F1 Japanese GP live commentary and updates – Qualifying

We will be hearing from all the drivers shortly in the mixed zone. As always you'll be able to read the most noteworthy reactions and breaking news from Suzuka on the website.

We'll wrap it up here, see you back here tomorrow for the third race of the season. The prospect of rain. Verstappen on pole. Two McLarens hounding him. Bring it on.

The race starts at 6:00am GMT, that is 7:00am BST or 8:00 CEST. See you then!

Sainz and Hamilton are off to the stewards over the Spaniard impeding his Ferrari replacement. It was Sainz and not Albon in the Williams as we mistakenly said at the time.

I'd like to remind you rain is on the cards for tomorrow's race. Will it be another wet weather Verstappen masterclass or will Norris and Piastri use their car's intrisically superior race pace to get past him?

What do you think?

The Dutch lion roars.

Verstappen's 1m26.983s is a new track record at Suzuka.

Pedantically, it's not a lap record. That is the fastest lap set in a race. Just saying!

Norris and Piastri look stunned. Their laps were pretty good, but then Max does Max things.

Leclerc is fourth ahead of Russell and Antonelli. Hadjar beats Hamilton to seventh, a great effort by the Frenchman after that seat belt drama. 

Albon and Bearman settle for the fifth row.

Verstappen is beside himself with that magical lap, jubilant on the team radio. It really came out of nowhere, going much quicker than his previous effort. That Red Bull should not be up there.

Verstappen shades Norris by 0.012s. It is centimetres, but it is enough. Piastri is only 0.044s behind as well in third.

Russell can't do it, a poor first sector leaves him fifth!

Two minutes on the clock, one more shot. Bearman is the first across the line ahead of the two Mercs, Piastri will be the last in the queue.

Hamilton has also been fighting the oversteering Ferrari and is only sixth. Antonelli has had a poor lap and is provisional 10th.

Norris needs to find one tenth compared to his Q2 time to match Piastri. You'd think that needs to be doable, but Piastri also has another shot.

Leclerc also jumps Russell for third. It's a poor lap from Lando Norris, he is only fifth. 

All 10 cars are on track for what looks like a simple two-run approach.

It's the first hiccup for Tsunoda after going so well until this point. One poor sector and it's enough to drop out. Two tenths cover the final half of that 15-car session, it is brutal.

Norris tops Q2 - Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Lawson, Tsunoda out

Bearman's time holds. Hadjar and Albon also squeeze through to Q3!

That means we are losing Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Lawson and Tsunoda.

Great lap from Ollie Bearman though! He is provisonal eighth and looks good to stay in the top 10.

It's a pressure lap for Tsunoda, and not the greatest first sector. The rest of the lap is better, but it's not good enough for advance. He is 11th for now.

Piastri's poor lap is explained by drifting wide over the kerbs coming out of Degner 2, similar to Hulkenberg. He scooped up a bit of gravel too.

The onboard of Lando Norris' table-topping lap is a thing of beauty. That McLaren is hooked up.

At the other end Sainz, Alonso, Bearman, Tsunoda and Lawson are in the danger zone.

FIA: "Grass fire on the inside of 130R. Given there’s 8:30 left on the clock, it’s been decided to red flag the session and resume once the fire has been put out and the area watered again."

So not Esses then, my bad. The marshals are on the case.

There's a trampoline sized patch of grass on fire towards the end of the Esses.

It's actually good timing, right in between people's two Q2 runs.

Russell is second again, splitting Norris and Verstappen. Not a great lap for Piastri, half a second away. He will definitely need to go again.

We are hearing from Racing Bulls that Hadjar is struggling with his seat belts, which are causing a lot of discomfort. You could see him wince in the cockpit as he came back to  the garage.