FP1 Suzuka: George Russell leads Mercedes one-two, Ferrari trails McLaren. Mercedes dominate FP1 at Suzuka with Russell and Antonelli.

Mercedes still leading the way at Suzuka

Mercedes showed no signs of weakness in the opening free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, securing a dominant one-two finish with George Russell ahead of Kimi Antonelli by just 26 thousandths of a second. The W17 cars set the benchmark both in single-lap pace and in race simulation, confirming their strong form.

The championship leader clocked a best time of 1:31.666 on Soft tyres, a lap that was around three seconds slower than last year’s benchmark. Russell focused his long run on the Hard compound, while Antonelli worked extensively with the Soft tyres, gathering valuable data for the team.

McLaren emerges as Ferrari’s closest rival

The real surprise behind the black-and-silver Silver Arrows was McLaren, with Lando Norris securing third place just 0.132 seconds behind Russell. Oscar Piastri followed closely in fourth, only 67 thousandths behind his teammate, underlining the competitiveness of the MCL40 package at Suzuka.

It is worth noting that Norris lost approximately half an hour of track time after his installation lap due to a technical issue. The team replaced a sensor and adjusted the front ride height before sending him back out. Despite the setback, the British driver managed to deliver a strong lap towards the end of the session, taking advantage of improved track conditions.

McLaren appeared to have bounced back compared to China, where they were unable to even start due to battery-related issues. Norris’ car received a new unit, while Piastri’s was successfully recovered, allowing both drivers to complete their programs without further interruptions.

Ferrari close but still behind

Ferrari, lacking significant upgrades and opting not to introduce the much-discussed Macarena wing, emerged as the third-fastest force. However, the gap to McLaren remained relatively small, suggesting that the Scuderia is still in the fight.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth with a time of 1:31.955, although the Monegasque driver only managed to extract his best performance on his fifth push lap with the Soft tyres, after making two mistakes at the Spoon Curve during earlier attempts. Leclerc ended up 0.289 seconds behind Russell.

Lewis Hamilton followed in sixth place, just a tenth of a second behind his teammate, also on Soft tyres. With ambient temperatures around 17°C, drivers struggled to bring the tyres into the optimal operating window, especially considering that Pirelli selected the hardest compounds in its range (C1, C2, C3) for Suzuka.

It is also important to highlight that teams are currently working to understand the best way to manage electrical energy within the limits imposed by the FIA, which continues to be a key factor influencing performance.

Red Bull and midfield battles

The top three teams made the difference in this session, while Max Verstappen was further back than expected in seventh place, trailing by 0.791 seconds. The Dutch driver focused heavily on setup work, as the updated Red Bull featured changes to the radiator inlet design, which also affected the sidepods and engine cover layout.

Isack Hadjar appeared to struggle more, finishing half a second behind Verstappen and only 13th overall, never quite finding a comfortable rhythm. As a result, it was Liam Lawson who stood out behind the four-time world champion, placing eighth for Racing Bulls, with rookie Arvid Lindblad completing the top ten.

The Faenza-based team continues to show encouraging consistency, confirming that its in-house power unit may be more competitive than initially expected.

Between the two Racing Bulls cars was Esteban Ocon, who delivered a solid performance for Haas after a difficult start to the season. His teammate Oliver Bearman finished 14th, focusing more on setup work than outright lap time.

Further down the order

Outside the top ten were the two Audi cars, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg closely matched. Alpine also underperformed, with Pierre Gasly only 15th ahead of Franco Colapinto. The Enstone-based team introduced some rear aerodynamic updates that still require further evaluation.

Williams endured a challenging session, with Carlos Sainz spinning and Alexander Albon struggling for confidence. The Thai-British driver first brushed the barriers under the bridge and later made contact with Sergio Perez at the chicane entry. Perez did not see Albon, making the collision unavoidable, although the incident caused no major damage. The FIA has opened an investigation into the matter.

Cadillac also had a difficult session, with Perez managing only to stay ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas. The Mexican driver frequently found himself in traffic, while the car remained over two and a half seconds off the pace.

Aston Martin had the toughest outing, struggling to put together consistent laps. Lance Stroll relied on Soft tyres to edge ahead of reserve driver Jak Crawford, who replaced Fernando Alonso for FP1 following the Spaniard’s absence after becoming a father. Crawford ran exclusively on Hard tyres, making his 1.3-second deficit to Stroll less significant in context.

FP1 full results and statistics