Four red flags (two caused by crashes and two by trackside fire outbreaks) drastically reduced track time in the FP2 session. The few laps completed weren’t enough to draw a clear picture of the current pecking order, but some takeaways did emerge—starting with confirmation from the team that arrived in Suzuka as the clear favorite. McLaren began the Japanese weekend leading FP1 (with Lando Norris) and followed up with a one-two in FP2, with Oscar Piastri finishing in first.
Confirming that when things are going well, everything falls into place, the two “papayas” were among the few drivers able to complete a qualifying simulation without issues, and the potential of the MCL39 was clearly on display. The team had made some setup tweaks during FP1, a session in which Norris particularly struggled with the final chicane.
Once the championship leader put everything together, he set the fastest time of the session, marking the first strong statement of the weekend. In the afternoon session, Norris briefly led the timesheets in the moments between Fernando Alonso’s crash-induced red flag and the fire incident, with Piastri reclaiming the top spot in the closing stages.
At the end of the day, the chasing group is four tenths behind—a significant margin if repeated in qualifying, though no solid conclusions can be drawn yet. Behind the McLaren duo (within just over a tenth) are the two Racing Bulls, the two Ferrari cars, George Russell, and Max Verstappen. Within this group are drivers still far from an optimal balance (Verstappen), those who failed to put together a clean lap, some who struggled with the strong wind (expected again tomorrow, but from the opposite direction), and others (like Racing Bulls) who expressed high satisfaction with their opening day.
The Faenza-based team usually runs a more aggressive engine map on Fridays, but the car’s balance looked very good in the hands of both Isack Hadjar (an impressive third) and the returning Liam Lawson, who was fifth and three spots ahead of Verstappen. Two other drivers also ended the day smiling despite their final positions. Russell confirmed a good start to the weekend with second place in FP1, although he couldn’t complete a clean lap in the afternoon session. Mercedes seems poised to play the role of second-fastest team.
It was also a very positive debut in Red Bull colors for Yuki Tsunoda. After being the most sought-after driver by local media and fans in the days leading up to the event, Yuki completed two sessions with results exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.
He was sixth in FP1 (right behind Max Verstappen) and showed strong consistency in FP2, a session in which he didn’t complete a qualifying simulation due to fitting soft tires in the few minutes between two red flags. “I’m fairly happy,” Yuki Tsunoda commented, “even though the feeling I had in the simulator didn’t exactly match what I felt on track.” Red Bull still has plenty of work to do to optimize the setup. Max Verstappen complained repeatedly over the radio about annoying understeer in all the slow corners, but at least the team once again has two drivers who look like they belong in the same championship.
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