Formula 1 News: Piastri uses Mercedes power to top Practice 2 for the Japanese GP

Using superior Mercedes power in his superior Rob Marshall-designed McLaren, Oscar Piastri (Pictured No. 81) delivered a statement lap in Free Practice 2 for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, stopping the clock at 1m30.133s on soft tires to snatch top spot at Suzuka and end Mercedes’ early weekend control.

The McLaren driver set his benchmark just 23 minutes into the one-hour session, finishing 0.092s ahead of Kimi Antonelli (No. 12) and 0.205s clear of George Russell (No. 63). After dominating FP1 with a Mercedes 1-2, the Silver Arrows found themselves split by the papaya car on Saturday afternoon.

Lando Norris (No. 1) recovered to fourth despite a hydraulics leak that restricted him to only 16 laps. Charles Leclerc (No. 16) and Lewis Hamilton (No. 44) placed fifth and sixth for Ferrari, with Hamilton later admitting he had “no confidence” in the car during the closing stages.

Nico Hulkenberg (No. 27) continued Audi’s promising form with seventh, ahead of Alex Albon (No. 23) and Oliver Bearman (No. 87). Max Verstappen (No. 3) could manage only tenth, later describing the overweight Red Bull RB22 sled’s understeer as “unreal.”

The session was largely clean but not without drama. Albon stopped briefly past the apex of Turn 1 with throttle trouble, triggering a short yellow-flag period. There was also a close call in the pit lane when Gasly had to take avoiding action as Albon pulled out of the Williams garage. Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad (No. 41) never set a timed lap after a gearbox issue forced him back to the garage early. Gabriel Bortoleto (No. 5) completed just a handful of laps for Audi, while Sergio Pérez (No. 11) spent time in the garage having repairs carried out to floor damage sustained in FP1 contact with Albon.

All times were set on soft tires. Lando Norris was limited to just 16 laps because of an early hydraulics leak, while Sergio Pérez and Gabriel Bortoleto had restricted running due to repairs. Arvid Lindblad completed only one installation lap before a gearbox issue ended his session.

Fernando Alonso (No. 14) made his first on-track appearance of the weekend for Aston Martin after handing FP1 duties to reserve driver Jak Crawford. Stewards are investigating an incident between Alpine’s Franco Colapinto (No. 43) and Verstappen over alleged erratic driving by Colapinto while warming tires.

The second free practice session once again saw lovely weather conditions, with sunshine and temperatures rising to about 72 degrees F. Much like the first session, the track temperature peaked at around 104 degrees F.

2026 Japanese GP Practice 2 Results