Russell Leads Mercedes 1-2 in Suzuka Practice Opener

Formula One championship leader George Russell delivered a strong performance to top the timesheets in the opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, leading a dominant Mercedes one-two finish.

Russell clocked a best lap of 1:31.666 on a cool and sunny day, narrowly edging out his teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.026 seconds. Antonelli, coming off his maiden Grand Prix victory in China, showed impressive pace to continue Mercedes’ early-season momentum.

McLaren also demonstrated competitive form, with reigning world champion Lando Norris securing third place, followed by teammate Oscar Piastri in fourth. Both drivers were within two-tenths of Russell’s benchmark time, signaling a tight battle ahead.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top six, maintaining steady but slightly off-the-pace performances compared to Mercedes and McLaren.

Defending four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who has dominated Suzuka in recent years, finished seventh for Red Bull, trailing Russell by 0.791 seconds in a relatively subdued session.

Further down the order, Liam Lawson secured eighth place for Racing Bulls, followed by Haas driver Esteban Ocon in ninth. Rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten.

The session remained largely incident-free, although Williams driver Alex Albon briefly ran into the gravel at the high-speed Degner corners and was later involved in minor contact with Sergio Perez.

Meanwhile, McLaren faced early challenges as Norris and Piastri spent time in the garage due to electrical concerns, similar to issues that affected them in China. Despite the setback, both drivers recovered well to post competitive lap times.

At the lower end of the grid, Aston Martin struggled, with Lance Stroll and stand-in driver Jak Crawford finishing at the bottom during Honda’s home event.

With Russell leading the championship standings and both Mercedes drivers showing consistent dominance, the team is now poised to potentially secure a third consecutive one-two finish at the start of the season—a feat last achieved in 2019.