Piastri Tops FP2 as McLaren Outpaces Mercedes

Oscar Piastri topped Friday’s second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, McLaren edging early championship leaders Mercedes as the teams opened the weekend.

Piastri set the fastest time at 1:30.133, 0.092s quicker than Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and 0.205s faster than world championship leader George Russell, who had led the opening practice. After a difficult start to the season and a double retirement in Shanghai, McLaren looked markedly sharper on day one despite arriving without aerodynamic updates.

“McLaren have made a step forward,” said Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins, with Karun Chandhok adding that he was encouraged by McLaren’s pace. Piastri looked confident through Suzuka’s high-speed sections.

Lando Norris was fourth, 0.516s off the pace, despite losing time early in the session with a hydraulic leak and having two off-track moments at Spoon and the chicane while completing 16 laps. Even with a disrupted program, Norris split the two Mercedes and finished ahead of both Ferraris.

Ferrari again appeared off the pace at Suzuka, their drivers more than seven-tenths down. Charles Leclerc was fifth (+0.713) with Lewis Hamilton sixth (+0.847). Hamilton reported in later race simulations that he lacked confidence in the car, saying over team radio: “I am very slow because I have no confidence in the car.”

Red Bull, winners of the last four Japanese grands prix, continued to struggle for pace and grip. After being 0.7s down in FP1, their deficit grew to nearly 1.4s in FP2: Max Verstappen was 10th (+1.376) and Isack Hadjar 15th (+1.626). The RB22 arrived with upgrades this weekend but both drivers seemed to lack grip around Suzuka and, as in China, were swallowed by the midfield.

The midfield showed strength behind the top six. Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) was seventh (+1.308), Alex Albon (Williams) eighth (+1.363) and Oliver Bearman (Haas) ninth (+1.365). Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad managed only a single lap in FP2 due to a gearshift issue, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto completed just 10 laps because of a problem on his car.

Mercedes’ later race-simulation runs suggested they could have an advantage over McLaren over race distance, even if McLaren’s single-lap speed caught attention. “McLaren were pretty fast,” Russell acknowledged. “A little bit of a surprise, to be honest. There are still some improvements we need to do, so some work to do overnight.”

Practice Two times (top 22)

22) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) — No time set

Sky Sports F1 schedule highlights for Suzuka:

Saturday March 28 — FP3 2:15am (session 2:30am), Qualifying build-up 5:00am, Qualifying 6:00am.

Sunday March 29 — Race build-up 4:30am, Japanese Grand Prix 6:00am.

Formula 1 continues this weekend at the iconic Suzuka Circuit, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1.