F1 practice LIVE: Japanese Grand Prix 2026 times, results & radio from Suzuka
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- George Russell led a Mercedes one-two in the first practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix, narrowly beating teammate Kimi Antonelli by 0.026 seconds, with McLaren's Lando Norris third.
- Oscar Piastri showed promise for McLaren by finishing fourth despite missing the first two races of the season and having limited running in 2026 due to reliability issues.
- Lewis Hamilton was fifth fastest in the Ferrari, while Max Verstappen, who has struggled with his Red Bull car, was seventh on the timesheets.
- The Suzuka circuit demands tougher tyres, with Pirelli supplying C1 hard, C2 medium, and C3 soft compounds, and the track recently resurfaced, resulting in a smooth but relatively low-grip surface.
- FP2 is scheduled to start at 06:00 GMT, with teams looking to challenge the strong Mercedes pace demonstrated in FP1.
