F1 Qualifying Today: Japanese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and ESPN coverage

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 teammate Sergio Perez.

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The Prancing Horse 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.

His fellow countryman Yuki Tsunoda, however, stole the show, finishing a surprising P9 and even managing to pip McLaren's Lando Norris.

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 Alexander Albon.

FP2 saw a shift in the order, with a resurgent McLaren taking centre stage. Oscar Piastri laid down a blistering time to claim P1. Hamilton, seemingly having found more pace in his Mercedes, came a close second.

Ferrari's day was slightly more subdued, with Charles Leclerc a distant third, while Tsunoda and a returning Ricciardo rounded out the top five.

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 FP3 - Saturday, April 6, 2024

The final practice for the Japanese GP starts on Saturday, April 6. Find the third free practice session start times converted to your local time zone below:

Local time (Japan): 11:30am Saturday
United States (EDT): 10:30pm Friday
United States (CDT): 9:30pm Friday
United States (PDT): 7:30pm Friday
UK time: 3:30am Saturday
Central European Time (CEST): 4:30am Saturday
Australia (Melbourne): 1:30pm Saturday
South Africa: 4:30am Saturday

Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying - Saturday, April 6, 2024

Local time (Japan): 3pm Saturday
United States (EDT): 2am Saturday
United States (CDT): 1am Saturday
United States (PDT): 11pm Friday
UK time: 7am Saturday
Central European Time (CEST): 8am Saturday
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 States: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
United Kingdom: Sky Sports
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.

READ MORE: American F1 star misses practice session after heavy crash

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