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Event

Japanese Grand Prix Practice 1

Started 208 days, 21 hours, 22 minutes ago

Date & Time
Fri 27th March 2026 11:30am Local
Fri 27th March 2026 2:30am UTC

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League
Formula 1

Season
2026

Round
Round 3

Status
FT

Location

Suzuka International Racing Course

Video Highlights

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Event Statistics

Description

The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course opened with a session focused on data collection and adapting to the "high-speed" technical demands of the figure-eight layout. The primary challenge for the 22-car field was mastering the iconic "S" Curves and the Degner sections under the new 2026 regulations, which have significantly altered energy harvesting and deployment strategies. For the teams, the objective was to evaluate aero rakes and "flow-vis" paint in preparation for the upcoming flyaway rounds.

Strategically, the opening hour was a tale of two halves. The objective for the first 30 minutes was baseline testing on the hard compound tires, with Ferrari and Mercedes exchanging early benchmark times. As the session progressed, the tactical priority shifted to soft-tire qualifying simulations. With the 2026 power units facing "super clipping" issues on Suzuka's long straights, the goal for drivers like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris was to find a balance between raw pace and efficient battery usage before the track temperatures peaked.

Reports

Result List

01	George Russell	Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team	1:31.666
02	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team	+0.026s
03	Lando Norris	McLaren Formula 1 Team	+0.132s
04	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Formula 1 Team	+0.199s
05	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Ferrari HP	+0.289s
06	Lewis Hamilton	Scuderia Ferrari HP	+0.374s
07	Max Verstappen	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+0.791s
08	Liam Lawson	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team	+0.863s
09	Esteban Ocon	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	+0.935s
10	Arvid Lindblad	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team	+0.999s
11	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi Revolut F1 Team	+1.093s
12	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi Revolut F1 Team	+1.132s
13	Isack Hadjar	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+1.137s
14	Oliver Bearman	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	+1.234s
15	Pierre Gasly	BWT Alpine Formula One Team	+1.312s
16	Franco Colapinto	BWT Alpine Formula One Team	+1.695s
17	Carlos Sainz Jr	Williams Racing	+1.717s
18	Alexander Albon	Williams Racing	+2.031s
19	Sergio Perez	Cadillac Formula 1 Team	+2.555s
20	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac Formula 1 Team	+2.824s
21	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team	+3.628s
22	Jak Crawford	Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team	+4.696s

Result Description

George Russell set the pace in a dominant opening practice for Mercedes, clocking a 1:31.666 to top the timesheets. The championship leader narrowly beat his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, by just 0.026 seconds, signaling that the "Silver Arrows" remain the team to beat in 2026. Despite a minor error that saw him run wide at Spoon Curve late in the session, Russell’s soft-tire run proved untouchable, further bolstered by Mercedes' striking "Wolf-inspired" special livery for the weekend.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri provided an encouraging start for McLaren, finishing third and fourth respectively after a difficult double retirement in the previous round in China. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton followed closely in fifth and sixth, while Max Verstappen endured a "low-key" session in seventh, reporting that the Red Bull was "bleeding laptime" in the high-speed corners. The session was briefly disrupted by a "clumsy" incident at the final chicane between Alex Albon and Sergio Pérez, which left debris on the track and triggered a post-session investigation by the stewards.