Formula 1 heads to Suzuka Circuit this weekend for round three of the 2025 season.
Last time out in China, McLaren secured a one-two at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri the dominant driver across qualifying and the race and teammate Lando Norris coming home behind him despite a late brake issue.
Elsewhere in Shanghai, Lewis Hamilton endured a mixed weekend. The new Ferrari star won Saturday's sprint race, but was then well off the pace in Sunday's GP, finishing P6 on the road. Things got far worse post-race, however, when Hamilton was disqualified, along with teammate Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly.
Surprisingly, none of the above is the main talking point heading into this weekend, however. Since F1 cars were last on track, Red Bull have axed Liam Lawson and demoted him back to the junior team, with Yuki Tsunoda going the other way ahead of his home race.
With that said, let's get into how the weather forecast is currently looking ahead to this weekend's action.
Japanese Grand Prix weather forecast
Saturday, April 5: FP3 & Qualifying
FP3 starts at 11:30 am (local time), and will take place in thick cloud conditions, which will be a relief for drivers after the dry, sunny spells that caused grass fires to break out during Friday's FP2 running. The chance of rain will be at zero percent, but cloud cover will continue to increase as the day progresses.
The crucial qualifying session begins at 3 pm, when temperatures will reach around 15 degrees Celsius. The possibility of rain will stay at zero percent for qualifying, but this will increase as the evening draws into five percent.
Sunday, April 6: Race
Lights out for the Japanese Grand Prix is at 2 pm (local time), but despite being regarded as the hottest day of the weekend at around 18 degrees Celsius, it could also be the wettest with rain forecast on Sunday, most likely in bursts of showers.
The morning is expected to be very wet, potentially leading to a wet track for the start of the race, and then as the race goes on, more rain could hit the circuit, with a 40 percent chance of precipitation forecast for much of the race.