Well done, Alex. It's a good result. Two more points to add to our tally and we've got another two races that will be strong for us. Well done. I think that's all we had today.

PIT: OK, that's the flag. P9. ALEX: OK. Yep. PIT: Well done. I wouldn't say it looked the easiest one to drive, but well done. ALEX: Yeah, it got better at the end, for sure.

Another top-10 finish for Alex in 2025

Starting the final lap.

Alex is nearly there for more points. He's closed in on Hadjar, but there are 3.6s between the two cars. It looks like P9 for Albono.

Alex enjoyed a flurry of overtakes after his pit stop

There are 10 laps to go. Alex is P9, 5s away from Hadjar and 5s in front of Bearman.

Tyres are stable. Surface temps are OK. Gap behind at 4.6. There'll be 14 laps to go.

Alex is back to P9 now all the pit stops have concluded. He's 4.6 away from Hadjar, and 4.1s ahead of Bearman as the laps tick by.

Another overtake for Albono! This time on Lawson, who had let Hadjar through, with Alex outbraking the Racing Bull into the final chicane.

Sainz jumps out of Alex's way as the two Williams cars' races merge. Alex is P10, 1.9s away from Hadjar.

Alex makes it another pass at the same place, going to the outside of Ocon at Turn 1 for P11 after using DRS.

Alex eases by Bortoleto with DRS down the start/finish straight. Ocon is now the car ahead in P11.

A mixture of strategies out there sees Alex return to the track in P13. He's behind Bortoleto, who is still to pit, and 4s in front of Bearman.

Alex boxes after Verstappen passes the FW47. He's back on track with Hard tyres.

Alex is now P4 as the leaders pit. He's just ahead of Verstappen, who emerges 2s behind from his pit stop.

Russell pits for Hard rubber and Alex now sits in P8.

A couple of drivers have pitted as the laps tick on. Alex continues on his Mediums, now 1.9s away from P8.

Field spread is seeing gaps throughout the 20 cars. Alex has extending a gap to Bearman, but he's keeping relatively a close 1.4s to Hadjar.

These shifts are so bad. What have we done to them? It's been **** at the start, it's been **** now.

Alex battles off the Haas into Turn 1

PIT: You're much stronger than Hadjar in Sector 1, but a bit weaker in 11 and 13, 14. ALEX: Yes, I know. Can't do anything about that.

Hadjar is ahead now as Hamilton passes the Racing Bull. Alex is 0.6s away from P8, with Bearman 0.9s behind.

Plan A plus two currently.

Alex is within DRS range of Hamilton ahead, with Bearman keeping close behind as the race settles into a flow.

Alex fights off Bearman and sticks close to Hamilton ahead in the opening corners and stays in P9.

Alex, like most of the grid, is on the yellow-ringed Pirelli. Hamilton ahead is on Hards, with the bottom four cars the only others not starting on Mediums.

The official FIA notification tells us that the "Risk of rain for F1 race is 20%"

PIT: Radio check Alex. ALEX: Copy. PIT: OK, just to inform you, where the start lights are, the information box on the left of it isn't working. PIT: The one that puts up aborted start, extra formation numbers on that, that's not working.

We're getting closer to lights out. Alex has jumped into his car and is getting strapped in.

Alex stands for the Japanese National Anthem.

Alex was chatting to Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso on the driver parade this morning

Lots of smiles and laughs this morning from Alex meeting his supporters

Welcome to the Japanese Grand Prix where Alex will look to take another haul of points from a P9 start. Lights out is in an hour at a wet Suzuka Circuit. Stay tuned to see how Albono gets on in Japan.

Quali 🏁

Nice job, agonisingly close to two or three cars ahead, well done.

That's a good lap, Alex. We've got a good car for tomorrow as well. Well done.

Well done, everyone. That was a good change-up. The last run, honestly, the car felt so different.

So close to HAM in P8, but it's comfortably his best Quali result for Williams in Japan. A good place to push tomorrow...

Go push.

Alex has left the pit lane, fresh soft tyres fitted. Here. We. Go. Come on, Albono!

Quali Action 📸

Yeah, let's go all in.

That's not bad on a used tyre, he's P9 after the opening run...

Go push.

Used soft tyres fitted for this first Q3 run, he's just left the pit lane..

He doesn't need it! Alex's first push is good enough for P10 – he keeps the Q3 streak going!

Alex returns to the circuit with fresh softs, no flap adjustment. He's winding up for a final Q2 push...

Go in from here, but keep pushing. This will be a live stop. Box box.

Go switch to go out... go push.

Used soft tyres fitted for Alex as he winds up for another Q2 push lap...

We guess Albono's lap was too lit, right? Sorry, we'll show ourselves out. Session getting back underway shortly...

If this is your first session this weekend, it might be a surprise to hear that there's some grass on fire. If you've been with us across the weekend, it's nothing new... The clock is stopped with 8:26 remaining.

Come on!

That's P5 on his first push, a 1:27.783 on the board...

Go push.

Clutch engaged, covers off, Alex has rolled out of the garage on fresh softs...

First cars heading out for the second phase...

Moving on to Q2 in P11 - nice work! Make sure you've claimed your Japan stamp above before the next phase...

His Q1 work is done, we wait to see if it's enough...

He shaves plenty of time off of his last best, putting a 1:28.218 on the board - he's P5 with more final runs to come...

Go push.

A fresh set of boots bolted on to his FW47, Alex is winding up for one final Q1 push lap...

Alex returns to the garage, via a visit to the weighbridge. He's P7 for now...

Solid first push puts him in P4 for now... half the grid still to set times.

Alex rolls out with some fresh soft tyres fitted...

Let's go, Albono! Quali is underway...

It's almost Quali time! If you're just waking up in Europe, welcome along to our coverage from Suzuka...

https://boards.4chan.org/gif/thread/28697133

Lapped: Japan Edition!

We put Alex's Japanese GP knowledge to the test in the latest episode of Lapped. How many questions can our Thai racer answer successfully?

FP3 🏁

And that is that – time to crunch some numbers ahead of Qualifying. Alex ends the session in P7 with his 1:28.554...

Firefighter Albono is correct. Red flag is flying and he's back in the garage.

There's another fire.

It's all sector 1 and then I'm negative spiralling. I'm actually feeling really happy with the car, sector 2 and 3, but sliding too much in T3 and T4.

It's a 1:28.554 for Alex after his first soft tyre push – that's roughly 1.2s quicker than his Qualifying time here last season...

A few adjustments made, and Alex heads back out onto the circuit of the softest rubber available...

Some good data picked up, Alex is now back in the garage ahead of his final stint of FP3...

Gathering data 📸

One more push before the consecutive laps begin, it's a 1:30.159 for Albono which puts him P11...

Alex still not quite fully comfortable in the opening sector, plenty of dialogue with James Urwin over the radio. He comes in for a flap adjust before starting some consecutive laps...

Insane understeer. Like the car is so different. But I don't know if it's the tyres. It's sector 1 mostly. PIT to ALEX We'll just see what comes in the next lap.

First timed lap of the weekend on the board...

Go push.

Track clear, it's straight back to work for Alex...

Back to the pits, there's grass on fire trackside again.

Alex rolls out of the garage on medium tyres for his opening FP3 stint...

FP3 is underway here in Suzuka...

After a disrupted FP2, this could well be a busy session out on track...

FP3 will kick off today's on-track action in around 30 minutes. Alex needs to use the session to get in his groove with Quali coming up this afternoon.

Alex spent time signing his autograph this Saturday morning

That's Day 1 in the books! Didn't see too much long running in FP2 meaning tomorrow's FP3 will be even more crucial...

Four red flags interrupt the flow of FP2 as Alex finishes once again in P11

And that will be that as incredibly a fourth red flag is raised. Albono begun another push lap but was forced to stop as grassfire paused proceedings once more.

Alex finally manages to get another push lap in and jumps up into P10 with a time of 1:29.023...

Alex finds himself at the end of the pit lane for the resumption of this session...

Another red flag pauses FP2 as the trackside grass has caught alight

Just 15 minutes left on the clock as Albono gets back on the track during this hugely interrupted FP2

Another red flag is raised and practice is paused once more as Fernando Alonso finds himself in the gravel

"Go push!"

Alex has traded his white hards in for the red softs as FP2 is back underway

Jack Doohan spins off at the first corner and crashes into the wall meaning the red flag is raised. Doohan insists he is okay after the crash but the race will be paused for now

Alex's first push lap sees him in P7

Alex changes up his strategy for FP2 and puts the white hard tyres to use...

FP2 is underway!

Ready for FP2 📸

We'll be back again for coverage of FP2. If you haven't already, don't forget to claim your stamp...

First hour in the books! Alex tests out the medium and soft tyres with two hours of practice still to go as he finishes FP1 in P11!

Alex finishes FP1 in P11!

"There'll be four laps until the flag"

Albono comes out of the pits and is back on used yellow mediums...

Time to reset!

Alex takes the hairpin with too much speed and finds himself in the gravel...

It's a 1:29.633 for Alex to put him P5...

And into the 1:29s, a 1:29.976 to be precise. Alex returns to the garage after his opening run of the weekend...

Front wing change for Alex after his second push... Alex: 1:30.886 - P9

It's a 1:33.351 for Alex on his opening flying lap of the weekend, getting to grips with a full resurfaced opening sector...

Yellow-walled medium tyres fitted for his first stint of this FP1 hour...

Green light – the Japanese GP weekend is underway...

Final Preparations 📸

FP1 is just under half an hour away, stay tuned for full updates on Alex's progress at this iconic venue...