After a dry start to the weekend across Friday and Saturday, the weather around Suzuka closed in overnight with rain falling throughout the morning.
While that has now eased, isolated showers remain in the area, with a bank of rain approaching the venue from the southwest.
It’s likely that weather bank will see rain at the venue in the hour before the race, after which there is nothing further visible on the FIA’s official weather system beyond isolated patches of rain in the area.
That is consistent with reports which suggest a diminishing chance of precipitation later in the day.
Crucially, that chance of rain remains stable at 40 percent throughout the window the race is set to take place.
The race start, set for 14:00 local time, is likely to be damp with a threat of showers during the 53-lap encounter.
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However, given the patchy weather. conditions could also improve and a dry line could emerge.
It creates a strategic nightmare for teams, as the race is set to be the first wet running of the weekend—just as it proved to be in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen starts on pole for this afternoon’s race, with Lando Norris on the front row alongside him, and Oscar Piastri third.
Liam Lawson will line up 13th after qualifying 14th, gaining a place courtesy of a post-qualifying penalty for Carlos Sainz while Jack Doohan is set to take the start from 19th for Alpine.
The Japanese Grand Prix begins at 15:00 AEST.
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