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2026 Suzuka 1000km | Qualifying – Updated | Miedecke Ford takes pole after Craft-Bamboo loses all laps

Karishma Persad09 mins
Miedecke Motorsport takes Suzuka 1000km pole after Craft-Bamboo loses all laps after its Mercedes-AMG was found 2.5kg underweight.
Photo Credit: SRO | Gruppe C Photography
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Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC will start from pole for the 2026 Suzuka 1000km after the final Qualifying classifications dramatically changed the order established on track at Suzuka.

The #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Maxime Martin, Kakunoshin Ohta and Luca Stolz initially produced the quickest three-driver average. However, post-Qualifying scrutineering found the car 2.5kg below its 1316kg minimum weight, prompting the stewards to delete every lap it set across Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2 and Qualifying 3.

That promoted Christopher Mies, Dennis Olsen and Frédéric Vervisch’s #64 Ford Mustang GT3 EVO to first in the final combined classification with a 1:59.277 average. PONOS Racing’s #45 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo finished just 0.036 seconds behind, while the #7 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo completed the final top three.

The stewards also issued three race-grid penalties for offences committed during the Qualifying sessions. Those sanctions do not change the final Qualifying classification itself, but will affect where the relevant cars start Sunday’s six-and-a-half-hour race.

Nonaka ends 2026 Suzuka 1000km Qualifying 1 on top

PONOS Racing’s Seita Nonaka emerged as the final Qualifying 1 pace-setter with his 1:58.523 in the #45 Ferrari. Miedecke Motorsport’s Mies moved into second with a 1:59.003, while 75 Express’ Mikaël Grenier completed the top three on a 1:59.149.

Martin had originally placed the #77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG second with a 1:58.713. However, that time disappeared along with every other #77 Qualifying lap following the post-session weight infringement, leaving the car at the bottom of the final Q1 classification without a time.

Qualifying 1 also produced one of the three grid penalties directly related to Saturday’s Qualifying sessions. Herberth Motorsport’s Ralf Bohn overtook the #28 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG at Turn 14 while yellow flags were active, earning the #91 Porsche a five-place race-grid drop.

2026 Suzuka 1000km Qualifying 1 final results

The official final Q1 classification reflects the deletion of the #77 Mercedes-AMG’s laps.

  1. #45 PONOS Racing Ferrari — Seita Nonaka — Pro — 1:58.523
  2. #64 Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC Ford — Christopher Mies — Pro — 1:59.003
  3. #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG — Mikaël Grenier — Pro — 1:59.149
  4. #7 Absolute Racing Porsche — Ayhancan Güven — Pro — 1:59.390
  5. #8 AO by Absolute Racing Porsche — Alessio Picariello — Pro — 1:59.532
  6. #500 TEAM 5ZIGEN Nissan — Katsumasa Chiyo — Pro — 1:59.788
  7. #5 PLUS with BMW M Team Studie BMW — Seiji Ara — Bronze — 2:00.145
  8. #2 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Alexander Sims — Pro — 2:00.462
  9. #89 Team KRC BMW — Cun Fan Ruan — Bronze — 2:00.899
  10. #96 K-tunes Racing Lexus — Sena Sakaguchi — Pro — 2:01.020
  11. #69 Team WRT BMW — Anthony McIntosh — Bronze — 2:01.137
  12. #80 LM Corsa Ferrari — Naoki Hattori — Bronze — 2:01.326
  13. #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche — Jonathan Hui — Bronze — 2:01.466
  14. #86 High Class Racing Porsche — Li Kerong — Bronze — 2:01.741
  15. #60 LM Corsa Ferrari — Kei Nakanishi — Pro-Am — 2:02.005
  16. #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche — Ralf Bohn — Bronze — 2:02.103
  17. #555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari — Yusaku Maezawa — Bronze — 2:02.254
  18. #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG — Kevin Tse — Pro-Am — 2:02.283
  19. #10 Team KRC BMW — Brian Lee — Pro-Am — 2:02.357
  20. #81 Team Daishin Nissan — Ryuichiro Ohyagi — Bronze — 2:02.626
  21. #99 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Prince Jefri Ibrahim — Pro-Am — 2:02.628
  22. #25 Porsche Center Okazaki NK Racing Porsche — Kiyoshi Uchiyama — Bronze — 2:02.705
  23. #18 Porsche Center Okazaki Nine Racing Porsche — Hiroaki Nagai — Bronze — 2:03.155
  24. #72 Harmony Racing Ferrari — Song Jiajun — Bronze — 2:03.543
  25. #79 Tsunami RT Porsche — Johannes Zelger — Pro-Am — 2:03.673
  26. #181 Norik Racing Ferrari — NORIK — Pro-Am — 2:05.634
  27. #9 Bingo Racing with LM Corsa Porsche — Shinji Takei — Bronze — 2:05.728
  28. #61 EBM Giga Racing Porsche — Adrian D’Silva — Bronze — 2:06.235
  29. #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing — Maxime Martin — Pro — No time, all Qualifying laps deleted

Heinrich inherits 2026 Suzuka 1000km Qualifying 2 lead

The #77 Mercedes-AMG again produced the fastest lap on track in Q2, with Ohta setting a 1:58.455. It was the quickest individual time of the entire three-session Qualifying programme, but Decision 17 subsequently removed it.

As a result, AO by Absolute Racing’s Laurin Heinrich became the official Q2 leader with a 1:59.054. Team WRT’s Parker Thompson moved into second on a 1:59.125, while Olsen took third for the #64 Ford with a 1:59.218.

Q2 also produced two separate red-flag speed infringements. LM Corsa’s Shigekazu Wakisaka exceeded the prescribed 80km/h limit for 11 seconds and reached 150km/h, resulting in a three-place race-grid penalty for the #60 Ferrari.

Johor Motorsports Racing’s Scott McLaughlin also exceeded the limit aboard the #2 Corvette. The amended Decision 16 records that he exceeded 80km/h for eight seconds and reached 133km/h, resulting in a three-position race-grid drop.

The session also featured a red flag when Hibiki Taira’s #18 Porsche Center Okazaki Nine Racing Porsche stopped at Degner. The car recorded a Q2 time but did not participate in Q3.

2026 Suzuka 1000km Qualifying 2 final results

After the #77’s times were removed, Heinrich headed the final Q2 order from Thompson and Olsen.

  1. #8 AO by Absolute Racing Porsche — Laurin Heinrich — Pro — 1:59.054
  2. #69 Team WRT BMW — Parker Thompson — Bronze — 1:59.125
  3. #64 Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC Ford — Dennis Olsen — Pro — 1:59.218
  4. #89 Team KRC BMW — Maxime Oosten — Bronze — 1:59.316
  5. #7 Absolute Racing Porsche — Alessandro Ghiretti — Pro — 1:59.373
  6. #80 LM Corsa Ferrari — Ryo Ogawa — Bronze — 1:59.618
  7. #61 EBM Giga Racing Porsche — Leo Ye Hongli — Bronze — 1:59.790
  8. #25 Porsche Center Okazaki NK Racing Porsche — Tsubasa Kondo — Bronze — 1:59.834
  9. #45 PONOS Racing Ferrari — Takuro Shinohara — Pro — 2:00.074
  10. #2 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Scott McLaughlin — Pro — 2:00.075
  11. #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche — Alfred Renauer — Bronze — 2:00.112
  12. #60 LM Corsa Ferrari — Shigekazu Wakisaka — Pro-Am — 2:00.182
  13. #9 Bingo Racing with LM Corsa Porsche — Reimei Itou — Bronze — 2:00.213
  14. #86 High Class Racing Porsche — Anders Fjordbach — Bronze — 2:00.278
  15. #500 TEAM 5ZIGEN Nissan — Kazuki Hiramine — Pro — 2:00.355
  16. #81 Team Daishin Nissan — Kiyoto Fujinami — Bronze — 2:00.377
  17. #555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari — Naoki Yokomizo — Bronze — 2:00.508
  18. #72 Harmony Racing Ferrari — Liu Kaishun — Bronze — 2:00.572
  19. #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche — Chris Froggatt — Bronze — 2:00.587
  20. #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG — Kenny Habul — Pro — 2:01.204
  21. #18 Porsche Center Okazaki Nine Racing Porsche — Hibiki Taira — Bronze — 2:01.209
  22. #96 K-tunes Racing Lexus — Hideki Yamauchi — Pro — 2:01.710
  23. #5 PLUS with BMW M Team Studie BMW — Tomohide Yamaguchi — Bronze — 2:01.720
  24. #181 Norik Racing Ferrari — David Tan — Pro-Am — 2:02.311
  25. #99 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim — Pro-Am — 2:02.664
  26. #79 Tsunami RT Porsche — Daniel Gaunt — Pro-Am — 2:02.698
  27. #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG — Daisuke Yamawaki — Pro-Am — 2:03.005
  28. #10 Team KRC BMW — Marcelo Tomasoni — Pro-Am — 2:03.429
  29. #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing — Kakunoshin Ohta — Pro — No time, all Qualifying laps deleted

Rovera heads final 2026 Suzuka 1000km Qualifying 3 order

Craft-Bamboo initially completed its strong on-track performance with Stolz at the head of Q3. However, deleting all of the #77’s laps removed his effort as well and transformed the final classification.

Maezawa Racing’s Alessio Rovera therefore took official first place with a 1:58.950, only 0.060 seconds ahead of Team KRC’s Max Hesse. Team WRT’s Dan Harper completed the top three with a 1:59.061, making Bronze-class entries the leading three cars in the amended Q3 results.

Harmony Racing’s Brendon Leitch followed in fourth, while 75 Express’ Philip Ellis became the leading Pro-class driver in fifth.

2026 Suzuka 1000km Qualifying 3 final results

The final V2 classification contains 28 classified entries. The #18 Porsche did not participate in Q3, while all #77 Craft-Bamboo laps were deleted.

  1. #555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari — Alessio Rovera — Bronze — 1:58.950
  2. #89 Team KRC BMW — Max Hesse — Bronze — 1:59.010
  3. #69 Team WRT BMW — Dan Harper — Bronze — 1:59.061
  4. #72 Harmony Racing Ferrari — Brendon Leitch — Bronze — 1:59.091
  5. #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG — Philip Ellis — Pro — 1:59.108
  6. #500 TEAM 5ZIGEN Nissan — Atsushi Miyake — Pro — 1:59.341
  7. #45 PONOS Racing Ferrari — Tadasuke Makino — Pro — 1:59.342
  8. #61 EBM Giga Racing Porsche — Mathieu Jaminet — Bronze — 1:59.398
  9. #7 Absolute Racing Porsche — Dorian Boccolacci — Pro — 1:59.505
  10. #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG — João Paulo de Oliveira — Pro-Am — 1:59.521
  11. #86 High Class Racing Porsche — Joel Sturm — Bronze — 1:59.571
  12. #64 Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC Ford — Frédéric Vervisch — Pro — 1:59.612
  13. #60 LM Corsa Ferrari — Giancarlo Fisichella — Pro-Am — 1:59.803
  14. #9 Bingo Racing with LM Corsa Porsche — Ukyo Sasahara — Bronze — 1:59.824
  15. #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche — Robert Renauer — Bronze — 1:59.879
  16. #8 AO by Absolute Racing Porsche — Julien Andlauer — Pro — 1:59.963
  17. #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche — Edward Cheever — Bronze — 2:00.134
  18. #2 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Nicky Catsburg — Pro — 2:00.358
  19. #99 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Ben Green — Pro-Am — 2:00.413
  20. #81 Team Daishin Nissan — Tsugio Matsuda — Bronze — 2:00.554
  21. #80 LM Corsa Ferrari — Hiroki Yoshimoto — Bronze — 2:00.596
  22. #10 Team KRC BMW — Augusto Farfus — Pro-Am — 2:00.611
  23. #25 Porsche Center Okazaki NK Racing Porsche — Yuta Kamimura — Bronze — 2:00.737
  24. #181 Norik Racing Ferrari — Taku Bamba — Pro-Am — 2:00.835
  25. #96 K-tunes Racing Lexus — Takamitsu Matsui — Pro — 2:01.217
  26. #5 PLUS with BMW M Team Studie BMW — Kizuku Hirota — Bronze — 2:01.360
  27. #79 Tsunami RT Porsche — Fabio Babini — Pro-Am — 2:01.732
  28. #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing — Luca Stolz — Pro — No time, all Qualifying laps deleted

Not classified in Q3: #18 Porsche Center Okazaki Nine Racing — Kazuto Kotaka — did not participate.

Underweight Craft-Bamboo Mercedes transforms final Suzuka Qualifying

The biggest change came after the three sessions had finished. The #77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG had initially combined Martin, Ohta and Stolz’s laps for an average of 1:58.696, comfortably clear of the rest of the field.

However, post-Qualifying inspection measured the Mercedes-AMG at 1313.5kg against a 1316kg minimum. The team acknowledged the error, and the stewards imposed the deletion of all lap times posted in Qualifying under Decision 17.

The sanction removed the #77 from contention at the front of every session. It also promoted Miedecke Motorsport’s Ford to first in the final combined order with its 1:59.277 average.

PONOS Racing finished second on 1:59.313, only 0.036 seconds away, while Absolute Racing’s #7 Porsche took third on 1:59.422. AO by Absolute Racing placed its sister Porsche fourth, with Team KRC’s #89 BMW taking fifth overall and first in Bronze.

LM Corsa’s #60 Ferrari headed Pro-Am in 13th overall, although its Q2 red-flag infringement means it carries a three-place race-grid penalty.

Qualifying penalties that will affect the Suzuka 1000km grid

Four stewards’ decisions from the official notice board directly relate to Qualifying. Decision 17 changed the Qualifying results themselves, while Decisions 14, 15 and the amended Decision 16 leave the relevant cars in their classified positions but impose race-grid penalties.

The #60 LM Corsa Ferrari receives a three-place grid drop after Wakisaka exceeded the red-flag speed limit in Q2. The #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche receives a five-place grid drop after Bohn overtook the #28 Mercedes-AMG under yellow flags in Q1. Meanwhile, the amended Decision 16 gives the #2 JMR Corvette a three-place grid drop for McLaughlin’s red-flag speed infringement in Q2.

Those penalties affect the race starting grid rather than the combined Qualifying classification below. Other penalties arising from Night Practice, Pre-Qualifying or unrelated sessions are not included here.

2026 Suzuka 1000km final combined Qualifying results

Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC officially heads the final combined Qualifying classification. The averages use each entry’s best time from the three separate driver sessions, with the #18 Porsche classified from its Q1 and Q2 efforts after missing Q3.

  1. #64 Miedecke Motorsport by Team MPC Ford — Pro — 1:59.277
  2. #45 PONOS Racing Ferrari — Pro — 1:59.313
  3. #7 Absolute Racing Porsche — Pro — 1:59.422
  4. #8 AO by Absolute Racing Porsche — Pro — 1:59.516
  5. #89 Team KRC BMW — Bronze — 1:59.741
  6. #69 Team WRT BMW — Bronze — 1:59.774
  7. #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG — Pro — 1:59.820
  8. #500 TEAM 5ZIGEN Nissan — Pro — 1:59.828
  9. #2 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Pro — 2:00.298
  10. #80 LM Corsa Ferrari — Bronze — 2:00.513
  11. #86 High Class Racing Porsche — Bronze — 2:00.530
  12. #555 Maezawa Racing Ferrari — Bronze — 2:00.570
  13. #60 LM Corsa Ferrari — Pro-Am — 2:00.663
  14. #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche — Bronze — 2:00.698
  15. #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche — Bronze — 2:00.729
  16. #72 Harmony Racing Ferrari — Bronze — 2:01.068
  17. #5 PLUS with BMW M Team Studie BMW — Bronze — 2:01.075
  18. #25 Porsche Center Okazaki NK Racing Porsche — Bronze — 2:01.092
  19. #81 Team Daishin Nissan — Bronze — 2:01.185
  20. #96 K-tunes Racing Lexus — Pro — 2:01.315
  21. #28 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG — Pro-Am — 2:01.603
  22. #61 EBM Giga Racing Porsche — Bronze — 2:01.807
  23. #99 Johor Motorsports Racing Corvette — Pro-Am — 2:01.901
  24. #9 Bingo Racing with LM Corsa Porsche — Bronze — 2:01.921
  25. #10 Team KRC BMW — Pro-Am — 2:02.132
  26. #79 Tsunami RT Porsche — Pro-Am — 2:02.701
  27. #181 Norik Racing Ferrari — Pro-Am — 2:02.926
  28. #18 Porsche Center Okazaki Nine Racing Porsche — Bronze — 2:02.182
  29. #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing — Pro — No average, all Qualifying laps deleted

The final classification therefore leaves Miedecke Motorsport’s Mustang at the head of Qualifying, with just 0.145 seconds covering Ford, Ferrari and Porsche across the top three. Craft-Bamboo, meanwhile, moves from comfortably fastest on the initial averages to the bottom of the final order following the underweight infringement.

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