Find out all the details for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying session, including start times and how to watch in your region.
Friday at Suzuka served up a glimpse into what could unfold in qualifying and the race itself. Red Bull looked strong, with championship leader Max Verstappen topping the timesheets in FP1 by a convincing margin over team-mate Sergio Perez.
Ferrari were hot on their heels, with Carlos Sainz just over two tenths behind Verstappen. The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton provided a glimpse of potential but ultimately finished further adrift, rounding out the top five.
Adding a touch of local flavour, Japanese youngster Ayumu Iwasa, filling in for Daniel Ricciardo in FP1 in front of his home crowd, put in a respectable performance, finishing a solid P16.
The session wasn't without its drama, though, with Williams' Logan Sargeant suffering a crash that ruled him out of FP2. This came after he missed the Australian Grand Prix weekend as the team opted to hand his car to Alex Albon.
FP2 saw a shift in the order, with a resurgent McLaren taking centre stage in a rain-hit session. Oscar Piastri laid down a blistering time to claim P1. Hamilton, seemingly having found more pace in his Mercedes, came a close second.
Before we head into the all-important qualifying session, drivers will have one last chance to fine-tune their setups in FP3, with the promise of a thrilling battle for pole position looming large.
Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying - Saturday, April 6, 2024
Local time (Japan): 3pm Saturday UK time: 7am Saturday Central European Time (CEST): 8am Saturday United States (EDT): 2am Saturday United States (CDT): 1am Saturday United States (PDT): 11pm Friday Australia (Melbourne): 5pm Saturday South Africa: 8am Saturday
How to watch the Japanese Grand Prix live on TV today
The answer depends on your location. Here's a breakdown of how to catch the action in some major countries:
United Kingdom: Sky Sports United States: ESPN, ESPN Deportes Japan: Fuji TV, DAZN Australia: Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten Netherlands: Viaplay, Viaplay Xtra Italy: Sky Italia Spain: DAZN F1 Canada: RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo Germany: Sky Deutschland France: Canal+ Belgium: RTBF, Telenet, Play Sports Mexico: Fox Sports Mexico Singapore: beIN SPORTS Hungary: M4 (MTVA Sports Channel) China: CCTV, Shanghai TV, Guangdong Television Channel, Tencent Brazil: Bandeirantes, Bandsports Austria: Servus TV, ORF Middle East & Turkey: beIN SPORTS Africa: SuperSport Latin America: ESPN
F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.