Race Start
Sunday, March 29 at 1:00 AM EDT
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Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
Round 3 of 22 · Suzuka Circuit · March 27–29, 2026
Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
| Session | Eastern | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Thu, Mar 26, 10:30 PM EDT | Thu, Mar 26, 9:30 PM CDT | Thu, Mar 26, 8:30 PM MDT | Thu, Mar 26, 7:30 PM PDT |
| Practice 2 | Fri, Mar 27, 2:00 AM EDT | Fri, Mar 27, 1:00 AM CDT | Fri, Mar 27, 12:00 AM MDT | Thu, Mar 26, 11:00 PM PDT |
| Practice 3 | Fri, Mar 27, 10:30 PM EDT | Fri, Mar 27, 9:30 PM CDT | Fri, Mar 27, 8:30 PM MDT | Fri, Mar 27, 7:30 PM PDT |
| Qualifying | Sat, Mar 28, 2:00 AM EDT | Sat, Mar 28, 1:00 AM CDT | Sat, Mar 28, 12:00 AM MDT | Fri, Mar 27, 11:00 PM PDT |
| Race | Sun, Mar 29, 1:00 AM EDT | Sun, Mar 29, 12:00 AM CDT | Sat, Mar 28, 11:00 PM MDT | Sat, Mar 28, 10:00 PM PDT |
Suzuka is the drivers' favorite for a reason: the only figure-eight circuit on the calendar, with the relentless S-Curves of sector one demanding a rhythm no other track does. It is the truest test of aerodynamic efficiency on the calendar, which makes the 2026 edition fascinating — the new regulations' active aero will be stressed nowhere harder than through 130R and the Esses.
Suzuka was designed in 1962 by Dutch engineer John Hugenholtz as a Honda test track, and it remains the only figure-eight circuit in Formula 1 — the back straight crosses over the first sector on a bridge. The first-sector S-Curves are the section drivers talk about all year: five linked direction changes taken at speeds that leave no room to reset, where a tenth lost at the first apex compounds through every one that follows.
The rest of the lap is just as demanding: the Degner curves arrive blind and punish a wide exit with gravel, the Spoon curve tightens deceptively, and 130R — a left-hander taken at over 300 km/h — remains one of the great tests of commitment in motorsport. Overtaking is hardest here of almost any permanent circuit, which puts enormous weight on Saturday qualifying and makes tire-offset strategies the main route past a rival on Sunday.
Suzuka joined the calendar in 1987 and immediately became the sport's title-decider: because Japan traditionally sat near the end of the season, more world championships were settled here than anywhere else, including the infamous Senna-Prost collisions of 1989 and 1990. The passionate, encyclopedically informed Japanese crowd — famous for handmade tributes to every driver on the grid — makes it one of the sport's most beloved stops.
Suzuka is the last of the early-season overnighters for US fans — the race starts Saturday night/early Sunday morning in US time zones. After this weekend the calendar swings toward the Americas and Europe and the viewing times get dramatically easier. Qualifying at Suzuka is appointment viewing: a single lap here is the best showcase of car and driver all season.
This is the last overnight race until the Asian rounds return in the fall, so the sleep math gets easier from here. Suzuka rewards the committed viewer: watch qualifying live if you can (Saturday morning US Eastern time falls on Friday night Pacific), because a single flying lap through the S-Curves is the purest demonstration of what a Formula 1 car can do.
The race starts Sunday, March 29 at 1:00 AM EDT. That's 12:00 AM CDT Central, 11:00 PM MDT Mountain, and 10:00 PM PDT Pacific.
No, it uses the standard format: three practice sessions, qualifying (Saturday, March 28 at 2:00 AM EDT), and the Grand Prix.
53 laps of the 5.807 km Suzuka Circuit, a race distance of about 308 km.
It's the only figure-eight track on the calendar — the back straight passes over the first sector on a bridge — and its first-sector S-Curves are widely rated by drivers as the most demanding sequence of corners in Formula 1.
New to Formula 1 or planning your viewing weekend? Read our guides to watching F1 in the US, how a race weekend works, and why F1 start times vary.