The Mercedes team continues to demonstrate its dominance at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season. George Russell led the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, surpassing Kimi Antonelli.
In the first session in Suzuka, Russell and Antonelli were separated by only 0.026 seconds. Several teams used aerodynamic attachments and flow paint to collect important data on their single-seaters, on the eve of a one-month break following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
McLaren is looking for a better performance in Japan after neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri could compete in China. They achieved a good start, with Norris and Piastri finishing third and fourth respectively, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Norris and Piastri finished less than two tenths of a second behind the leader, with a difference of 0.132 seconds and 0.199 seconds behind Russell, respectively. The Ferraris finished in fifth and sixth place, with Leclerc 0.289 seconds behind Russell and Hamilton an additional 0.085 seconds.
Max Verstappen finished in seventh place, followed by Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon and Arvid Lindblad, completing the top ten.
Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, who complained about cold brakes and had to retire early in the session, could only finish in 13th place, behind Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman in the two Haas cars.
It was a complicated session for Williams, with Alex Albon going off track and ending up in the gravel at the beginning of the session. Later, Albon collided with Sergio Pérez of Cadillac, causing debris to be scattered across the track. The stewards announced that they would investigate the incident after the session.
The second practice will begin at 3 p.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT).
