Max Verstappen took pole position again, but Sergio Perez was impressive as he drove close to his teammate at Suzuka.
It will be a one-two for Red Bull on Sunday's grid, but elsewhere Lando Norris and home favorite Yuki Tsunoda put in strong performances.
winner
Sergio Perez
Although he missed out on pole position, it was the session in which he pushed his teammates the most out of the four events so far this year.
Verstappen is likely to run away for the race, but Perez's form on Saturday suggests it may not be such an easy Sunday for the Dutchman.
land norris
This was McLaren's best qualifying result of the season, starting in front of non-Red Bull riders.
Teammate Oscar Piastri may have grabbed the headlines on Friday, but Norris picked up speed in qualifying and looked a threat from Q2 onwards. The 24-year-old, who finished second here last year, will be aiming for another podium finish this time around.
Hiroki Tsunoda
In front of a jubilant home crowd, Yuki Tsunoda once again proved he is one step ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
It was Tsunoda's time that forced Ricciardo out of Q2, but in Q3 the Japanese driver could not improve to 10th place.
Sunday will be a battle to stay in the points, but there's no reason Tsunoda can't be the favorite to finish in the top 10.
valtteri bottas
Where did that rap come from Valtteri? Although his teammate may have set the slowest lap of the day, Bottas set an incredible time of 1 minute 29.602 seconds to earn a deserved spot in Q2.
Although he couldn't quite replicate that speed in Q2, starting 13th would be a welcome reward for the stakes F1 driver.
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loser
Lance Stroll
There is no excuse for Lance Stroll to retire early as Fernando Alonso finished the day in fifth place.
This is the Canadian's sixth appearance at Suzuka, but he has failed to make it past Q1 each time.
Stroll has some work to do on Sunday, but his form would suggest it's not a track that suits him.
ferrari
For the first time this season, Ferrari was no more than a step behind Red Bull, and even McLaren was faster than them at Suzuka.
There was an air of confusion across the grid as the drivers realized the difference in pace with Verstappen, but Charles Leclerc in particular seemed confused as to why he had finished 0.589 seconds behind the Dutchman. .
He started eighth, with Carlos Sainz in fourth, but it was still a tough day for the Italian.
Pierre Gasly
It was another Q1 exit for the Frenchman, who so far this season has not been able to last more than 18 minutes in a qualifying session.
There are definitely still flaws in the Alpine car, but with Esteban Ocon starting to break through Q2, it doesn't look good for Gasly to not be able to do the same.
He ran in the points at the Australian stage, but it remains to be seen whether he will do the same this weekend.
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