Piastri puts McLaren on top at Japanese GP FP2 - Both Mercedes follow closely

Oscar Piastri set the benchmark in a disrupted but revealing second practice session at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, leading a tightly packed front group around the 5.807km Suzuka Circuit. Under clear skies and with zero risk of rain, FP2 delivered both performance clues and fresh reliability headaches as Round 3 continued to take shape.

Piastri puts McLaren on top at Suzuka

Lando Norris, despite a disrupted session, backed up the team’s pace with fourth place. The reigning World Champion was delayed by a suspected hydraulic issue and had multiple lap times deleted for track limits, but still managed a 1:30.649 – half a second off his team mate after battling traffic and a slightly twitchy rear end.

McLaren look far more at ease at Suzuka than they did in China.

Mercedes still the benchmark?

While Piastri topped the session, Mercedes continue to look ominously consistent. Antonelli and Russell both executed clean soft-tyre runs and, more importantly, long stints on used mediums of 18 laps each.

Russell’s best of 1:30.338 came on new softs, and he backed it up with near-identical pace on used rubber. Antonelli, meanwhile, briefly traded fastest sectors before settling for P2.

Mercedes may not have topped FP2, but their long-run data suggests they remain slight favourites heading into qualifying.

Ferrari in the hunt

Ferrari quietly positioned themselves just behind the leading trio. Charles Leclerc was fifth with a 1:30.846, narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc had earlier topped the session on mediums with a 1:31.019 before switching to softs. Both Ferrari drivers completed substantial medium-tyre long runs, hinting that race pace is a priority.

They appear close – but perhaps not quite able to match McLaren and Mercedes over a single lap, at least for now.

Red Bull off the pace

The biggest surprise of Friday remains Red Bull Racing’s lack of outright speed.

Max Verstappen could manage only 10th, 1.376s off Piastri’s benchmark. His soft-tyre effort of 1:31.509 left him behind not just the top three teams but also Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi, Alex Albon’s Williams and Oliver Bearman’s Haas.

Isack Hadjar fared little better in 15th.

Verstappen’s session was also complicated by traffic, including an incident with Franco Colapinto at Turn 15 that will be investigated post-session for “driving erratically.” Still, the raw pace deficit is clear. Red Bull appear to be mixing it with the midfield rather than the frontrunners at Suzuka.

Audi shine despite reliability woes

Nico Hulkenberg delivered an impressive P7 for Audi, comfortably “best of the rest.” His soft-tyre lap of 1:31.441 highlighted genuine one-lap potential.

However, Gabriel Bortoleto endured another difficult session. After early reliability problems left his car in pieces in the garage, the Brazilian returned late to set P16. Audi’s priority this weekend will be getting both cars reliably to the grid – something they have yet to achieve this season.

Reliability concerns mount

FP2 was punctuated by yellow flags and a brief Virtual Safety Car. Alex Albon reported, “The throttle is not working,” after stopping on track, though he recovered to finish eighth.

Sergio Perez’s Cadillac required floor repairs following his FP1 clash with Albon, severely limiting his running en route to 20th. Arvid Lindblad’s session was effectively over after just one out-lap due to Racing Bulls issues, continuing a worrying trend for the rookie.

With multiple lap times deleted for double yellows and track limits, it was a messy hour for several drivers.

Three teams clear at the front

After two practice sessions at Suzuka, a pattern is emerging. Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari have established a clear gap over the rest of the field. Red Bull, unexpectedly, are on the outside looking in.

The margins at the front are tight – just over two tenths covering the top three in FP2 – setting up what promises to be a fascinating qualifying battle at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits.

Friday belongs to Piastri. Saturday will reveal whether McLaren can truly convert that promise into pole position.