World champions McLaren outpaced early 2026 championship leaders Mercedes as Oscar Piastri topped Friday’s second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
After a slow start to the season and the double retirement in Shanghai, McLaren looked much more competitive on day one. Piastri set the pace with a 1:30.133, finishing 0.092s clear of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and 0.205s ahead of world championship leader George Russell, who had led the opening practice.
“McLaren have made a step forward,” said Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins, with Sky’s Karun Chandhok adding: “I’m encouraged by what we have seen from McLaren.” The team arrived without aerodynamic updates but Piastri appeared confident around Suzuka’s high-speed sweeps.
Lando Norris was fourth, 0.516s down, despite missing much of the first half of the session after a hydraulic leak and having two off-track moments at Spoon and the chicane during his 16 laps. Even with a compromised run, Norris still split the two Mercedes and finished ahead of both Ferraris.
Ferrari again looked off the pace at Suzuka, their drivers more than seven-tenths down on the day. Charles Leclerc was fifth (+0.713) and Lewis Hamilton sixth (+0.847). Hamilton reported over team radio after later race simulations: “I am very slow because I have no confidence in the car.”
Red Bull, winners of the last four Japanese GPs, continued to struggle for pace and grip. After being 0.7s down in FP1, their deficit grew to almost 1.4s in FP2: Max Verstappen was 10th (+1.376) and Isack Hadjar 15th (+1.626). The RB22 brought upgrades this weekend but both drivers appeared to lack grip around the Suzuka layout. As in China, Red Bull were swallowed by the midfield.
The order behind the top six reflected that midfield strength: 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 because of a gearshift issue, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto completed just 10 laps due to a problem on his car.
Mercedes’ race-simulation pace in the session’s later runs indicated they could have an edge over McLaren across race distance, although McLaren’s single-lap speed drew notice. “McLaren were pretty fast,” Russell admitted. “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)
1) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) — 1:30.133
2) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — +0.092
3) George Russell (Mercedes) — +0.205
4) Lando Norris (McLaren) — +0.516
5) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — +0.713
6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — +0.847
7) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) — +1.308
8) Alex Albon (Williams) — +1.363
9) Oliver Bearman (Haas) — +1.365
10) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — +1.376
11) Esteban Ocon (Haas) — +1.399
12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) — +1.457
13) Carlos Sainz (Williams) — +1.475
14) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) — +1.601
15) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) — +1.626
16) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) — +1.800
17) Franco Colapinto (Alpine) — +2.305
18) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) — +2.482
19) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) — +3.463
20) Sergio Perez (Cadillac) — +3.556
21) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) — +3.818
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 5am, Qualifying 6am.
Sunday March 29 — Race build-up 4:30am, Japanese Grand Prix 6am.
Formula 1 continues at the iconic Suzuka Circuit this weekend, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1.