Formula 1: How to watch the Japanese Grand Prix on TV and what to know

SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — Here's a guide that tells you what you need to know about the Japanese Grand Prix. It's the third round of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

— In the U.S., ESPN.

— Other countries are listed here.

— Sunday: The Japanese Grand Prix, 53 laps of the 5.807-kilometer (3.608-mile) Suzuka circuit.

The Suzuka track first hosted F1 in 1987 and is a favorite with drivers and fans for its fast and technical layout. Owned by Honda, it's the only track on the F1 calendar in a figure-of-eight layout, using a bridge to cross over itself. The timing of the Japanese Grand Prix moved to the spring — cherry blossom season — last year, which means cooler weather, and there is an 80% chance of rain in the forecast for Sunday. Max Verstappen won the 2024 race at Suzuka in dominant style from then-teammate Sergio Perez.

Oscar Piastri won the Chinese Grand Prix from pole for McLaren, with teammate Lando Norris second and George Russell third for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton won the sprint race in his first major success since joining Ferrari, but he and teammate Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the Grand Prix the following day. It was Liam Lawson's second and last race for Red Bull before the team dropped him last week in favor of Yuki Tsunoda, who will be at his home race in Japan.

Get caught up:

— Max Verstappen takes pole position for Sunday's race

— Lewis Hamilton tempers expectations as he settles in with Ferrari

— Storylines for the Japanese GP are as fleeting as the cherry blossoms this time of year

— McLaren’s Oscar Piastri wins Chinese GP from teammate Lando Norris. Both Ferraris disqualified

— Ferrari vows to fix ‘mistakes’ that disqualified Hamilton: 5 takeaways from the Chinese Grand Prix

— Red Bull drops Liam Lawson and replaces him with Yuki Tsunoda

— Lando Norris: McLaren is ready for a title fight between its drivers

— Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is having a cultural impact far beyond Formula 1

3 — McLaren has won three consecutive F1 races for the first time since 2012. A fourth win in a row would be the team's best run in 20 years.

28 — Piastri has scored at least one point in every one of the last 28 race weekends dating to Brazil in November 2023.

17 — Ahead of Saturday qualifying in Japan, Ferrari had just 17 constructors' points after its double disqualification in China and is already 61 behind McLaren in the standings. Williams also has 17 but the team is much more satisfied after often racing at the back last year.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start from pole position after turning in the top time in qualifying on Saturday on his final lap. Norris will start alongside Verstappen with teammate Piastri on the second row with Leclerc.

“Very unexpected. We just kept making improvements. The last lap was just flat out” — Verstappen on his last-lap performance to win pole.

“We know realistically the McLarens are exceptionally strong, and I think it’s going to be challenging for anybody else to compete with them. But you know, we saw last year how dominant Red Bull were, and suddenly they weren’t at the end of the season" — Russell.

“Our performance compared to McLaren is just not good enough" — Leclerc.

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McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain speaks with his crews after the third practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the qualifying session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands prepares to drive during the third practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, Pool)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates after qualifying session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia prepares to drive his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain waves to his supporters after qualifying session for the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain and Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain celebrates on the podium after the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo)

FILE - Red Bull driver Liam Lawson of New Zealand during the drivers portrait photo session ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan responds to a journalist's question during a news conference at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan, center, flanked by Kick Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany, left, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco, responds to a journalist's question during a news conference at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Thursday, April 3, 2025, ahead Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)