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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams |
| 2 | Damon Hill | Williams |
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 4 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton |
| 5 | Mika Häkkinen | McLaren |
| 6 | Eddie Irvine | Ferrari |
| 7 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Sauber |
| 8 | David Coulthard | McLaren |
| 9 | Jean Alesi | Benetton |
| 10 | Martin Brundle | Jordan |
| 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Jordan |
| 12 | Olivier Panis | Ligier |
| 13 | Johnny Herbert | Sauber |
| 14 | Ukyo Katayama | Tyrrell |
| 15 | Mika Salo | Tyrrell |
| 16 | Pedro Diniz | Ligier |
| 17 | Jos Verstappen | Footwork |
| 18 | Pedro Lamy | Minardi |
| 19 | Ricardo Rosset | Footwork |