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Swapped seats & shaky starts: What to know before Japanese Grand Prix
Formula 1 heads to Suzuka for round three at the Japanese Grand Prix from 4-6 April.
Yuki Tsunoda will drive for Red Bull at his home race after replacing Liam Lawson, who was dropped after just two grands prix. Lawson returns to Racing Bulls in a straight swap with Tsunoda.
McLaren have shown their dominance so far with two wins from two races, Oscar Piastri taking the chequered flag first in China after Lando Norris did so at the season opener in Australia.
Norris leads the drivers’ championship, eight points ahead of Max Verstappen.
Last time out, Lewis Hamilton won the sprint race but was disqualified from the main grand prix alongside Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Sunday’s race in Suzuka starts at 06:00 BST.
Commentary of the race will be available across BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
You can also listen via most smart speakers. All you need to do is say “ask BBC Sounds to play the Japanese Grand Prix”.
Make sure to download the Chequered Flag podcast, which previews and reviews every race of the season.
All times BST
Saturday, 5 April
Third practice – 03:30-04:30 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Qualifying – 07:00-08:00 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Sunday, 6 April
Race: 06:00 (BBC Radio 5 Live coverage from 05:30, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
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Horner won’t ask me to swap if leading Verstappen – Tsunoda
It is set to be sunny for practice and qualifying on Saturday, with temperatures reaching 15C, with cloud building up in the afternoon.
For Sunday’s race, the forecast is for sunshine and showers, although the risk of rain lessens the closer we get to the start at 14:00 local time (06:00 BST). The temperature could get up to 17C.
The Japanese Grand Prix was moved to April in 2024 as part of the sport’s move to group together geographically close events for sustainability reasons.
It is now grouped with Australia and China, followed by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Previously, the 53-lap race was held between September and November.
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Red Bull’s second seat dilemma – F1 Breakdown
