After just two free practice sessions - in VT2 hardly any driving was possible due to wet conditions - qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix is upon us. Max Verstappen once again looks like the big favourite for pole position, but Ferrari was not far off Red Bull Racing so far. Who will go away with the best starting position? Follow all the action from Suzuka via our liveblog.

Ferrari looks competitive as it did in Melbourne. Carlos Sainz had to concede very little to the Red Bulls in VT1, while Charles Leclerc was actually strong in the longruns. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stressed, however, that the Italian racing stable was probably running with little fuel on board.

Mercedes was cautiously satisfied with the opening of the Formula 1 weekend in Japan, with Lewis Hamilton even calling it the best practice for the team this season. Whether the German racing stable can continue this line in qualifying will be seen in the next hour.

The second free practice, normally the most representative for Sunday's F1 race, literally and figuratively fell into the water. Due to the wet conditions, hardly any driving was done and so drivers and teams are dependent on the data from VT1 and VT3 for their settings for qualifying and the race.

Liveblog | Qualifying GP Japan