Mercedes continued its dominant start to the 2026 Formula 1 season during Friday’s opening practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix, with George Russell topping the timesheets ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli. Russell posted a best lap of 1 minute, 31.666 seconds despite being impeded by Sergio Perez’s Cadillac exiting the final corner, finishing just 0.026 seconds clear of his young Italian colleague who swapped fastest times with him throughout the soft tire runs.
McLaren emerged as Mercedes’ primary challenger, with world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri securing third and fourth positions respectively. Both drivers finished within two-tenths of Russell’s benchmark despite Norris losing valuable track time early in the session due to a technical problem that kept him in the garage. The team conducted their qualifying simulation runs later than most competitors but quickly found pace once unleashed on the Japanese circuit.
Ferrari completed the top six with Charles Leclerc fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth, though Leclerc struggled to string together a clean lap on the soft compound tires. Red Bull faced difficulties with Max Verstappen managing only seventh place, 0.791 seconds off the pace, while teammate Isack Hadjar languished down in 13th position, suggesting the reigning constructors’ champions have work to do ahead of qualifying.
The session featured several dramatic incidents, most notably involving Williams driver Alex Albon. After initially surviving a slide through the gravel at the Degner curves that saw him strike the barrier with his left rear tire, Albon was later involved in a more serious collision with Perez heading into the chicane. The Williams driver attempted to overtake the slower Cadillac on the inside when Perez, unaware of his presence, turned in and caused Albon to spin amid a shower of debris.
Race stewards confirmed they will investigate both the Albon-Perez incident and an unseen moment at the notorious 130R corner involving Verstappen and Hamilton. The session also saw Russell and both Racing Bulls drivers run wide over the run-off area at Spoon curve, highlighting the challenging nature of Suzuka’s demanding layout as teams continue adapting to the 2026 technical regulations.