Qualifying for the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix concluded at Suzuka on the afternoon of 6 April Beijing time. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took pole with a 1:28.197, making it four consecutive poles at the start of the season. Team-mate Sergio Pérez was only 0.066 seconds behind in second, securing a Red Bull front-row lockout. RB’s home driver Yuki Tsunoda reached Q3 for the third race in succession and finished tenth.
The battle for pole was between the Red Bulls. Pérez produced an excellent lap but narrowly lost out to his team-mate. Lando Norris was third, less than three tenths behind pole. The fight for fourth was particularly close, with roughly a tenth covering fourth to eighth. Carlos Sainz beat his experienced compatriot Fernando Alonso by just 0.004 seconds to take fourth and a place on the second row. Oscar Piastri was sixth, with Lewis Hamilton seventh, only 0.006 seconds behind him.
Like Tsunoda, Charles Leclerc had used two sets of soft tyres in Q1 and had only one fresh set left for Q3. He began his final flying lap early, out of sync with the other nine cars, and ultimately finished eighth, 0.104 seconds behind team-mate Sainz. George Russell was ninth, around four tenths ahead of Tsunoda but also about two tenths behind the car in front.
The five cars eliminated in Q1 came from five different teams. Alonso, who only began using the upgraded car on the second day, progressed comfortably in second, while Lance Stroll, in the same specification, was 0.770 seconds slower and went out in 16th. Valtteri Bottas was eighth in Q1, but Zhou Guanyu, who complained of the car sliding badly everywhere, was 0.541 seconds behind his team-mate and qualified last. Pierre Gasly struggled on the exits of slow corners and was 17th, suffering a fourth consecutive Q1 elimination at the start of the season. His team-mate Esteban Ocon, helped by a weight-reduction upgrade, produced an impressive 13th in Q1. Daniel Ricciardo was tenth in that segment, 0.048 seconds ahead of Tsunoda, beating his team-mate for the first time that weekend.
In Q2, seven cars used fresh tyres for their first timed runs, and progression to Q3 was also possible using just one set. Tsunoda beat Ricciardo by 0.055 seconds and Nico Hülkenberg by 0.077 seconds to secure a third consecutive Q3 appearance. Alexander Albon, who made only one timed run, was 14th, with Ocon 15th. As in Q1, Verstappen needed only one set of soft tyres to top the session.
| Position | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:28.866 | 1:28.740 | 1:28.197 | 12 |
| 2 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:29.303 | 1:28.752 | 1:28.263 | 12 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:29.536 | 1:28.940 | 1:28.489 | 13 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:29.513 | 1:29.099 | 1:28.682 | 12 |
| 5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:29.254 | 1:29.082 | 1:28.686 | 12 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:29.425 | 1:29.148 | 1:28.760 | 12 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:29.661 | 1:28.887 | 1:28.766 | 15 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.338 | 1:29.196 | 1:28.786 | 12 |
| 9 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.799 | 1:29.140 | 1:29.008 | 15 |
| 10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 1:29.775 | 1:29.417 | 1:29.413 | 18 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 1:29.727 | 1:29.472 | – | 12 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:29.821 | 1:29.494 | – | 12 |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | 1:29.602 | 1:29.593 | – | 12 |
| 14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:29.963 | 1:29.714 | – | 9 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:29.811 | 1:29.816 | – | 12 |
| 16 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:30.024 | – | – | 6 |
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:30.119 | – | – | 6 |
| 18 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:30.131 | – | – | 9 |
| 19 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:30.139 | – | – | 6 |
| 20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | 1:30.143 | – | – | 6 |
