Japan Grand Prix Qualifying Live: Verstappen quickest in FP3 as hunt for championship continues

Max Verstappen takes first with a time of 1:29.304, Leclerc is second fastest. Sainz third, Perez fourth

Ocon and Alonso impress for Alpine in fifth and seventh respectivly, with Hamilton sixth and George Russell eighth.

Sebastian Vettel takes ninth, and Norris 10th.

Verstappen leads the way, with Leclerc and then Sainz. Perez is fourth quickest.

Hamilton is eighth, Russell seventh.

Verstappen slides across as Norris is flying down the left-hand side, and while the McLaren avoids him with quick thinking, he could be in trouble here.

We go again again.

Tsunoda, Schumacher, Zhou, Ricciardo and Bottas are all out.

Norris, Vettel, Zhou, Schumacher and Tsunoda.

After Gasly's struggles, the other Alpha driver is complaining too.

On the track, Verstappen is fastest again, with Sainz, Leclerc and Ocon following.

Leclerc second. The only two laps so far.

We go again.

Albon, Latifi, Stroll, Magnussen and Gasly fail to make the cut.

The AlphaTauri man reports problems with his brakes.

Now though there is a time from everyone: Verstappen leads Sainz, and then Leclerc.

He's off current leader Lando Norris' fastest effort so far.

At his home race, he gets out early and sets what is - for now - the quickest time of 1:31.631.

The cars are out on the track.

The action will kick off shortly.

"Realistically, Max is going to be champion. If it's not this weekend, it is going to be very soon," Charles Leclerc said

"We need to focus on ourselves and try to exercise well the Sunday. We have always been strong and the performance has always been good enough to fight for wins apart from some off-weekends, and there weren't many.

"But it is about putting everything together - strategy and tyre management - and this is what we are fighting for at the moment and it is the step we will need to do next year in order to fight for the championship."

In his last few races for Alpine the Spanish former champion has impressed, and with a fourth-quickest time early on Saturday, a podium finish seems achievable.