Mercedes delivered a commanding performance during final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli leading teammate George Russell in a dominant one-two finish at Suzuka Circuit. The German manufacturer’s resurgence came as a stark contrast to Friday’s running, where McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had topped the timesheets before falling to fourth position, more than a second adrift of Antonelli’s benchmark lap time.
The Mercedes duo proved to be in a class of their own during the session, consistently lowering the fastest lap times and becoming the sole drivers to break the 90-second barrier around the iconic Japanese circuit. Charles Leclerc secured third position for Ferrari, while Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five for his former team, sandwiching Piastri’s McLaren between the Scuderia and Mercedes drivers.
McLaren faced renewed reliability concerns as Lando Norris missed significant portions of the session due to an ERS-related problem, echoing similar issues that prevented both McLaren cars from starting the Chinese Grand Prix. Despite the setback, Norris quickly found competitive pace once the team resolved the technical difficulties and returned him to the track.
Audi emerged as the standout midfield performer, with Nico Hulkenberg leading the second tier of competitors in seventh place while teammate Gabriel Bortoleto provided strong support in ninth. Max Verstappen, sandwiched between the Audi drivers in eighth, expressed audible frustration over his Red Bull’s lack of pace throughout the session.
Aston Martin endured another disappointing practice session, with both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso languishing at the bottom of the timing screens. Despite trouble-free running for both cars, neither driver could mount a challenge against their competitors, finishing nearly a full second slower than Sergio Perez in the less competitive of the two Cadillac entries.