The event was the 40th running of the Japanese Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship and the 36th time it was hosted at Suzuka. Entering the weekend, George Russell led the Drivers' Championship with 51 points, four points ahead of teammate Antonelli and 17 ahead of Leclerc in third. Mercedes led the Constructors' Championship with 98 points, 31 clear of Ferrari and 80 ahead of McLaren.
Pirelli supplied the C1, C2, and C3 tyre compounds — the three hardest in their range — designated hard, medium, and soft respectively. During the first practice session, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin was replaced by Jak Crawford, fulfilling the Formula One regulation requiring teams to run a driver with no more than two Grand Prix starts in practice sessions.
Three free practice sessions were held across the Friday and Saturday of the race weekend. Russell topped the first session ahead of Antonelli and Lando Norris. Piastri led the second ahead of Antonelli and Russell. Antonelli was fastest in the third session ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Qualifying took place on 28 March 2026 at 15:00 local time; Antonelli took pole position.
The race was scheduled to start at 14:00 local time (UTC+9) but was delayed ten minutes to 14:10 following an accident in the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan support series that required barrier repairs at turn 12. The race ran for 53 laps.
At the start, Piastri and Leclerc had strong launches, moving into first and second. Both Mercedes drivers had slow starts: Russell dropped to fourth and polesitter Antonelli fell to sixth. Russell recovered to third on lap 2 by overtaking Norris and then moved to second on lap 3 by passing Leclerc, but could not catch Piastri in the lead. Antonelli worked his way back to fourth by lap 10. Max Verstappen for Red Bull Racing, who started eleventh, made a good start and was dicing with Pierre Gasly of Alpine for seventh.
Norris was the first frontrunner to pit, on lap 16; Leclerc followed one lap later. To avoid being undercut by Leclerc and to hold track position over Russell, Piastri pitted on lap 18, leaving Russell and Antonelli as the on-track leaders. Russell pitted on lap 20, handing the lead to Antonelli.
Later on lap 20, Oliver Bearman crashed his Haas at Spoon curve while racing behind Franco Colapinto's Alpine. Colapinto was deploying electrical energy earlier than Bearman, saving it for further down the straight; Bearman, deploying more electrical energy, faced an estimated speed differential of 45 km/h. He was forced onto the grass to avoid the slower car and lost control.
The safety car was deployed. Antonelli pitted under the safety car and retained the lead. Lewis Hamilton, Gasly, and Verstappen also benefited from the safety car timing, as they had not yet pitted. Hamilton lost time in the pit lane after being held for an incoming Verstappen, dropping him to fourth behind Antonelli, Piastri, and Russell on the restart.
On the restart, Antonelli got away cleanly from Piastri. Russell was overtaken by Hamilton and later by Leclerc. On lap 41, Leclerc, showing the stronger pace of the two Ferraris, overtook teammate Hamilton. Russell reclaimed the position from Hamilton on lap 42. In the final laps, Leclerc held off Russell for third, Gasly held off Verstappen for seventh, and Norris overtook Hamilton for fifth.
Antonelli won from Piastri for his second career victory. Russell, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Liam Lawson, and Esteban Ocon completed the points positions.
Antonelli's victory moved him ahead of Russell in the Drivers' Championship, making him the youngest championship leader in Formula One and Italy's first since Ascari in 1953.
The electrical energy deployment regulations came under scrutiny following Bearman's crash. The speed differential created by differing energy deployment strategies prompted the FIA to hold a review with power unit developers on 9 April. Proposed solutions included reducing the electrical energy deployment rate while increasing the amount of energy that can be harvested during "super clipping" — a state in which the battery is charged on full throttle. Further meetings on 15, 16, and 20 April involved the FIA, Formula One Management, team representatives, and power unit manufacturers. The changes were intended to be introduced for the following Miami Grand Prix.
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