Oscar Piastri Tops FP2, Ends Mercedes’ Streak at F1 Japanese GP
Oscar Piastri produced the fastest time in second practice at Suzuka. He set a 1m30.133s and displaced Mercedes from the top. The McLaren driver’s pace broke Mercedes’ Friday momentum at the F1 Japanese GP weekend.
Session overview
Piastri led a mixed order in FP2 at the Japanese Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli and George Russell completed the top three.
Russell had dominated the earlier FP1, where Mercedes posted a 1-2. But in FP2 the Silver Arrows could not repeat that form.
How the lap times fell
Piastri initially improved on medium tyres with a 1m31.495s time. That effort displaced Russell inside the first ten minutes.
The soft-tyre runs decided the session. Piastri’s soft lap after 23 minutes produced the quickest time of 1m30.133s.
Close challengers
Andrea Kimi Antonelli also posted his best time on softs. His 1m30.225s left him a fraction behind Piastri.
Russell was third on the timesheet, around one tenth slower than Antonelli. Charles Leclerc finished inside the top five for Ferrari.
McLaren recovery and Norris’ issue
Lando Norris recovered to fourth despite missing the opening 23 minutes. A hydraulics leak kept him out early in the session.
Norris set his first proper times on medium tyres before switching to softs. His best lap was a 1m30.649s, half a second off Piastri.
Other notable performances
- Leclerc placed fifth with a 1m30.846s lap.
- Lewis Hamilton reached sixth, but he struggled for pace in FP2.
- Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman and Max Verstappen were also inside the top ten.
Mechanical problems and incidents
The session was largely clean. The lone brief yellow flag followed a Williams stop with throttle trouble early on.
Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad was the only driver not to set a time. A gearbox problem forced him to retire from the session.
Filmogaz.com will continue to monitor running at Suzuka and report on qualifying developments. Stay tuned for further updates from the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
