Mercedes leads McLaren in first practice at Suzuka

Mercedes continued its strong 2026 form by securing a 1-2 finish in the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, with George Russell narrowly edging teammate Kimi Antonelli. McLaren emerged as the closest challenger, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri slotting into third and fourth, while the session was marred by incidents involving Alex Albon and Max Verstappen.

Why it matters:

The result reinforces Mercedes' status as the early-season benchmark, continuing a pattern from the opening races. Practice times, while not definitive, provide the first concrete data on car performance around the demanding Suzuka circuit, setting an initial competitive hierarchy for the weekend. The incidents involving title contenders and a dramatic collision will also draw scrutiny from the stewards, potentially influencing the weekend's narrative.

The details:

• George Russell set the fastest time with a 1m31.666s, just 0.026s ahead of Kimi Antonelli, despite his best lap being compromised by traffic from Sergio Perez.
• McLaren's Lando Norris lost some track time early due to a garage issue but recovered to take third, 0.132s off the pace, with Oscar Piastri close behind in fourth.
• Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top six, both reporting difficulties in putting together a clean lap on the soft tyre compound.
• Reigning champion Max Verstappen could only manage seventh for Red Bull, nearly eight-tenths of a second off Russell's benchmark.
• The session featured multiple off-track moments, most notably two for Williams driver Alex Albon. He first lightly tagged the barrier at Degner, then caused a red flag in the final minutes with a collision into the chicane with Sergio Perez, showering the track with debris.
• An unseen incident between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the high-speed 130R corner will also be investigated by the race stewards after the session.

What's next:

The focus now shifts to the stewards' office regarding the Albon-Perez collision and the Hamilton-Verstappen 130R incident, with potential penalties a possibility. Teams will analyze the data from FP1 to make setup adjustments for the more representative afternoon practice session (FP2), where qualifying and race simulations will begin to paint a clearer picture of the true competitive order for the Japanese Grand Prix.