Japanese Grand Prix Practice 1 Match Detail on SportFeed

George Russell set the pace in a dominant opening practice for Mercedes, clocking a 1:31.666 to top the timesheets. The championship leader narrowly beat his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, by just 0.026 seconds, signaling that the "Silver Arrows" remain the team to beat in 2026.

Despite a minor error that saw him run wide at Spoon Curve late in the session, Russell’s soft-tire run proved untouchable, further bolstered by Mercedes' striking "Wolf-inspired" special livery for the weekend. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri provided an encouraging start for McLaren, finishing third and fourth respectively after a difficult double retirement in the previous round in China.

The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton followed closely in fifth and sixth, while Max Verstappen endured a "low-key" session in seventh, reporting that the Red Bull was "bleeding laptime" in the high-speed corners. The session was briefly disrupted by a "clumsy" incident at the final chicane between Alex Albon and Sergio Pérez, which left debris on the track and triggered a post-session investigation by the stewards.