How To Watch The F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Mercedes' Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli (R) drives ahead of others on the first lap during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit in Suzuka, Mie prefecture, Japan on April 6, 2025. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Formula 1 heads to Suzuka this weekend for round three of the 2026 season , the Japanese Grand Prix, from March 27 to 29. Mercedes kicked off their 2026 campaign in a dominant fashion, having secured one-two finishes in both of the opening rounds.

George Russell took the win in the season opener in Melbourne , while 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli celebrated his maiden victory in China , becoming the second youngest F1 race winner in history just behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. So far Ferrari has been the only team to come close to challenging the Silver Arrows, with Charles Leclerc taking third in the opener while Lewis Hamilton finally scored his first podium finish for the Scuderia in Shanghai - and his first overall since his second-place finish for Mercedes back in 2024 in Las Vegas. Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team drivers #12 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Italy) and #63 George Russell (United Kingdom), Scuderia Ferrari HP driver #44 Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom), and Mercedes Race Engineer Peter Bonnington (United Kingdom) stand together on the top step of the podium following the race at the 2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, round 2 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, at Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China, on March 15, 2026.

(Photo by Wan Mikhail Roslan/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images As for reigning champion McLaren, it was not quite the start to the season they were hoping for. Though defending champion Lando Norris managed a fifth-place finish in Melbourne, he couldn’t make the start the following round in Shanghai due to technical problems with his MCL40 car. Oscar Piastri’s campaign has gotten off to an even more nightmarish start, having been forced to watch both races from the sidelines after crashing on his out lap to the grid in his home grand prix and failing to start the next due to similar issues to his teammate’s.

Red Bull is also having its own struggles under the new era of regulations, with their star driver Verstappen enduring the worst start to a season since 2018, scoring only eight points in the two opening rounds. In Melbourne he managed to climb from 20th all the way up to sixth place before retiring the following race in Shanghai with a car issue only 10 laps away from the checkered flag. Verstappen has not been shy in voicing his displeasure with the new regulations, calling the new way of racing “a joke.