@GeorgeRussell63 Leads @MercedesAMGF1 1-2 in FP1 – 2026 #JapaneseGP.
George Russell (#63) powers the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W17 during FP1 at the 2026 Formula 1 Aramco Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, where he led a Mercedes one-two ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. (Image credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Russell Japanese GP FP1 – George Russell lead from team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes one-two in opening practice at the Japanese GP as both McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed in third and fourth respectively.
Russell posted the session-topping benchmark with the C3 red side-walled softer compounds and was a slim 0.026 seconds clear of team-mate Antonelli whilst Norris was a further 0.132 seconds off the championship leader.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg was the first to hit the Suzuka International Racing Course with a set of the C2 yellow-marked mediums as the session began under a Virtual Safety Car for a system test by the FIA.
The German’s team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto was stuck at the pit-lane exit but managed to get running.
Hulkenberg came in as Ferrari’s Hamilton began his first hot-lap on the C1 white-branded harder rubber.
The seven-time world champion set the opening benchmark of a 1:37.256 as team-mate, also on hards pipped his team-mate with a 1:37.246.
Haas’s Oliver Bearman slotted into third with his 1:37.274 effort whilst Alpine’s Franco Colapino popped into fourth.
RB’s Arvid Lindblad then jumped to the top briefly posting a 1:37.043, then was ousted by Gasly’s 1:36.409.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri went quickest on the C2’s setting a 1:34.053 as Red Bull’s Verstappen jumped to second on a 1:34.089 as the latter’s team-mate Isack Hadjar dropped to fourth.
Championship leader Russell planted his Silver Arrow on top posting a 1:33.312 to go 0.741 seconds clear of Piastri.
Leclerc on his next flyer ended up fifth and 1.199 seconds off Russell’s benchmark.
Gasly improved to fourth on a 1:34.237 effort as Piastri returned to the head of the times setting a 1:32.812 to go 0.500 clear.
Leclerc on his next hot-lap slotted into second behind the McLaren, being only 0.021 seconds off.
Russell then shot back to P1 with a 1:32.429 with a purple opening sector and two personal bests to end up 0.383 in-front of Piastri just past the tenth minute mark.
Chinese GP winner Antonelli with two personal bests and a purple final sector went fourth overall to be 0.529 seconds off his time-topping team-mate Russell with his 1:32.958 at this stage of proceedings.
Leclerc was next and with a purple middle sector went fastest on a 1:32.260 to be 0.169 clear of Russell.
Hamilton with two personal bests remained in fifth and 1.096 off his team-mate as Russell despite s purple sector two only ended up 0.013 seconds off Leclerc and remained in second.
Replays showed four-time world champion Verstappen suffer a snap at the Casio Triangle Chicane.
Piastri remained in third with two personal bests and 0.518 seconds off Leclerc as Antonelli relegated the Australian to fourth with his 1:32.304 hot-lap.
RB’s Liam Lawson with three personal bests split the sister team Red Bull drivers to jump to fifth to be 0.845 seconds off Leclerc’s best time.
Piastri was next continuing his opening stint on the medium rubber and crossed the line to remain in fourth and 0.079 seconds off Leclerc’s best time as the top three and Verstappen and Hamilton were in the pits.
Piastri’s team-mate and championship leader Lando Norris was stuck in the garage despite completing a sighting lap.
The Briton had the aero rakes removed from his MCL40 racer and hopefully have found the issue whilst Williams’ Alexander Albon was also in the pits.
The majority of the field were in the pits adjusting their setups at the 21st minute mark of proceedings as Bearman went to 12th in the order with his 1:33.913.
Norris and top three runners Leclerc, Russell and Antonelli also ventured back out on track, with Norris on the mediums, Leclerc back on the hards and the two Mercedes on the softs.
Reigning world champion Norris had to abandon his flyer after making an error out of Spoon Curve as Russell on his soft tyres jumped to P1 setting a 1:31.755 to be 0.277 seconds clear of Antonelli who slotted behind his Mercedes team-mate.
Replays showed Norris running off at Spoon whilst Antonelli suffered a front-left lock-up into the Casio Hairpin.
Norris with three personal bests jumped to eighth with his 1:33.077 but only momentarily as both Bortoleto and Hulkenberg relegated Norris to tenth with their flyers.
Verstappen with his flying tour on the softs and with three personal bests went to fifth posting a 1:32.457.
Russell improved at the top with a 1:31.755 but was knocked down by his team-mate Antonelli’s 1:31.692 flying lap to be 0.063 seconds clear at the top.
Hadjar put his Red Bull sixth overall with his 1:32.803 and ahead of the two Racing Bulls Arvid Lindblad and Lawson who ended up seventh and eighth as a result of Hadjar’s effort.
Russell returned to top spot with a personal best middle sector, posting a 1:31.666 to be 0.026 seconds clear of team-mate Antonelli with 27 minutes left on the clock.
Norris on his seventh lap on the mediums with three personal bests went sixth overall with his 1:32.517 effort as both Mercedes went back into the garage.
Leclerc was unable to was unable to improve on his first flyer on the softs as his team-mate Hamilton emerged on his set of the C3’s.
Replays showed Leclerc suffer a snap at Spoon whilst Russell almost had a scary moment with Cadillac’s Sergio Perez out of the final corner and heading onto the main-straight yelling: “What is this idiot doing?”
Norris improved to fourth overall with a 1:32.276 on the mediums as his McLaren team-mate Piastri on the softs slotted behind with a 1:32.339 on the softs.
Hamilton on his flyer went third in the order setting a 1:32.040 with three personal bests and ended up 0.374 off former team-mate Russell’s best time with less than 20 minutes remaining in the opening hour-long practice session.
Piastri was next on his fourth tour on the softs, and the Australian put his McLaren third overall with two personal bests setting a 1:31.865 to be 0.199 seconds off Russell as Leclerc jumps team-mate Hamilton to fourth with his 1:31.955 hot-lap and was 0.289 off the leading Mercedes.
Reigning world champion Norris on his flyer on the softs jumped to third in the order with a 1:31.798 after three personal best sectors to wound up 0.132 off Russell’s benchmark.
Replays showed Albon crash into Perez at the Casio Triangle Chicane, with the former running into the side of the Cadillac and sent the Williams into a spin.
Albon was behind the Mexican on a push lap, as was Perez. Albon attempted to dive down the inside, the Mexican seemingly did not see him and turned in sending debris over the track.
The incident involving Albon and Perez is currently under investigation by the race stewards.
The majority of the field bar the Mercedes drivers, Albon, Perez and Aston Martin’s Jack Crawford (in place of Fernando Alonso for the session) were on track running their race simulation data gathering runs.
The session ended with Russell ahead of team-mate Antonelli as Norris rounded out the top three.
Piastri followed in fourth behind his team-mate and in-front of the two Ferrari’s of Leclerc and Hamilton who were fifth and sixth respectively.
Four-time world champion Verstappen was seventh for Red Bull and ahead of RB’s Lawson who took eighth.
Haas’s Esteban Ocon ended FP1 ninth whilst Lindblad completed the top ten for Racing Bulls.
You can see the full Formula 1 Aramco Japanese Grand Prix 2026 Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 ARAMCO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2026 – PRACTICE 1
