F1 2024 Japan Grand Prix LIVE: FP3 results, qualifying start time ...

1) Max Verstappen - 1:28:197

2) Sergio Perez - +0.066

3) Lando Norris - +0.292

4) Carlos Sainz - +0.485

5) Fernando Alonso - +0.489

6) Oscar Piastri - +0.663

7) Lewis Hamilton - +0.669

8) Charles Leclerc - +0.689

9) George Russell - +0.811

10) Yuki Tsunoda +1.216

“It’s one of those sessions where you get it once in a season, it’s not a good feeling. We can always improve like every qualifying - if I rely on the feeling at the end of the lap, it’s a good lap but then you look at the board. I’ve tried many different things today but it didn’t work, I don’t have the answer.

“On a track like this, qualifying position is extremely important. We didn’t do a good job.

“From Q1 to Q3, it wasn’t a strong session. We’ve got to look into it.

“Race-pace looks strong, I hope we have the opportunity to overtake. It’s going to be difficult to overtake, I’ll do my best and see.”

“It was quite close at the end. When you want to go to the limit, it doesn’t always work out - most important to be on pole. Overall, a very good day. Tomorrow is what counts.

“It’s great as a team to be P1 and P2, hopefully we can keep that going.”

“We hooked it in all together but unfortunately just not enough.

“We’ve been really close all weekend, when you’re in that little margins, everything can make a difference. We are in a good position for tomorrow.”

“We’ve had a good car all weekend, we’re trying to catch up to the two Red Bulls. The team is doing a good job, the hard work is paying off slowly.

“Today is a good start, but we go to tomorrow.”

It was close... but Max Verstappen has done it! A 1:28:197 puts him 0.066 secs quicker than team-mate Sergio Perez, who put in a decent lap!

Lando Norris stays third, two-tenths off, with Carlos Sainz fourth and Fernando Alonso fifth.

6-10: Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Russell, Tsunoda

Where did Mercedes’ pace go?

And he went quickest in sector two! But only P7 at best for the Ferrari!

“That’s the best I can do. Honestly, I don’t get it!”

3:00 to go. Can anyone catch Max Verstappen’s pole-setting time?

Bono: “That’s half-a-second to Verstappen.”

Hamilton: “Where’s that half-a-second man?”

The head scratching continues at Mercedes...

“I don’t know what to do to go faster mate, I thought it was a good lap.”

P7 at the moment. A tenth to P4.