Piastri Dominates FP2 Session at Japanese Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri set the pace in Free Practice 2 at the Japanese Grand Prix. He posted a best lap of 1m 30.133s. Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell followed closely.
Session overview
The hour began at 15:00 local time. Lewis Hamilton led the early runs with most teams on medium tyres.
Fernando Alonso returned to track after handing his car to Jak Crawford in FP1. Alonso ran on soft rubber at the session start.
Several incidents interrupted running. Pierre Gasly took avoiding action in the pit lane after Alex Albon exited the Williams garage. Albon later stopped on track after encountering a slower car in the Esses.
Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad stopped shortly after his opening run. The team later confirmed a gearbox issue ended his day.
Delays, repairs and investigations
Cadillac reported Sergio Perez joined FP2 late. The delay followed floor repairs after FP1 contact with Albon.
Gabriel Bortoleto missed most running while his team worked on the car. He rejoined with ten minutes remaining.
Stewards said they will investigate an incident between Franco Colapinto and Max Verstappen. Colapinto was accused of driving erratically while warming tyres.
Timings and order
Piastri climbed to the top after a soft-tyre run. He held a 0.092s advantage over Antonelli at the chequered flag.
- 1st: Oscar Piastri — 1m 30.133s
- 2nd: Kimi Antonelli — +0.092s
- 3rd: George Russell
- 4th: Lando Norris
- 5th: Charles Leclerc
- 6th: Lewis Hamilton
- 7th: Nico Hülkenberg
- 8th: Alex Albon
- 9th: Ollie Bearman
- 10th: Max Verstappen
The remainder of the order included Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz. Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar completed mid-field. Gabriel Bortoleto finished P16 after ten laps.
Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll followed. Arvid Lindblad was classified last after one lap.
Notable driver notes
Hamilton reported low confidence in his car during the closing stages. Verstappen ran wide late in the hour.
Norris began his programme late but produced a solid result on medium rubber. Several teams switched tyre focus to medium and hard runs in the final phase.
What comes next
Teams will analyse data overnight. Free Practice 3 runs on Saturday at 11:30 local time.
Qualifying follows later that day at 15:00 local time. Filmogaz.com will provide further updates and analysis.
