© Getty Images | Red Bull Content PoolOur Japan Weekend DebriefSee what we got up to in Suzuka...
Round3ofthe2026FIAFormulaOneWorldChampionshiphaslandedinJapan
Welcome, VCARB fans, we can’t wait to shodo you what we’ve got in store this weekend. So we won’t wait: here’s our incredible race poster, courtesy of @isob.ell.r and the VCARB Creator Platform.
That poster can mean only one thing: Round 3 of the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship has landed in Japan, home of the Suzuka Circuit and our first special livery of the year.
We cherry-picked this one specially for our fans in Japan alongside the launch of the new Red Bull Spring Edition. And how else to reveal it than with a tunnel drift sequence on the streets of Tokyo? We suppose it makes the blind ranking of livery reveal events quite straightforward…
We did mistakenly give Liam photography privileges and we’re not convinced it paid off (poor Arvid)... But still, Red Bull Tokyo Drift was a huge success, courtesy of a host of Red Bull athletes, including Mad Mike, Yuki Tsunoda and Ayumu Iwasa. Check out the experience for yourself with our newest All Access episode on YouTube. Now, shall we get onto the racing?
Suzuka is an absolute beast of a track. 18 corners, 53 laps, it’s a proper driver’s circuit, and it’s brutally unforgiving. In the first practice session, Liam and Arvid were 8th and 10th fastest, respectively, both less than a second shy of Russell’s fastest time of a 1:31.666. We were also able to get a look at our snazzy new livery in action, and it looks even better on track.
We smashed out some race runs in Free Practice 3 as we prepared for a Qualifying shootout, with the midfield battle closer than ever with these new regulations. Both Liam and Arvid sailed through Q1 and improved their lap times in Q2, with Arvid making it through to Q3 and Liam missing out by just over two tenths of a second, starting the race from P14. The margins are paper-thin in modern-day F1. Arvid went on to clock a 1:30.319 and lined up for Sunday’s race in P10.
Worship This Livery© Getty Images | Red Bull Content Pool
Speaking of Sunday’s race, let’s get into it.
Lights went out for 53 laps of racing in Suzuka. Both Arvid and Liam started on the Medium tyre in the hopes of pulling off a one-stop strategy. On the opening lap, Liam and Arvid made up two positions after excellent starts off the line. Arvid lost a couple of places to Verstappen and Ocon as the race progressed, all while Liam was working his way up the field.
Peek-A-Boo© Getty Images | Red Bull Content Pool
Arvid pitted for Hard tyres on Lap 18, and on Lap 22, the Safety Car was deployed for a crash from OllieOliver Bearman. Liam took the opportunity for a ‘cheaper’ pit stop and emerged from the pit lane in P9, where he remained until the end of the race to lock in two valuable championship points. Arvid was caught out by the Safety Car with unfortunate timing, and brought his VCARB 03 home in P14.
Having A Wheely Good Time© Getty Images | Red Bull Content Pool
Here’s how our drivers weighed in on the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix:
"I'm very pleased with today. From where we started and the doubts we had from yesterday's issues, the team did a great job rebalancing the car, which led to a strong race. The first part of the race was really tough, but we got the car into a better window during the Hard stint towards the end. We were also a bit fortunate with the Safety Car, which helped us move into the points. Without that, it would have been difficult to finish where we did, so it's good to come away with something. That's three point-scoring finishes in the last two races, which is a nice bit of momentum heading into the break. I'll spend time training and with the team to reflect on the past month before Miami, as we keep working to improve."
"The timing when the Safety Car came out is probably the thing that hurt us the most today. I was running in PlO until that point, and after that, I went down to P14. From there, we didn't really have the pace to come back through. It's a shame, but we knew before the start that it was going to be more of a defensive race instead of an offensive one. It's disappointing not to finish in the points today, but well done to the team and to Liam. There have been some things this weekend that haven't really worked in our favour, but I'll use the April break to work hard and put myself in the best possible position for Miami."
So, what’s next, VCARB fam? Well, we’ve got a month with no racing, we’re sorry to say. But we’ll be back from 1-3 May for Round 4 of the 2026 season, dropping into Vice City for the Miami Grand Prix. See you there, folks!
VCARB signing off from Japan. Sayonara.
Ka-Chow - VCARB Are Here© Getty Images | Red Bull Content Pool
