Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka Circuit
Grand Prix starting grid
Race starts
Grid positions from race-result records; not a separately verified pre-race grid.
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Aguri Suzuki | Ligier |
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton |
| 2 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari |
| 3 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren |
| 4 | Damon Hill | Williams |
| 5 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| 6 | David Coulthard | Williams |
| 7 | Eddie Irvine | Jordan |
| 8 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber |
| 9 | Johnny Herbert | Benetton |
| 10 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan |
| 11 | Olivier Panis | Ligier |
| 12 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell |
| 13 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell |
| 14 | Gianni Morbidelli | Footwork |
| 15 | Karl Wendlinger | Sauber |
| 16 | Pedro Lamy | Minardi |
| 17 | Luca Badoer | Minardi |
| 18 | Taki Inoue | Footwork |
| 19 | Andrea Montermini | Pacific |
| 20 | Pedro Diniz | Forti |
| 21 | Roberto Moreno | Forti |
| 22 | Bertrand Gachot | Pacific |
| 23 | Mark Blundell | McLaren |