Russell Leads Mercedes One-Two in Japanese GP Practice Session
George Russell finished fastest in first practice at Suzuka. He narrowly beat his Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli. Lando Norris set the third-quickest time.
Morning running at Suzuka
The 22 drivers returned after races in Australia and China. The session took place on Friday morning at the Suzuka Circuit.
Many crews began on hard tyres. A queue formed at the pit lane exit early on.
Early benchmarks and aero work
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc traded the first benchmark laps. Several teams fitted aero rakes and used flow-vis paint.
Data will be reviewed in April ahead of the Miami round. Aston Martin ran third driver Jak Crawford in Fernando Alonso’s car for the opening session.
Times, tyre work and incidents
Russell briefly moved to the top as others completed laps. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar experienced a snap of oversteer.
Hadjar reported cold brakes and the car pulling over the radio.
- Leclerc edged close to Russell, leaving 0.079s separating the top four before halfway.
- Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri were also challenging early in the session.
- Russell improved on soft tyres, briefly extending his advantage by over two-tenths.
Antonelli then claimed the top time when Russell ran wide on a flying lap. Later, Russell recovered to lead by 0.026 seconds.
On-track trouble
Several drivers struggled with oversteer during the hour. Williams’ Alex Albon tested an upgraded front suspension.
Albon ran through the gravel at Degner 2 and tapped the barrier. He later collided with Sergio Perez in the same corner.
That collision scattered debris and will be investigated. Perez sat 19th after the session.
Session leaderboard
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:31.666 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.026 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | — |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | — |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | — |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | — |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | — |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | — |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | — |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | — | — |
Midfield notes
The Audi pairing of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg were P11 and P12. Isack Hadjar finished 13th after his off.
Ollie Bearman, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto followed. Carlos Sainz finished ahead of his Williams team mate Albon.
What it means for the weekend
Mercedes showcased a wolf-inspired livery while displaying strong single-lap pace. The team ran a Mercedes one-two in the session.
Russell’s pace suggests he will be a contender. Teams will use FP2 at 1500 local time for more data.
Coverage and post-session analysis by Filmogaz.com will follow as the weekend progresses.
