Why didn’t the Japan Grand Prix start at its intended time?

• The Japanese Grand Prix didn’t start on time.
• Delayed by 10 minutes to repair barrier damage from an earlier event.
• Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc topped the results.

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The Japan Grand Prix was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time, but was delayed by 10 minutes, which made many question the reason behind it. It was revealed that the audience, drivers, and teams had to wait a slight bit for the lights to go out because of an earlier support event.

Now that the Japanese Grand Prix ended on a high note for a few drivers and a disappointment for some, the race will now head directly to Miami in May.

This is because the F1 calendar has now removed two races, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, due to the ongoing US-Israel and Iran conflict, which has heightened tensions in the Middle East. The next round is scheduled from May 1 to May 3, 2026.

Reason for the Japanese Grand Prix delay

The live audience and people watching from across the world via broadcast were kept waiting as the Japanese Grand Prix was postponed by a few minutes. The reason behind the delay was that the circuit team was working to repair the barriers that were damaged during a support event earlier.

The FIA came to know that the team on the circuit would require additional time to make things right on the circuit, 45 minutes before the grand prix was about to begin. Therefore, a delay occurred, but thankfully, it wasn’t for an hour or so, but just 10 minutes. The formation lap began at 2:10 pm.

An FIA spokesperson released a statement, confirming the cause of the delay. They said, “Start of formation lap will be delayed due to barrier repairs ongoing at Turn 12 after an incident in a support category. We will provide further updates on a new start time for the formation lap. Pit lane open timing for reconnaissance laps will also be delayed.”

Following the formation lap, the lights officially went off, with Turn 1 eventually proving to be quite interesting. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who failed to start the last two races, was able to snatch away the lead from Kimi Antonelli, becoming the race leader.

It also witnessed a massive alteration in the initial grid, with drivers like Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris also managing to put their cars ahead for the potential podium chances.

Results of the Japanese Grand Prix 2026

Pos	Driver	Team	Status	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	Finished	25
2	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	Finished	18
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	Finished	15
4	George Russell	Mercedes	Finished	12
5	Lando Norris	McLaren	Finished	10
6	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	Finished	8
7	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	Finished	6
8	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Finished	4
9	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	Finished	2
10	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	Finished	1
11	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	Finished	0
12	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	Finished	0
13	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	Finished	0
14	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	Finished	0
15	Carlos Sainz	Williams	Finished	0
16	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	Finished	0
17	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	Finished	0
18	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+1 Lap	0
19	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+1 Lap	0
20	Alexander Albon	Williams	+2 Laps	0
NC	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	DNF	0
NC	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	DNF	0