Formula One championship leader George Russell topped the timesheets in Friday’s opening practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, leading a dominant one-two finish for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team at the Suzuka Circuit.
The British driver clocked a fastest lap of 1:31.666 in cool, sunny conditions, narrowly edging teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.026 seconds. Antonelli, buoyed by his maiden Grand Prix victory in China, continued his strong form with another impressive showing.
Lando Norris led the challenge for McLaren Formula 1 Team in third place, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. The pair were 0.132 and 0.199 seconds off Russell’s pace respectively, marking a promising start for the reigning constructors’ champions.
Charles Leclerc was fifth for Scuderia Ferrari, finishing ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton in sixth.
Russell currently leads Antonelli by four points in the drivers’ standings, with both having claimed one race win each this season. The Mercedes duo have also locked out the front row in every qualifying session so far and finished both races in a one-two formation—raising the prospect of a third consecutive one-two finish this weekend, a feat the team last achieved in 2019.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who has won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka for the past four years, was seventh for Red Bull Racing, 0.791 seconds off the pace.
Liam Lawson placed eighth for Racing Bulls, followed by Esteban Ocon of Haas in ninth, while rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
The session was largely incident-free, although Alex Albon ran wide into the gravel at the high-speed Degner corners before later making contact with the Cadillac of Sergio Perez.
Norris, along with Piastri, had endured a disappointing outing in China due to electrical issues and spent much of the early session in the garage before posting his competitive lap time.
At the lower end of the timesheets, Aston Martin Formula One Team struggled at what is effectively a home race for engine partner Honda, with Lance Stroll finishing ahead of stand-in driver Jak Crawford, who replaced Fernando Alonso for the session.