Mercedes struck hard in the first free practice session in Japan. Behind them, Red Bull is showing concerning pace despite its upgrades.
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The hierarchy is already taking shape at Suzuka. From the first free practice session, George Russell set the pace with a lap in 1:31.666, confirming Mercedes’ dominance at the start of the 2026 season.
The Briton beat his teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.026 seconds, delivering a solid one-two for the German team. The two drivers constantly exchanged the best times, particularly during their soft tire simulations.
This performance confirms continuity following their dominance in China, and sends a clear signal to the competition right from the start of the Japanese weekend.
McLaren in ambush, Ferrari in the mix
Behind the Silver Arrows, Lando Norris climbed to third place, just 0.132 seconds back. An encouraging performance for McLaren, despite starting the session later than its rivals.
His teammate Oscar Piastri completes the top 4, confirming the overall strength of the British team on this demanding circuit.
For Ferrari, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finish fifth and sixth respectively. Both remain in contention, less than four tenths behind Russell, which suggests a tight battle for the rest of the weekend.
Red Bull struggling despite upgrades
The real surprise of this FP1 comes from Red Bull Racing. Despite the introduction of a major upgrade package on the RB22, Max Verstappen could do no better than seventh.
The Dutchman is showing a significant gap of nearly 0.75 seconds to the benchmark set by Russell. A concerning gap, especially given expectations around the improvements made to the car.
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While Verstappen had fitted soft tires in conditions similar to Mercedes, he never seemed able to match the pace being set at the front.
An eventful session under scrutiny
The session was not without incident. Several drivers came under investigation from the stewards, notably Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson, involved in an unusual slow-running episode at the exit of the hairpin.
In the final minutes, Alex Albon made contact with Sergio Pérez at the final chicane, adding more tension to an already eventful session.
Also worth noting is the quiet performance of Jak Crawford, standing in for Fernando Alonso, who finished last after completing only 11 laps.
A heavy trend already?
This first session at Suzuka confirms a clear dynamic: Mercedes still appears to have an edge.
While McLaren and Ferrari remain within reach, Red Bull’s situation is already raising concerns. At this stage of the weekend, the Austrian team appears to be falling behind and will need to react quickly to avoid another setback.
The rest of the practice sessions will therefore be crucial to understand whether this hierarchy holds… or if Red Bull can reverse the trend.
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FP1 standings for the 2026 Japanese GP:
