F1 Japanese Grand Prix delayed after huge crash

Japanese Grand Prix

F1 Japanese Grand Prix delayed after huge crash

The Japanese Grand Prix faced a delayed start

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 29 March 2026 06:45 Updated: 07:04

The start of the F1 Japanese Grand Prix has been delayed, following a huge crash in a support series earlier in the day.

It was revealed on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast that the start of the grand prix - which was due to start at 2pm local time - had been pushed back by 10 minutes, following 'damage at the barrier from one of the support races'.

The Porsche Carrera Cup race took place a few hours before the F1 grand prix, but saw a huge crash which flipped a car over the fence at the Suzuka International Circuit. Thankfully, there have been no injuries reported, but the damage to the barriers and fences at turn 12 meant that the F1 race's start time had to be pushed back to 2:10pm JST.

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The 10-minute delay may just bring in a bigger threat of rain, with the weather forecast in Suzuka predicting a 25 per cent chance of precipitation from 3pm, increasing as the race goes on.

Italian youngster Kimi Antonelli was starting the race from pole position after outclassing team-mate George Russell during qualifying on Saturday, and he was looking to make it back-to-back victories.

What time is the Japanese Grand Prix on?

Viewers in the UK will now have 10 minutes longer in bed, with the formation lap now getting underway at 6:10am BST.

This race is the third in a row that has been an early start for UK viewers, following the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

But it is also the final race before a five-week break in the season, caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix due to the war in the Middle East.

The Japanese GP this weekend is on the final weekend in March, the first time in the history of the iconic track that it has hosted an F1 race in the month having previously been held very late on in the season since its debut in 1987.

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F1 Japanese Grand Prix