George Russell set the pace in a Mercedes one-two during a dramatic first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
SUZUKA: George Russell led a Mercedes one-two in the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday. The early championship leader clocked a fastest lap of 1min 31.666sec at a sunny Suzuka.
He pipped his 19-year-old team-mate Kimi Antonelli by a mere 0.026 seconds. Antonelli claimed his maiden Formula One victory just two weeks ago in China.
World champion Lando Norris was third fastest for McLaren. He was followed by team-mate Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished the session seventh, 0.791 seconds off Russell’s pace. Norris and Piastri had both failed to start the previous race in China due to a technical issue.
Norris’s session was interrupted by a lengthy garage stay after an early run. The session saw several incidents, including a crash between Williams driver Alex Albon and Cadillac’s Sergio Perez.
Albon lost the front nose of his car in the late-session collision. He had earlier skidded off the track and into the gravel, clipping a barrier on his return.
Verstappen experienced a wobble when accelerating out of a corner. His Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar reported early issues, telling his team the car was “pulling”.
Aston Martin fielded reserve driver Jak Crawford in place of Fernando Alonso. Alonso arrived in Japan late following the birth of his first child.