F1 Japanese Grand Prix: 5 Predictions for qualifying

With a dominating performance by Mercedes at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia, Lewis Hamilton has cemented his place at the top of the drivers' championship. The Briton leads Sebastian Vettel by 50 points, leaving a herculean task for the German to close the gap to the champion.

The Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit looks no different as the Briton was fastest in both the qualifying sessions, putting in him pole position to win the race. Moreover, Mercedes dominated this race in the past and are on the hunt for a fifth successive victory at the Suzuka Circuit.

From both the practice sessions, it is clear that Ferrari cars are slower than their Mercedes counterparts, and need a bit of luck to edge the Silver Arrows in qualifying and during the race. The same assessment could be made with the Red Bulls as well.

Without any further ado, let us look at the five possibilities that could play out in tomorrow's qualifying session.

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#5 Romain Grosjean makes it to Q3

Grosjean showed decent pace in practice

Romain Grosjean showed decent pace at the Russian Grand Prix but could not finish in the points, unlike his teammate. The Frenchman had a decent qualifying session then and made it to Q3.

With the way the practice sessions have played out, Grosjean seems to have brought the form seen in Russia to the Suzuka Circuit. The Frenchman, driving for the Haas, put in some quick laps in both the practice sessions, finishing eight in both FP1 and FP2.

If he manages to bring the same pace to qualifying, him securing a spot in Q3 wouldn't be a surprise. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen, however, could end his day after failing to get through Q2.

#4 Renault misses out on top-10

Both the Renaults were off the pace in FP1 and FP2

The team suffered a disastrous weekend at Sochi Autodrom, despite playing it cleverly with the tyre tactics. No relief looks to be insight for Renault as both Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg were way off the pace in both the practice sessions, which saw them finish no higher than the twelfth place.

In both the sessions, the Renault machines were slower Grosjean's Haas, Ocon's Force India and Ericsson's Sauber, painting the picture of a bleak qualifying session that will see them struggle to compete with the midfield, and potentially, lose the lead that they build over Haas in the constructors' championship.

#3 Estaban Ocon has a clear edge over the midfield

Esteban Ocon showed brilliant pace in both the practice sessions

Force India's Esteban Ocon was in a league of his own in both the practice sessions, finishing seventh, less than a second behind the Red Bulls. The French driver, who, so far, doesn't have an F1 seat next season, dominated his teammate, Sergio Perez, finishing almost 0.5 seconds ahead of him.

With those impressive displays, Ocon established his edge over the midfield and would be heading to tomorrow's qualifying session with supreme confidence. A repeat of what happened today will guarantee him a spot in the top-10, and could well score a decent number of points on race day.

#2 Red Bulls split the Ferrari machines

The battle between Red Bull and Ferrari could be a tight affair

Ferrari, who had a faster car for the better part of the season are trailing the Silver Arrows by at least 0.8 seconds in both the free practice sessions. The Prancing Horse's slower pace meant that the Red Bulls could give them a run for their money in the qualifying session.

Daniel Ricciardo outperformed both the Ferrari machines in FP1, while Max Verstappen posted a better lap time than Kimi Raikkonen in FP2, signalling their intent to secure a spot in the second row of the grid.

The Australian driver finished behind Raikkonen in FP2, but the gap was less than 0.02 seconds. With such fine margins, Ricciardo could produce a flying lap in qualifying and wrestle a spot away from the Italian team.

#1 Mercedes locks the front row of the grid

Mercedes could put in another dominating qualifying session

After a commanding performance at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia, the Silver Arrows are primed to repeat that performance again at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton is the quickest driver in both the qualifying sessions, while his teammate Valtteri Bottas finished second. The Briton is currently experiencing one of those weekends where he could do nothing wrong while on a flying lap, as he was at least 0.4 seconds faster than his teammate. Furthermore, he was at least 0.8 seconds faster than his German adversary Sebastian Vettel.

With this pace, Mercedes will find no challenge during qualifying and could cruise to a comfortable one-two.