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McLaren shocks rivals with Friday practice dominance at Suzuka
McLaren's Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, outpacing Mercedes' championship leader George Russell and raising questions about the Silver Arrows' expected superiority.
Piastri edges out Mercedes duo
Piastri, who had yet to complete a full racing lap in the 2026 season before the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, set the fastest time of the day at Suzuka, finishing 0.092 seconds ahead of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. Russell, leading the drivers' championship after two rounds, was third, 0.205 seconds off Piastri's pace and 0.113 seconds slower than his teammate.
"McLaren were pretty fast," Russell admitted. "A little bit of a surprise, to be honest. Still some improvements to do, so a bit of work to do tonight."
Norris struggles as Ferrari lags behind
Piastri's McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, finished fourth despite a disrupted session. Norris missed the first half of the final practice due to a hydraulic leak and had off-track moments, compounding his struggles. "I just lacked a lot of laps," Norris said. "Around a track like this, you want laps under your belt to give yourself confidence."
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fifth and sixth, respectively, with both drivers reporting grip issues. Leclerc suffered wobbles through the Esses and ran off at Spoon Curve, while Hamilton lamented a lack of confidence in the car. Ferrari sporting director Diego Ioverno acknowledged the gap to Mercedes and McLaren, stating, "We have to improve."
Russell and Verstappen voice concerns over Suzuka's challenge
Russell dismissed fears that the new hybrid engines' energy management would reduce Suzuka's challenge, citing high speeds through the Esses and back straight. However, Red Bull's Max Verstappen disagreed, arguing that energy recovery programs had diminished the difficulty of corners like Degners and the Esses.
"It is what we saw from the simulations; same for everyone, right? I don't think that was our biggest problem. We just struggled a lot more with the balance of the car."
Max Verstappen
Verstappen, who finished 10th, 1.376 seconds off Piastri's pace, also faced balance issues, oscillating between extremes and losing significant lap time. The Dutchman was behind Audi's Nico Hülkenberg, Williams' Alex Albon, and Haas' Oliver Bearman.
Mercedes remains confident despite McLaren's one-lap pace
While Mercedes acknowledged McLaren's qualifying threat, they downplayed concerns about race pace. In race-simulation runs, Antonelli led Russell, with Piastri 0.25 seconds slower on average after accounting for traffic. McLaren, however, remained skeptical of their ability to challenge Mercedes in qualifying or the race.
Russell's performance was hampered by energy management issues through Spoon Corner, affecting his battery levels. Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained, "The driving style through Spoon meant George was hitting the harvesting limit earlier in the lap than Kimi, costing him out of the final corner."
Multiple teams face technical woes
Several drivers encountered technical issues during the session. Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad sat out the second practice due to a gearbox problem, while Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto spent most of the session in the garage with an unspecified issue. Cadillac's Sergio Pérez missed half the session after colliding with Albon in first practice, damaging his floor.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, arriving late after the birth of his first child, drove in the second session, finishing 19th, ahead of teammate Lance Stroll. The team's struggles were partly attributed to Honda's engine reliability and performance issues, though Honda F1 boss Koji Watanabe promised improvements for Suzuka.
What's next?
The Japanese Grand Prix continues with qualifying on Saturday, ahead of Sunday's race at 06:00 BST. Live commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, with text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.
