Mercedes tops final Japanese GP practice as McLaren falters

Mercedes surged to the top in the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli leading a 1-2 over teammate George Russell. Friday's pacesetter McLaren, meanwhile, struggled for pace and faced reliability issues, while Audi delivered a surprisingly strong performance to land both cars in the top ten.

Why it matters:

The final practice session often provides the clearest indication of true qualifying pace before teams hide their performance. Mercedes' strong showing suggests they have found a setup that works at Suzuka, potentially challenging for pole position. Conversely, McLaren's muted session and Lando Norris's technical problem could put them on the back foot heading into a critical qualifying hour, shaking up the expected competitive order.

The Details:

• Mercedes on Top: Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of 1m29.362s, with George Russell just 0.254 seconds behind, securing a commanding Mercedes 1-2 at the front of the field.
• McLaren's Struggles: After leading Friday's running, Oscar Piastri could only manage fourth, over a second off the pace. World champion Lando Norris missed the first half of the session due to an ERS problem and finished sixth, leaving the team with work to do.
• Audi's Encouraging Run: The Audi team had a standout session, with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto finishing seventh and ninth, sandwiching a seemingly unhappy Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
• Ferrari in the Mix: Charles Leclerc was the best of the rest in third, with Lewis Hamilton close behind in fifth, keeping Ferrari in contention.
• Aston Martin's Woes: In a dismal session for the team on engine supplier Honda's home ground, Aston Martin was the slowest, over a second off even the Cadillac cars and four seconds off the ultimate pace.
• Clean Session: The hour was largely incident-free, with Haas's Ollie Bearman producing the only notable moment—a fast, well-caught spin at the Spoon Curve.

What's Next:

All eyes turn to qualifying, where the true pecking order will be revealed. Mercedes will aim to convert their practice pace into a front-row lockout, while McLaren must solve its issues to fight back. The performance of Audi and the struggles of Red Bull and Aston Martin add intriguing subplots to the battle for grid positions ahead of Sunday's race.

Session Results: 1. Antonelli (Mercedes), 2. Russell (Mercedes) +0.254s, 3. Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.867s, 4. Piastri (McLaren) +1.002s, 5. Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.021s, 6. Norris (McLaren) +1.238s, 7. Hulkenberg (Audi) +1.296s, 8. Verstappen (Red Bull) +1.548s, 9. Bortoleto (Audi) +1.638s, 10. Gasly (Alpine) +1.720s.