Formula One statistics for the Japanese Grand Prix

Statistics for Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit, third race of the season:

Lap distance: 5.807km. Total distance: 307.471km (53 laps)

2025 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull one minute 26.983 seconds

2025 race winner: Verstappen

Race lap record: Kimi Antonelli (Italy) Mercedes 1:30.965 (2025)

Start time: 0500 GMT (1400 local)

JAPAN

Sunday's race will be the 40th Japanese Grand Prix in world championship history and 36th at Suzuka.

The Honda-owned circuit is an old-style figure-of-eight layout, with fast corners Degner 1 and 2, Spoon and 130R, taken at 295kph. Pirelli are bringing the three hardest tyres in their range.

The track has been resurfaced from Turn Seven to 17, after Turns One to Eight were done last year.

Of current drivers, Lewis Hamilton has won five times in Japan (2007 at Fuji, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018), Verstappen four (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), Fernando Alonso twice (2006 Suzuka and 2008 Fuji) and Valtteri Bottas once (2019).

Verstappen has started on pole in the last four races in Japan and won all of them.

Ferrari last won at Suzuka with Michael Schumacher in 2004. The German won the Japanese Grand Prix a record six times, with a total of eight in the country when the Pacific Grands Prix at Aida are included.

McLaren are the most successful team in Japan with nine wins over the years but Red Bull have won most at Suzuka (eight).

In 35 races at Suzuka, the winner has come from the front row on 30 occasions and been on pole in 19. Kimi Raikkonen won from 17th on the grid in 2005 with McLaren.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri took his first F1 podium at Suzuka, a third place in 2023.

There is no Japanese race driver this year.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Mercedes' George Russell leads teammate Kimi Antonelli by four points in the championship. Russell won in Australia and the Chinese sprint, Antonelli won the Chinese GP.

Mercedes are 25 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

RACE WINS

Hamilton has a record 105 career victories from 382 starts.

Verstappen has won 71 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Schumacher on 91.

Mercedes last won the first three races of a season in 2020. They last won the first three with one-two finishes in 2019.

POLE POSITION

Hamilton has a record 104 career poles, his most recent in Hungary in 2023.

MILESTONES

Antonelli took the first grand prix win of his career in China and became the second youngest F1 race winner, after Verstappen.

(Writing by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)