen then found himself blocked behind Gasly, and those two fought all race long. The Dutchman looked to have finally got past the Frenchman, only to lose out on the very next lap. Hadjar was unfortunate to have pitted before the Safety car, which cost him a few positions and he could not recover back up to the points.
Max Verstappen, 8th
“For this race I tried everything I could to get back into the points and work myself forward. I had a better start, maximised my race and recovered positions. I tried to pass the Alpine, but Pierre did a good job with no mistakes and made it unfortunately too difficult. When trying to overtake, there was no battery on the main straight; I was waiting to see if he might make a small mistake, but he did everything well and there was no way to pass by. We ultimately scored good points considering the issues that we had this weekend, but it was not really where we want to fight. Now of course we have a month to analyse everything so we can be more competitive and sort more things with the car. It will be important to work to find a bit more rhythm and understand more about the car, the engine and deployment. Everyone is working flat out and doing the best they can and there is a lot that we can do over the next few weeks.”
Isack Hadjar, 12th
“Today felt like a long race for us. I had a good start and a strong first lap, the plan was to fight with Pierre, and I was able to do that until the back straight where I lost a lot of battery. We need to improve our deployment, as we really struggled with it today. The timing of the Safety Car was also unfortunate and after that we found it hard to get back into the points. I had a good fight with the Audis but didn’t have the pace to get passed them. Everyone is working hard to understand the issues, and we now have until Miami to put ourselves in a better position.”
Laurent Mekies, Team Principal
“Today we learned a lot more about where our car’s current limitations are. It was important for us to get involved in those battles and for both Max and Isack to complete the race distance, so we could continue to gather more data. Of course, we have a lot of work to do and we now have a few weeks to try and find some fixes for those limitations. At the moment, what is important is to work on the performance gap to the guys ahead of us. There is not just one area we can pinpoint as being the cause of our difficulties and we need to work on all areas. It feels bad now, but I have full confidence in the Team. During the break, we are going to take a deep dive into our data, and take it to our simulator. We won’t have solved everything by the next race, but the Team will do the heavy lifting and get to the bottom of our difficulties.
“I have full confidence that, with everyone giving a massive push in Milton Keynes, we will make the most of the coming weeks to move forward and bring improvements to Miami.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Isack Hadjar of France driving the (6) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford battle for track position during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Isack Hadjar of France driving the (6) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford battle for track position during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Racing Bulls
Lindblad was running in the points in the early stages, but was overtaken by Verstappen with the rookie struggling with his front left. Because of that, he pitted early – and was one of a handful of drivers to then lose out when the rest stopped under the Safety Car. One of those to benefit was Lindblad’s team mate, the well-timed pit stop jumping Lawson up into the points, and he managed to hold Ocon at bay in the closing laps to finish ninth.
Liam Lawson, 9th
“I’m very pleased with today. From where we started and the doubts we had from yesterday’s issues, the team did a great job rebalancing the car, which led to a strong race. The first part of the race was really tough, but we got the car into a better window during the Hard stint towards the end. We were also a bit fortunate with the Safety Car, which helped us move into the points. Without that, it would have been difficult to finish where we did, so it’s good to come away with something. That’s three point-scoring finishes in the last two races, which is a nice bit of momentum heading into the break. I’ll spend time training and with the team to reflect on the past month before Miami, as we keep working to improve.”
Arvid Lindblad, 14th
“The timing when the Safety Car came out is probably the thing that hurt us the most today. I was running in P10 until that point, and after that, I went down to P14. From there, we didn’t really have the pace to come back through. It’s a shame, but we knew before the start that it was going to be more of a defensive race instead of an offensive one. It’s disappointing not to finish in the points today, but well done to the team and to Liam. There have been some things this weekend that haven’t really worked in our favour, but I’ll use the April break to work hard and put myself in the best possible position for Miami.”
Alan Permane, Team Principal
“It was a good result for us to finish in the points again and we feel very happy to have scored points at every race so far this year. Liam drove a superb race to fend off Esteban, although he didn’t look in danger of losing that position. The timing of the Safety Car was unfortunate for Arvid, however circumstances like that will inevitably even out over a season. His learning continues, and despite that, he drove a strong race. We’re looking forward to a break now with some good upgrades to the car planned for Miami. Liam and Arvid will do a mix of training and simulator work in preparation for the upcoming races, but importantly some well-deserved rest as well.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 03 RB Ford on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 03 RB Ford on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Haas
Ocon made a great start to run in the top 10 in the early stages. But then came a nasty crash for his team mate, Bearman running onto the grass to avoid Colapinto and spinning off into the barriers. He limped away from that one, so it was great to hear from the team that he had been released from the Medical Centre. The resultant Safety Car cost Ocon some places, but his Haas had enough speed for the Frenchman to regain them and come home to score his first point of the season.
Esteban Ocon, 10th
“First of all, I’m glad that Ollie is okay. Unfortunately, though, it has been three out of three races where the Safety Car timing has been bad for us. We had a decent start and it was going okay, then we lost to Gabi and Liam. I managed to overtake Gabi on track, but with Liam it wasn’t possible. There was a nice fight between Max and Pierre ahead, so I would’ve liked to have been part of that, however, I got stuck behind Liam, so we’ll never know if I could’ve been a part of it or not. Overall, it was a positive weekend on our side and we got the maximum out of the car in every situation. It could’ve been a few positions better, but we can’t control everything.”
Oliver Bearman, DNF
“First of all, everything is fine and I’m good. It was a scary moment out there, but everything is okay, which is the main thing. The adrenaline is wearing off a bit, so it’s going to be a long trip home, but I’m absolutely fine. The car is a bit worse for wear, but we now have a month to reset, but I can only apologize to the team because it’s a lot of work. There was a massive overspeed – around 50kph – which is a part of these new regulations, and we have to get used to it, but also I felt like I wasn’t given much space, given the huge excess speed I was carrying. We need to be a bit more lenient and a bit more prepared, as unfortunately this was the result of a massive delta speed which we’ve not seen in Formula 1 before. We have a month to reset and come back strong in Miami – that’s the goal now.”
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal
“First and foremost, it’s good that Ollie is okay. It was a big shunt and Ollie is really gutted about it. The closing speed was huge, it was close to 50kph, and it was a pretty scary moment, but I’m glad that he came out okay. Race-wise, we had a good start. Our pace wasn’t as strong, but I think in the opening laps we made some good places and Esteban raced very strongly. It’s a shame that the Safety Car happened at the wrong time for Esteban as we lost two positions, but he was able to gain one back, he just couldn’t overtake Lawson, which is a shame. I think there’s a lot that we can take from this race. It’s good that in these brand new regulations, as the smallest team, we’ve scored a point in every single race, which is really positive. We are still P4 in the championship, which is amazing, with 18 points. The competition is really tough from P4 to P7, there are only four points in it, so I think we need to maximise this time in April to look at all the things we’ve learned until now to try to refine our operations, refine the car, and understand how we can perform better every single time we go out. I’m really keen to hit the ground running in Miami. Well done to everyone so far, let’s use this time to refresh and refocus.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-26 Ferrari on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-26 Ferrari on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Audi
While Audi got both cars to the start line for a Grand Prix for the first time this season, neither of them got away well when the lights went out. Bortoleto climbed back into the top 10 after the Safety Car, but did not have the pace to keep others at bay. Hulkenberg stopped a lap later than the rest, and managed to overtake his team mate out on track but ran out of time to chase down Ocon for P10.
Nico Hulkenberg, 11th
“We had good pace and a realistic shot at scoring points, but our race was compromised by a poor start. Improving our race starts is something we need to focus on as a team over the upcoming weeks. I lost several positions on the opening lap, from P13 to P19, which made things difficult from there. Being stuck in traffic for most of the race limited our opportunities to make progress.
“These cars are still quite tricky to race with the current energy management and overtaking dynamics. Moves can be made, but you end up vulnerable immediately after, so it’s a bit of a trade-off at the moment.
“On the positive side, it was valuable to complete the race and gather a lot of data. There’s plenty for us to look at and improve, and with a month until Miami, we have time to analyse everything and come back stronger.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, 13th
“The race was quite okay overall: the Safety Car worked in our favour, as I had decided to stay out longer to avoid being stuck behind other cars on harder compounds; our pace wasn’t too bad, although I had some struggles on the straights. What mainly affected us today, unfortunately, was the start: we’ve been knowing since the first race of the season it’s something we need to work on, to try and put things back in place and not compromise the job we do on Saturday.
“Now, with almost five weeks away from racing, we’ll keep our head down and make the most out of this time to work together across our bases and improve our car in order to come back in Miami in May in a better place.”
Mattia Binotto, Head of Audi F1 Project
“The race leaves us with mixed feelings, with both positives and areas to improve. On the positive side, having both cars start the race and complete the full distance is an important step forward for the team. Reliability was strong throughout, and operationally the race was well executed, including consistent pit stops without issues.
“The pace of the car was also encouraging. We have shown that we can compete around the top ten, and Nico’s race in particular demonstrated that, fighting well through the field and making overtakes on some quick cars to finish just outside the points. It underlines the underlying potential of the package. Gabriel had a strong weekend, but today we didn’t put him in the conditions to express all his potential: he would have probably been up there on the cusp of the points with Nico, based on the good job he did yesterday and in practice.
“At the same time, there are clear areas where we need to improve. Our start performance is not yet where it needs to be, and we lost significant ground on the opening lap, which ultimately nullified the good work done yesterday and compromised the race for both drivers. More broadly, drivability and energy management remain key areas of focus. As a young package, which is what we are, we still have a lot to learn and refine.
“We now have some time ahead of us to analyse the data and continue developing the car. While we did not achieve the points we were targeting, there are solid foundations in place, and our focus is on coming back stronger in the next phase of the season.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Gabriel Bortoleto of Brazil driving the (5) Audi F1 Team R26 leads Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Audi F1 Team R26 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Gabriel Bortoleto of Brazil driving the (5) Audi F1 Team R26 leads Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Audi F1 Team R26 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Williams
Williams did not have the pace to compete in Japan, with both drivers coming home down the order. Albon used the end of the race as a test session, the Thai driver pitting for some soft tyres and some front wing tweaks as the team continued to gather data to better understand their 2026 challenger. Sainz was able to pit behind the Safety Car at least so he did not lose out to his rivals, but that was one of the few positives for Williams.
Alex Albon, 20th
“I was in traffic for the race so nothing really happened to me and it turned into a bit of a test session as we wanted to try a few things on the front wing to understand it a bit better and have some data. The car is feeling okay for what we have and the team has been working really hard to get it into a good position in these three weeks. Realistically we are achieving what we can achieve and executing our races as best as we can but we just need to get on top of some issues and get a bit more speed in the car. We have a lot of work to do but we have about five weeks now as a team so there’s a lot that we can improve and I think this is going to benefit us so that we can come back stronger in Miami.”
Carlos Sainz, 15th
“We got absolutely everything we could out of the car in the race today. Also, another solid start and good pitstop timing meant we did our best possible race, so I’m satisfied with that. The team and I are working well to understand this car and these regulations, and I feel like we’re going into this early break ready to make some real progress on the car’s performance. We have to make sure we maximise these five weeks and head into Miami in a better position for the season ahead. Last but not least, very happy that Ollie is OK after that big impact.”
James Vowles, Team Principal
“We need to maximise these next five weeks in front of us. It was a painful day today, and I want to make it a line in the sand and make sure we add performance every race going forward this year and fight back towards a point-scoring position every weekend. Well done to Carlos, it was a faultless drive and he did everything he could but that’s just where the car is today. And well done to Alex, he drove perfectly and then completed a test programme that will be invaluable for us for future learning. These next five weeks will be some of the hardest for us, purposefully so, as we dig deep and make sure that we come back with a car in Miami that is worthy of scoring points.
“On the huge accident for Ollie, I consider him a friend and I’m glad he has walked away with minor injuries. It’s a reminder to us that we need to make sure we’re not putting ourselves in this situation. He’s a great racer, I’m glad he’s ok, and I look forward to seeing him in Miami.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams arrives on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams arrives on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
Cadillac
Both Cadillac cars made it to the flag, having run different strategies at Suzuka. Bottas was the only driver to start on the hard tyres, but he pitted two laps before the Safety Car came out so could not take advantage of that moment. He was running last until Albon’s late pit stop dropped the Williams man behind the Finn. As for Perez, he brought his car home in 17th place as Cadillac continue to gain experience.
Valtteri Bottas, 19th
“Another double finish is really good for the team. I was lacking a bit of performance, which meant I struggled to challenge the Aston Martins today, so it’s something we need to look at. We tried a different strategy by starting with the Hard tyre but unfortunately it didn’t seem to work. However, throughout the whole weekend it was much cleaner with fewer issues. We’ve learned a lot that we can use to improve for the next race. We now head into this gap in the calendar after our first three races with the opportunity to analyze everything learned so far and spend more time developing the car. The mood is good in the team as we fully focus on preparations for our first home Grand Prix in Miami.”
Sergio Perez, 17th
“Today was our strongest race so far this year. We’ve made a lot of progress in a short space of time, and we can be happy to get two cars past the finish yet again. Yesterday we had some issues with the deployment and today it felt like we were on top of it. We were clearly faster than Aston Martin and we can see our pace is getting stronger. Hopefully the upgrades we bring to Miami will put us into the mix a lot more.”
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal
“Today’s result has capped off another strong weekend for us. Just three races into our debut season, we can be very proud to have achieved another two-car finish, with one car on the lead lap. Sadly for Valtteri, he wasn’t waved past the Safety Car with time to regain his place on track, which destroyed his race. I’m particularly pleased to see another significant step forward by the whole team in terms of execution and reliability. We have an upgrade package coming for Miami and I’m excited to see what that can deliver — thank you to all the teams in Indianapolis, Charlotte, Silverstone and Germany for their continued hard work. Finally, I was very relieved to see that Ollie Bearman was OK after his big impact.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Cadillac F1 Team MAC-26 Ferrari on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Cadillac F1 Team MAC-26 Ferrari on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Aston Martin
Stroll did not see the chequered flag in Japan, after a suspected water pressure issue caused him to retire midway through the race. Alonso did make it to the flag though, finishing just the one lap down. All things considered that is progress for the team at Honda’s home race. They will be pleased to have the break now though, as they set about fixing some of the issues with the car and power unit ahead of the next race in Miami.
Fernando Alonso, 18th
“Finishing the race here in Suzuka today shows clear progress for the team, and that’s a strong positive we should take from the weekend. While we didn’t have the pace, it was still enjoyable to gain valuable mileage and to race with Lance. We’ll now analyse the data across both Silverstone and Sakura and continue pushing development, so we have a better understanding heading into Miami.”
Lance Stroll, DNF
“I was enjoying the race today, even though we were not competitive and battling for the last few positions. Suzuka is always a fun track to drive so it was a shame we couldn’t make it to the end. We still need to investigate, but it looks like a water pressure issue on the ICE. I was having a fun race up until that point, defending from Fernando, but it’s clear we have a lot of things to work on and need to find a lot of speed. We know the issues we have so it’s about tackling those as quickly as we can.”
Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer
“The objective today was to complete a race distance, which we achieved with Fernando in P18. That is a significant moment for the team and our technical partner, Honda, at their home race. We have shown reliability is improving, but the water pressure issue on the ICE of Lance’s car (on lap 30) shows there is still much work to be done. It’s also clear the performance level of our package is far from where it needs to be and we must work hard to deliver improvements. I want to thank the drivers for their determination and racing spirit today.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Lance Stroll of Canada and Aston Martin F1 Team and Fernando Alonso of Spain and Aston Martin F1 Team on the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
1 / 2
SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 29: Lance Stroll of Canada and Aston Martin F1 Team and Fernando Alonso of Spain and Aston Martin F1 Team on the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 29, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Pirelli
Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director
“The quickest strategy on paper was essentially the one adopted by all the drivers in the race, with Valtteri Bottas the only driver to do something different. No team evidently considered it worthwhile to take a risk on the Soft compound, either at the start or in the final stages, despite it remaining a viable option thanks to the low degradation recorded in the preceding days. Albon’s use of the C3 was clearly not driven by strategic considerations, given the high number of pit lane visits he made. During the Grand Prix, the compounds did not restrict the cars’ race pace.
“The Safety Car triggered by Bearman’s off-track moment certainly benefited those who had not attempted the undercut, including race winner Kimi Antonelli. Without the neutralisation, we still believe that the pit stop would have taken place in the laps immediately thereafter.
Pirelli’s Japanese trip will not end today, as on Tuesday and Wednesday we have scheduled two days of testing at Suzuka for the development of next season’s dry-weather tyres. Assisting us on track, with one car each, will be the Red Bull and Racing Bulls teams.”
20
20
20