F1 LIVE: Japanese Grand Prix qualifying latest

Summary

Verstappen on pole, Perez 2nd, Norris 3rd
Ricciardo and Albon out in Q2
Stroll and Magnussen out in Q1
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Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

Postpublished at 07:30 British Summer Time 6 April
Sergio Perez has collected two purple sectors so far on his first flyer and the Mexican crosses the line to throw down a marker of 1:28.752...
... which is then instantly beaten by his team-mate Max Verstappen.
The difference between the two drivers is just 0.012 seconds.
Postpublished at 07:27 British Summer Time 6 April
Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
I think Gasly is just struggling to dial in with that Alpine, but Ocon is feeling a little bit more comfortable in the car at the moment.
Postpublished at 07:26 British Summer Time 6 April
I spy two Red Bulls coming out very early on a set of softs.
Image source, Getty Images
Go! Go! Go!published at 07:25 British Summer Time 6 April
Home hero Yuki Tsunoda made it safely through to Q2. Let's go again.
Image source, Getty Images
Postpublished at 07:24 British Summer Time 6 April
One car jostling for the top spot on the timesheets, one car kicked to the kerb in the opening session. Strange old qualifying for Aston Martin at Suzuka.
It's also another day of mixed emotions over at Alpine. Pierre Gasly has been knocked out in Q1 in every grand prix weekend so far this season, but Esteban Ocon is very happy on the team radio to make it through to the second round.
Out in Q1published at 07:21 British Summer Time 6 April
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
17. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
18. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
19. Logan Sargeant (Williams)
20. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
Postpublished at 07:20 British Summer Time 6 April
Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator
Bottas with a sensational lap gets the Sauber up into eighth, that puts Stroll into 16th, Stroll out and eliminated in the Aston Martin.
Postpublished at 07:20 British Summer Time 6 April
Daniel Ricciardo briefly drops into the relegation pit but leaps out of danger and up to 12th spot.
Valtteri Bottas is next to save his skin, pushing down Lance Stroll and his Aston Martin.
The Canadian is gone!
Postpublished at 07:18 British Summer Time 6 April
Kevin Magnussen - out.
Logan Sargeant - out.
Pierre Gasly - out.
Who's next?
Postpublished at 07:18 British Summer Time 6 April
Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Sargeant was near enough matching Albon so he must have made a mistake somewhere along the line, or just struggling for pace in that final sector, so I would guess that might be it for Sargeant.
Postpublished at 07:18 British Summer Time 6 April
Charles Leclerc is on a hot lap and is aiming to haul his Ferrari away from any shock eliminations. The Ferrari driver is purple in the middle sector and goes straight up to fourth spot.
Two minutes to gopublished at 07:17 British Summer Time 6 April
The Williams of Alex Albon is sitting in 15th place but lifts his car slightly up the order to 11th spot with a 1:29.963.
The two Alpines, both Haas drivers and Zhou Guanyu are in the elimination zone with two minutes to go...
Postpublished at 07:14 British Summer Time 6 April
Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator
A great opening gambit from Fernando Alonso, the closest man to Verstappen in these early stages. Verstappen set a lap time of 1:28:8, Alonso just over three-tenths back.
Five minutes to gopublished at 07:13 British Summer Time 6 April
Only Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant are out for Williams. Everyone else is waiting until the dying moments to head back out for another run.
Danger zonepublished at 07:12 British Summer Time 6 April
16. Pierre Gasly
17. Nico Hulkenberg
18. Logan Sargeant
19. Kevin Magnussen
20. Zhou Guanyu
Postpublished at 07:11 British Summer Time 6 April
Oscar Piastri, who turns 23 years old today, was on the front row last year in his rookie season. The Australian first flyer in Q1 is good enough for fourth spot currently.
Charles Leclerc's day is getting any brighter after his disappointment in his team's planning at the end of third practice. The Monegasque driver is over a second off the pace of Max Verstappen's top toime.
Postpublished at 07:08 British Summer Time 6 April
Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator
Piastri was making his way down the pit-lane and Russell was released from his garage and so close, that Piastri really had to turn left and nearly hit the wall on the left hand side. I'm sure race control will be looking at that one as an unsafe release from the Mercedes team.
Postpublished at 07:08 British Summer Time 6 April
Soft tyres are bolted on across the field. Alex Albon, whose confidence levels in the Williams were set to "zero" in third practice, goes top with a 1:30.369, but that time is very rapidly beaten by Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton and loads of others.
Team radio - Piastripublished at 07:07 British Summer Time 6 April
"Very dangerous from Russell."
Postpublished at 07:07 British Summer Time 6 April
The line of cars waiting to get out of the pit exit has grown while Kevin Magnussen has been driving around all alone. The Haas driver has put down his 1:31.203 and has heading back into the garage.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri has spotted a bit of a naughty moment from George Russell, who tries to push his Mercedes in front of the McLaren as the cars stream out.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images