The Japanese Grand Prix is the third race in the F1 season, and at this point the driver’s and constructor’s championships are still wide open.
This season has featured a major overhaul with smaller, lighter and more agile cars across the grid. Power units are shifting to a 50/50 petrol to electric split and now running on 100% sustainable fuel. Teams are still figuring out how to create an advantage in this new environment to varying degrees of success, and the Japanese Grand Prix is the next opportunity for drivers and constructors to stake their claim.
You can catch all the action Sunday, March 29 at 1:00 a.m. ET as the top F1 drivers in the world head to Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka City, Japan to race and climb the league rankings.
Japanese Grand Prix Information
Date & Time: Sunday, Mar 29, at 1:00 a.m. ET
Racetrack: Suzuka Circuit
Location: Ino, Suzuka City
Laps/Distance: 53 laps, 191 miles
How to Watch: Apple TV
You can watch F1 races all season long on Apple TV with DIRECTV.
How to Watch the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix in the United States
The Japanese Grand Prix will air on Apple TV. Coverage starts Thursday, March 26 with the first practice. Qualifying is on March 28 and the race will be held March 29.
You can watch Apple TV right from your DIRECTV subscription.
Drivers to watch in the Japanese Grand Prix
George Russell, Mercedes
Russell enters the Japanese Grand Prix first in the driver’s standings finishing second in the Chinese Grand Prix and winning the Australian Grand Prix. The 28-year-old is still emerging from the shadow of Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes, but he’s off to a strong start and remains among the favorites to win the driver’s championship this season.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
The 19-year-old Antonelli is second in the F1 standings, also driving for Mercedes. He secured his first career win in the Chinese Grand Prix in just his second season on the circuit, and he’s been one of the most exciting and electrifying new faces on grid since his debut in 2025. Mercedes pairing of Russell and Antonelli has kept the team firmly at the top of the constructor’s standings so far.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Leclerc finished third in the Australian Grand Prix and fourth in the Chinese Grand Prix to hold on to third in the F1 standings. Leclerc finished fifth in last year’s F1 driver’s standing after finishing a career best third in 2024. One of the best, highest-paid and most recognizable drivers, he is looking to climb back into the highest ranks of the F1 world this season.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Hamilton, widely considered one of, if not the best F1 drivers of all time, is off to a strong start with Ferrari after a lackluster 2025 season showing. He finished third in the Chinese Grand Prix and fourth in the Australian Grand Prix. Ferrari has gotten off to a strong start but has been bested by Mercedes at every turn, resulting in some exciting battles on the track. Hamilton is a five-time champion at Japan, with his most recent win there coming in 2018.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Verstappen has gotten off to the slowest start of his career this season, finishing sixth at the Australian Grand Prix and not finishing in the Chinese Grand Prix at all. Verstappen has won the Japanese Grand Prix four consecutive times, but the new 2026 F1 rules seem to have slowed down the Red Bull squad, and their star driver has been very vocal about his displeasure over the changes. If ever there was a time for Verstappen to turn things around, it would be at a track that he knows and loves like Suzuka.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Norris won the Formula One driver’s championship in 2025, his first career title. He is in the thick of his title defense but still winless in 2026 after vehicle engineering and reliability problems have plagued the Papaya duo since the very first lap.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Piastri, who was neck-and-neck in a three-way race with Norris and Verstappen for the driver’s championship at the end of last season, has had an even rougher go than his teammate Norris this season: He hasn’t even started a single race due to a crash, and then electrical issues with his car. But when he’s on the track, he’s just as talented and dangerous as any of the above drivers and definitely one to watch.
Who is Predicted to Win the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix?
The betting favorites for the Japanese Grand Prix are:
- George Russell
- Kimi Antonelli
- Lewis Hamilton
- Charles Leclerc
- Oscar Piastri
- Max Verstappen
2026 Japanese Grand Prix Schedule
Here’s the full weekend TV schedule for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix on Apple TV, so you can make sure you don’t miss a single lap on the iconic Suzuka Circuit.
2026 Japanese Grand Prix Broadcast Schedule
| Date | Event | Time | TV |
| March 26 | Practice 1 | 10:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. | Apple TV |
| March 27 | Practice 2 | 2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. | Apple TV |
| March 27 | Practice 3 | 10:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. | Apple TV |
| March 28 | Qualifying | 2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. | Apple TV |
| March 29 | Japanese Grand Prix | 1:00 a.m. | Apple TV |
Japanese Grand Prix History & Racetrack Specs
The Japanese Grand Prix is entering its 63rd season and its 51st running. Long held at the end of the F1 season, it had a history of deciding driver’s and constructor’s championships until more recently being moved to the earlier part of the calendar.
The race is hosted at the Suzuka Circuit, which is considered one of the most exciting tracks on the F1 calendar. The circuit itself has been redesigned a number of times, including with its infamous 130 R turn, which had to be redesigned to a double apex section with a hairpin turn and a wider radius behind it to avoid collisions.
Watch the 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix on DIRECTV
Don’t miss a single heart-pounding lap of the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix. You can watch the race with Apple TV right from your DIRECTV subscription .
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Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix?
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen has won the last four Japanese Grand Prix races in a row.
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