TOKYO - Max Verstappen says that the Japanese Grand Prix is one of his favourite races, but his chances of a fifth straight victory at the weekend look vanishingly slim as his Red Bull struggles with Formula One's sweeping new regulations.
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will carry their early dominance into Suzuka with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton their nearest challengers.
Red Bull and Verstappen are scrambling to recover from a disastrous start to the Formula One season, as are McLaren whose drivers -- world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri -- both failed to start in China with separate technical problems.
Verstappen, the four-time world champion, finished sixth in the opening grand prix in Australia after crashing in qualifying.
He then limped home ninth and out of the points in the Shanghai sprint before retiring from the main race.
Verstappen has raged against the 2026 regulations and new car designs, branding them "anti-racing" and likening them to the Mario Kart video game with their electrical boost and overtake modes.
The Dutchman sought a change of scenery by competing at a four-hour race in Germany last weekend, but even that did not lift his gloom as he was disqualified after winning.
Verstappen has been unbeaten in Japan for the past four years and he clinched his second world title there in 2022.
His problems in China, where he was ordered to retire on lap 46 of the grand prix because of a cooling issue, suggest his Suzuka dominance could end on Sunday.
"Getting on top of our problems is not easy," Verstappen said in Shanghai.
"It would help if we would just have a normal start -- I've been every time dropping to last."
Verstappen's struggles are in stark contrast to the flying start enjoyed by Mercedes, who secured one-two finishes at both grands prix so far.
Championship leader Russell triumphed in Australia and 19-year-old Antonelli picked up the first win of his fledgling career in China.
Russell took the chequered flag in the Shanghai sprint and Mercedes will target a Suzuka triumph for the first time since Valtteri Bottas won in 2019.