Briton Lando Norris will look to extend his lead atop the Formula One driver standings on Sunday as the paddock heads to Japan for round three of the 2025 championship.
The race comes as silly season drama has struck early in the season, with Red Bull opting to swap Kiwi driver Liam Lawson for hometown hero Yuki Tsunoda. Driving in the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen is often considered to be among the most difficult jobs in sport, but Lawson was afforded just two races to show his mettle before being dropped in favour of his former junior formulae team-mate Tsunoda.
Lawson scored zero points across those two races, relative to Verstappen’s 36, though the move has been widely questioned by F1 drivers and team staff.
Verstappen has won each of the last three Grands Prix at Suzuka, though Lewis Hamilton is the most successful active driver at Suzuka, winning there on five occasions, one short of Michael Schumacher’s record of six.
Two teams will also be sporting one-off liveries for the race. Red Bull have paid homage to former engine provider Honda with an all-white livery, while Haas have opted for a sakura cherry blossom theme.
When is the Japanese Grand Prix?
Japanese Grand Prix full schedule
Here is the full weekend schedule for the Japanese Grand Prix:
- Practice 1: 3.30am BST on Friday, April 4
- Practice 2: 7am BST on Friday, April 4
- Practice 3: 3.30am BST on Saturday, April 5
- Qualifying: 7am BST on Saturday, April 5
- Race: 6am BST on Sunday, April 6
Where is the Japanese Grand Prix?
The Japanese Grand Prix will be held at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan.
How to watch the Japanese Grand Prix
TV channel: In the UK, you can watch live coverage of the entire race weekend on Sky Sports F1, with much of the event also being shown on Sky Sports Main Event.
Free-to-air highlights of the race are available on Channel 4 on Sunday afternoon.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch every session from Shanghai live online via the Sky Go app.
Japanese Grand Prix weather forecast
After the chaos of Round One in Melbourne, there is more weather drama to come as rain is forecast on race day in Japan. Fear not; there will be no dramatic deluge, but showers are forecast for the morning of the race with a slim chance of showers during, which may force some interesting strategy decisions.
Race day will be warm, though, with temperatures ranging from 11C to 18C.
To further complicate matters, there will be no wet running ahead of the race as Suzuka is set for dry, sunny conditions throughout all of free practice and qualifying. Those fans attending the race will be treated to temperatures as high as 16C and no lower than 6C.
