Sebastian Vettel stormed to pole early on in Q3 setting a 1:23.919, the only driver to dip into the 1:23’s.
He will be followed by his teammate, Mark Webber as Red Bull lock out the front row.
Fernando Alonso will start tomorrow’s race in P3, ahead of Jenson Button who managed to easily beat Lewis Hamilton after the 2008 world champion dropped out in Q2 after tyre temperature issues.
Felipe Massa couldn’t quite match Alonso, and hasn’t throughout the weekend so far. He was almost a second off the pace of Vettel.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-120x86.webp)
Mercedes will start in P6 and P7, Rosberg once again outpacing Schumacher.
Traffic was a major problem throughout Q1, the Albert Park circuit 1km shorter than Bahrain, meaning cars are having to bunch up before they start their flying laps.
Vitaly Petrov joined the new teams as he dropped out in Q1. Lotus once again beat Virgin, ahead of both Hispania drivers.
Qualifying Times:
| # | Driver | Team | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Q3 Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:24.744 | 1:24.096 | 1:23.919 | 19 |
| 02 | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:25.286 | 1:24.276 | 1:24.035 | 20 |
| 03 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:25.082 | 1:24.355 | 1:24.111 | 22 |
| 04 | J. Button | McLaren | 1:24.897 | 1:24.531 | 1:24.675 | 19 |
| 05 | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:25.548 | 1:25.010 | 1:24.837 | 24 |
| 06 | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:24.788 | 1:24.788 | 1:24.884 | 26 |
| 07 | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:25.351 | 1:24.871 | 1:24.927 | 24 |
| 08 | R. Barrichello | Williams | 1:25.702 | 1:25.085 | 1:25.217 | 20 |
| 09 | R. Kubica | Renault | 1:25.588 | 1:25.122 | 1:25.372 | 23 |
| 10 | A. Sutil | Force India | 1:25.504 | 1:25.046 | 1:26.036 | 24 |
| 11 | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:25.046 | 1:25.184 | – | 13 |
| 12 | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1:26.061 | 1:25.638 | – | 17 |
| 13 | V. Liuzzi | Force India | 1:26.170 | 1:25.743 | – | 19 |
| 14 | P. de la Rosa | Sauber | 1:26.089 | 1:25.747 | – | 15 |
| 15 | N. Hulkenberg | Williams | 1:25.866 | 1:25.748 | – | 17 |
| 16 | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:26.251 | 1:25.777 | – | 16 |
| 17 | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:26.095 | 1:26.089 | – | 16 |
| 18 | V. Petrov | Renault | 1:26.471 | – | – | 10 |
| 19 | H. Kovalainen | Lotus | 1:28.797 | – | – | 9 |
| 20 | J. Trulli | Lotus | 1:29.111 | – | – | 8 |
| 21 | T. Glock | Virgin | 1:29.592 | – | – | 8 |
| 22 | L. di Grassi | Virgin | 1:30.185 | – | – | 8 |
| 23 | B. Senna | Hispania | 1:30.526 | – | – | 10 |
| 24 | K. Chandhok | Hispania | 1:30.613 | – | – | 10 |
(All timing unofficial)
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-350x250.webp)
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