Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez will once again lead the field off the starting line early Sunday morning when the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix gets underway just outside of Nagoya. The green flag drops at 1 a.m. ET and the race will air on ESPN.
Verstappen dominated once again, claiming the fastest time in all three qualifying periods. His teammate, Pérez, had to overcome a strong time by Lando Norris to claim the second spot on the front row. Norris and Australian GP champ Carlos Sainz claimed the second row.
It is no surprise Verstappen is a heavy favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. He’s installed at -600 to win the race on Sunday with Pérez following at +600. Norris and Sainz are +1300 and +2800, respectively. It’s a sizable drop from there to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at +6000.
Verstappen has won this race each of the past two seasons while also claiming pole position in each of those races. A year ago, Oscar Piastri claimed the other second row spot. Lando Norris finished second behind Verstappen on Sunday.
Here is the full starting grid for the Japanese Grand Prix.
2024 Japanese Grand Prix starting grid
| Pos | Driver | No. |
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Driver | No. |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 1 |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | 11 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 4 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | 55 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | 14 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | 81 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | 44 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | 16 |
| 9 | George Russell | 63 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | 22 |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | 3 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | 27 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | 77 |
| 14 | Alexander Albon | 23 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | 31 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | 18 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | 10 |
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | 20 |
| 19 | Logan Sargeant | 2 |
| 20 | Guanyu Zhou | 24 |