F1 starting grid: What is the grid order for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix?

Thomas Maher 05 Apr 2025 8:38 AM

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen will lead the F1 starting grid for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, having taken an unlikely pole position.

Who will start where for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix? Let’s take a look at the full F1 starting grid for Sunday’s race at Suzuka.

Max Verstappen took pole position for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, with 2024 title rival Lando Norris alongside him on the front row.

F1 starting grid: Grid order for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix

With qualifying seemingly set to be an intra-McLaren battle for the pole position, Max Verstappen showed up to throw a spanner in the works for the Woking-based squad as he claimed his fourth pole position around the Japanese circuit.

The Dutch driver went right to the limit of his RB21 to pip Norris by just 0.012 seconds and less than half a tenth clear of Oscar Piastri.

With Verstappen chasing his fourth consecutive win at Suzuka, the reigning World Champion faces a stern challenge from both McLarens who, in theory, appear to have the quicker car.

F1 2025: Head-to-head battles

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Behind the leading trio, Charles Leclerc came out on top in the Ferrari battle to claim fourth, with Lewis Hamilton in eighth.

The duo were split by Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth, respectively, with Isack Hadjar in seventh for Racing Bulls.

Further down the order, Liam Lawson made it into Q2 for the first time this year and ended up in 14th, outqualifying the man who just took his Red Bull seat as Yuki Tsunoda wound up 15th after a subdued qualifying.

A blocking incident between Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton was investigated after the session, which resulted in a three-place grid penalty for Sainz. He will start the race from 15th, having qualified 12th, with Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda all moving up a place.