Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

This is a track that fans love, drivers love, it's super challenging you are rewarded for your success but you are punished for the smallest mistakes.

The first car to get an ovation from the crowd is the Haas of Kevin Magnussen, who ventures out for a mooch around the track on a set of the soft C3 tyre.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

In FP1, we would have the Ferraris but they didn't look very strong, in FP3 they were seventh Sainz, and Leclerc was down in tenth. It was the two Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in P3 and P4, we didn't really expect to see them there.

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen topped third practice ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and the Mercedes of George Russell.

The Dutchman has been on pole position at every race so far this season and has taken the front-row spot at the past two Japanese Grands Prix.

Q1 is green.

Ian Fergusson
BBC weather forecaster

Air temperature is 17.8C and the track 28C. A fairly light wind from the southeast; gusts to 13mph in past hour. Overcast under extensive higher cloud but dry; FIA official risk of rain is zero.

Welcome back or come on in, folks. The skies are currently dry above the 5.807km circuit, unlike this time yesterday, when second practice was a soggy dud.

Qualifying for the best seat in the house - on the hardest tyres in the Pirelli range - starts at 07:00 BST.

Harry Benjamin, British racing driver Alice Powell and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson will be taking us through it on BBC 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this page using the audio icon.

Every team and driver is represented, in the most elaborate costumes, among the passionate fans at Suzuka.

Who will take pole position for tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix?

It doesn't really matter. They'll all get a cheer.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two in final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen was 0.269 seconds quicker than team-mate Sergio Perez, with Mercedes’ George Russell third fastest, 0.355secs off the pace.

Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton was fourth, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were surprisingly low down with seventh and 10th fastest times.

It appears as if Ferrari mistimed their runs - Leclerc was heard on the radio complaining about the team missing the ability to go for a lap at the end of the session. “What are we doing?” he said.

Norris appeared to have more potential - he set the fastest first sector time only to make a mistake and run wide at the tricky Degner Two corner and have to abort his lap.

He went again but it meant his fastest time was set when his tyres were past their best - the drivers are finding that the soft tyre has only one flying lap in it before it is past its best, and Norris would have taken a lot out of his tyres through the demanding Esses which make up the first sector of the Suzuka lap.

Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri, who also ran wide at Degner Two earlier in the session, was eighth fastest, ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg was another one to fall foul of Degner Two, managing to rescue a while moment on the kerb which could so easily have ended in an accident.

Time for us to take a quick a pit stop before the fight for pole position.

Get yourselves back here at 07:00 BST.

Live commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this page using the audio icon.

See you shortly.

11. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

13. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

14. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

15. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

16. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

17. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

19. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

20. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:29.563

2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +0.269

3. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.355

4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.474

5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.519

6. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.574

7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.608

8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.663

9. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +0.778

10. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.820

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Both Ferraris were the last two drivers to actually set a lap, and actually I did think at the time, Ferrari are leaving this a little bit late. Leclerc clearly was hoping to do another lap of some sort. Not particularly happy with his team there, making it fairly clear signs of frustration.

"Honestly I don't get it, what are we doing to stay in the garage. Oh my god. We are in FP3, we have two laps, let's be on it. Come on!"

Over at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc is not in the best of moods with his pit wall, as the Monegasque driver ends the session down in 10th place and is very unhappy with his team's preparations for his qualifying runs.

Image source, Getty Images

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

Both (Haas) drivers expecting tough weekends especially with the high speed corners and the fast direction changes in Sector One, just the balance of that Haas car hasn't been quite right for either Hulkenberg or Magnussen.

Max Verstappen also had to flag up a dodgy mirror to his Red Bull team earlier in the session. The Dutchman even stuck his hand out to press down the gaffer tape to keep it in place.

"I keep losing my left mirror."

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

We are getting an inkling of what qualifying might bring us with the soft tyre being fitted to the cars running low fuel.

That purple sector for Lando Norris looked promising but the McLaren driver has to scratch that lap, as he runs wide at Turn Eight and ends up taking a combination of kerb and grass.

On his second run on the softs, the Briton clocks a 1:30.137 to go sixth on the timesheets.