George Russell set the fastest time in the opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, giving Mercedes a strong start to the weekend. The session took place at the famous Suzuka Circuit on Friday under clear and cool weather conditions.
Russell clocked a time of 1 minute and 31.666 seconds, just ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli, who recently won his first race in China, was only 0.026 seconds slower. This close result gave Mercedes a one-two finish in the practice session and showed their strong form early in the race weekend.
Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri in fourth place. Both drivers were less than two-tenths of a second behind Russell, which suggests a tight competition ahead. Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took fifth and sixth positions.
Defending champion Max Verstappen finished seventh for Red Bull. He was nearly eight-tenths of a second slower than Russell, even though he has won at Suzuka for the past four years.
The session was mostly smooth, but there were a few minor incidents. Alex Albon went off the track into the gravel and later had a small collision with Sergio Perez. Both drivers were able to continue without major damage.
Overall, the Japanese Grand Prix practice session showed that Mercedes is in strong form, while McLaren and Ferrari are close behind. Fans can expect an exciting race weekend as teams prepare for qualifying and the main race.
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