Episode Details

George Russell secured the fastest time in the first free practice at Suzuka, narrowly beating his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes maintains their dominance in the early 2026 season, with Russell and Antonelli splitting wins in the first two races. Russell and Antonelli led the pack on hard tires, with McLarens Oscar Piastri and Ferraris Charles Leclerc close behind. Switching to soft tires improved times, with Russell and Antonelli securing the top spots. Lando Norris secured third for McLaren, while Piastri landed fourth. Ferraris Leclerc and Hamilton took fifth and sixth, ahead of Red Bulls Max Verstappen. The session was mostly incident-free, with Williams Alex Albon spinning and later colliding with Cadillacs Sergio Perez. Aston Martins Jak Crawford managed only eleven laps in his FP1 debut. Mercedes lead sets up an exciting qualifying battle, as teams like McLaren and Ferrari aim to narrow the gap this weekend.

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