McLaren
Norris had a tardy start to FP1, after running one lap with aero rakes. Removing those cost him some running, but once out on track the World Champion looked fast. His team mate was quick too. Norris again missed some running in the second session, this time due to a hydraulic leak. As such he ran out of sequence with the rest when he did take to the track and wound up fourth in the end, half a second shy of his team mate’s time with Piastri topping the session and looking pretty happy with his running at Suzuka.
Lando Norris – FP1: 1:31.798, P3; FP2: 1:30.649, P4
“Tricky day, we didn’t get the laps we needed. Early in FP2 we couldn’t do much more than one lap at a time, and a lot of the morning was aero work, so the running we did manage wasn’t really representative. Around a track like this, you just want laps to build confidence and refine the setup, and right now we’re two or three steps behind with no long runs and very limited consecutive running.
“With that said, we pulled a few things together at the end and learned a bit, even if it wasn’t as much as we’d have liked. We’ll use the night to reset, go through the data we have, and try to fix some things so we can get meaningful laps on the board and get back on track tomorrow.”
Oscar Piastri – FP1: 1:31.865, P4; FP2: 1:30.133, P1
“Overall, it was a decent day for us. We felt like we made some good progress, particularly in the second Practice session, which was encouraging. The feeling is positive, and we’ve gathered some valuable data that puts us in a solid position.
“We know there’s still work to do, and it’s clear that some of our competitors, especially Mercedes, are very strong. However, the focus is on our own performance. We hope to build on the progress from today and carry that momentum forward to be even more competitive.”
Randy Singh, Senior Director, Racing
“We made the most of our opportunities today despite a challenging start. After FP1, the team did a fantastic job to manage a hydraulic issue on Lando’s car and ensure we still gathered valuable data from the session. Seeing Oscar finish P1 is always encouraging, and it shows we are working hard to extract the maximum from the package, but we remain realistic. We don’t believe the fundamental pecking order has changed since the last race.
“Our focus for this weekend is clear: maximise every session, harvest as many points as we can, and continue to learn what we need to develop the car further. The season has presented its challenges, but every race is an opportunity to improve. We are focused on our own programme and executing a clean weekend to secure the best possible result.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren prepares to drive during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren prepares to drive during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Mercedes
Russell topped FP1 from his team mate, those two pushing each other close once again, but with Antonelli locking up on his first run on the softs, there was definitely some time left out there for the youngster. The Italian then got the beating of Russell second time around, albeit in a session where both Mercedes drivers were pipped by the McLaren of Piastri. Nonetheless, it was a solid opening day with no obvious gremlins for the Silver Arrows, who will be full of confidence heading into Qualifying tomorrow.
George Russell – FP1: 1:31.666, P1; FP2: 1:30.338, P3
“It’s great to be back here at Suzuka; it’s an incredible circuit and always a challenge behind-the-wheel. There has been a lot of noise about how these new cars would behave around this track and their relative pace. There are a couple of areas on the single lap that we are slightly slower into the apex, but the Esses are still super challenging and the speeds we are achieving halfway down the back straight are some of the fastest we’ve ever done. That’s been pretty cool and good to see.
“Overall, we had a decent Friday out there. It was a little surprising to see the pace of McLaren but there is no reason to believe that it isn’t genuine. We’ve clearly got some work to do overnight to find some pace if we are to challenge them tomorrow. Fortunately, we have several areas where we are aiming to improve and hopefully, we can do that overnight. We will find out where we stand come qualifying.”
Kimi Antonelli – FP1: 1:31.692, P2; FP2: 1:30.225, P2
“We’ve had a decent Friday here at Suzuka. We got through our full programme and managed to gather data across all three compounds. Whilst we’re pleased with what we’ve accomplished, we’ve got work to do. McLaren in particular have looked very quick, and several other cars are not too far away either.
“The W17 feels good but with changeable wind conditions and cooler tyres, it’s been tricky to put our laps together. Improving the overall balance is therefore an objective overnight and, if we can do so, then hopefully we can make sure we’re in the fight for pole position on Saturday. That could be key given the difficulty we usually face in overtaking here. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
“We’ve had a fairly straightforward first day here in Suzuka. The car ran reliably and we’ve been able to get through our planned work. This track is quite challenging from an energy point of view, especially on the single lap; we were losing some time out of the final chicane and that is something we will be looking to improve for tomorrow.
“In terms of pace, it looks like we are in a reasonable place although both McLaren and Ferrari have posted impressive times during the day so we’re not taking anything for granted. We’ve managed to long run all three tyre compounds during the day and that gives us useful information for Sunday. There are a few things we can chase overnight to try and improve the speed and balance of the car but overall we have got off to a decent start.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W17 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W17 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Ferrari
Both Ferrari drivers looked in good shape in the first session, pushing each other close. They were the closest challengers to Mercedes for much of the hour, until McLaren went for a late soft tyre run. Leclerc once again was slightly ahead of Hamilton in FP2, but interestingly, the Scuderia cars were again behind the McLarens. Whether there has been a change in the pecking order, or whether McLaren were running lower fuel remains to be seen, especially considering both Ferrari drivers had little moments throughout the day – so there is certainly more to come from them tomorrow.
Charles Leclerc – FP1: 1:31.955, P5; FP2: 1:30.846, P5
“It was a more tricky day for us as a team, compared to the last two races, but it’s only the first day of the weekend. Our race pace seems to be good so far, although there is still quite a gap to the front runners. Our focus going forward will be on working on the qualifying performance for tomorrow.”
Lewis Hamilton – FP1: 1:32.040, P6; FP2: 1:30.980, P6
“It’s been a slightly tricky day for us. The car doesn’t feel bad overall, but at the moment we’re just lacking a bit of pace and the balance is not quite where we want it to be. We’ll work hard overnight to improve the set-up and try to make a step forward for tomorrow. There are areas where we can do better, including deployment, and if we can put everything together we should be able to extract more performance.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-26 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-26 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Audi
It was a very mixed Friday for Audi, who suffered reliability problems but also looked quick at times. They had a steady first session for both cars, finishing on the cusp of the top 10 with Bortoleto just edging his team mate. But the Brazilian was stuck in the garage for most of FP2 with an issue, only emerging late on for a couple of laps on the soft tyre. As such, he lost all the planned long running and will be relying on his team mate’s data overnight. Hulkenberg gave Audi something to smile about with a P7 finish in FP2, albeit on a day where the margins were very, very tight.
Nico Hulkenberg – FP1: 1:32.798, P12; FP2: 1:31.441, P7
“We had two clean sessions, completed the full programme and built a good baseline. The car feels in a decent window, so it’s a positive starting point. The midfield looks very tight – closer than in the first two races – so it should be very competitive out there. We’ll review everything overnight, and the direction is clear with a good base to build on for tomorrow.”
Gabriel Bortoleto – FP1: 1:32.759, P11; FP2: 1:31.933, P16
“The morning session was pretty straightforward, but we identified an issue early on in FP2 and we made the call to carry out a precautionary gearbox change as the swiftest way to get back out. That meant losing some time in the garage, but the team did an incredible job turning the car around and getting me back out for the end of the session – I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for the effort and hard work.
“We still managed to get some laps in and gather useful insight, so we’ll take that and keep building from here, with one final practice session tomorrow before heading into Qualifying.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Sparks fly behind Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Audi F1 Team R26 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Sparks fly behind Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Audi F1 Team R26 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Williams
Albon had a messy first session, running through the gravel at the Degners and clipping the barriers for good measure. He later tried to overtake Perez on the inside of the chicane and was tagged into a spin, shedding carbon fibre over the track. The stewards opted to take no further action for that crash, but the Thai driver continued to find himself in the thick of the action later on. First he was released into the path of Gasly in the pit lane, then nearly came a cropper on a hot lap when he found traffic through one of the faster corners. Albon wound up in the top 10 though, which was a surprise – but a pleasant one for the team. Sainz had a much quieter day by comparison.
Alex Albon – FP1: 1:33.697, P18; FP2: 1:31.496, P8
“That’s Friday done with. I think more of a positive day today than the last two weekends. We have to be realistic in that I think that’s probably a bit stronger than where we’re going to be tomorrow, but at least on the positive side the car is feeling better. We’ve corrected some issues and, also with setup, we’ve found something a bit more interesting in FP2. We’re chipping away and going in the right direction.”
Carlos Sainz – FP1: 1:33.383, P17; FP2: 1:31.608, P13
“It was tough to get everything out of the car today but we had decent pace in the short runs during FP2. We seem to be more competitive over one lap, but we’re struggling with race pace in the high fuel runs. Tonight, we’ll look at what we can change with the setup to find some performance and hope to make some progress before Qualifying.”
Angelos Tsiaparas, Chief Engineer
“Overall a very productive Friday. We got through most of our programmes and there were some very interesting test items as well that arguably helped move us forward, and we made a few setup changes between FP1 and FP2 which moved us in the right direction. We are starting to understand the car a bit better now we are at the third race and how to extract the maximum potential out of it, and we will see in Qualifying whether that moves us up the competitive order.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW48 Mercedes spins on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW48 Mercedes spins on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Haas
Ocon was the pick of the two Haas drivers in FP1, finishing in the top 10. But the tables turned in FP2, with Bearman the quicker driver. He wound up finishing in the top 10, but was only 0.034s ahead of his team mate. That points to a tight intra-team battle tomorrow, with Haas very much in the mix for Q3 berths – especially considering Red Bull do not as yet have two slots nailed down in the top 10.
Esteban Ocon – FP1: 1:32.601, P9; FP2: 1:31.532, P11
“Today has been positive overall. It was a strong start as we were able to test everything that we wanted to in FP1 and FP2. There’s some margin to improve further tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. It’s still a pure pleasure to be driving around this track and driving a Formula 1 car.”
Oliver Bearman – FP1: 1:32.900, P14; FP2: 1:31.498, P9
“It’s been a good day. The gap out there is very close, and this midfield battle is always the same, with VCARB looking good, even Williams and Audi. That’s our standard battle, so we’re looking to find some lap time overnight ready for tomorrow. It was very tough to overtake around here last year and it was maybe one of the races with the fewest overtakes. With these new regulations, however, there’s always going to be more opportunity, but qualifying will still be priority number one.”
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal
“We’ve done all the work we wanted to do today and we now have a few scans to do to understand parts of the car. The energy deployment is challenging, as we expected, but I think we generated lots of good data to improve our understanding. In terms of car performance in the corners, it looks decent and both drivers are reasonably happy. I think it’s just fine tuning now, but it was a good foundation today.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-26 Ferrari on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-26 Ferrari on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Red Bull
Hadjar was complaining that his car was pulling to one side in the early stages of the opening session, while the cameras picked up Verstappen having some wobbly moments out on track. Things did not massively improve in FP2, with the Dutchman scraping into the top 10, but only just. That RB22 looks a handful out there at the moment, with work to do overnight if Red Bull are to find some more pace and a better balance for both drivers.
Max Verstappen – FP1: 1:32.457, P7; FP2: 1:31.509, P10
“I had two opposites today and we went from one extreme to another, which ultimately affected our lap time. We made a few changes in between sessions: we tried to crack one thing and then something different came up, which was quite difficult to solve. We just need to understand our issues a bit more and where they are coming from. We were lacking a bit of balance and grip and now there is quite a lot of work to be done to understand why we are having these problems. It is also about understanding why we are that far off on Sector 1 and in the medium to high speed. We will work on this overnight, but I don’t think it is a particularly easy fix.”
Isack Hadjar – FP1: 1:32.803, P13; FP2: 1:31.759, P15
“Today wasn’t our best day, we struggled with the balance and grip in both sessions and that made it hard to put together the laps we would’ve wanted. For FP2 we made a step up in the feel of the car but were a little further away in lap time. I’m not as comfortable in the car as I’d like to be, but I’m sure that ahead of tomorrow we can turn things around and get ourselves in better shape for Qualifying.”
Paul Monaghan, Chief Engineer, Car Engineering
“You can see from our pace that the car isn’t performing to the usual standards that we set ourselves and the overall lap time is not good. It has been quite challenging, but we’ve identified some things that are wrong with the car and we particularly need to work to correct the balance and the grip. Now it is a case of confirming all the issues and understanding them enough to be able to make effective changes ahead of tomorrow. Geometrically, the upgrades we brought are quite big so thank you to everyone at the factory for getting them here as that was a mighty effort. These are working but now we have to fix the other aspects of the car. Like always, we will try and figure out what has gone wrong and work to understand the issues, fix them and send the car out tomorrow.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford leads Isack Hadjar of France driving the (6) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford leads Isack Hadjar of France driving the (6) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls looked quick from word go, with both drivers finishing in the top 10 in FP1 – a result that was especially impressive from Lindblad, who has not previously driven at Suzuka. But disaster struck in FP2 for the rookie, a gearbox issue confining him to the garage for most of the second session. As such he has lost plenty of crucial running, completing just one out-lap in FP2. Lawson’s session was smoother and he spent some time in the top 10 before dropping down the order as others set their laps later once the track had evolved.
Arvid Lindblad – FP1: 1:32.665, P10; FP2: No time set, P22
“It was a bit of an unfortunate day today. We had an issue with the gearbox in FP2, which is the reason why I didn’t get any running during that session. Both Liam and I started with a similar setup in FP1, but we found the same limitations with the car, so we decided to go in a similar direction to try and improve – he was happier, so that’s promising for tomorrow. Overall, the track is really fun to drive, and I’m looking forward to when the grip will ramp up, especially in Qualifying. It’s hard to know where we will sit at the moment, but the midfield is pretty close. We’ll work together with the team to try and get to Q3.”
Liam Lawson – FP1: 1:32.529, P8; FP2: 1:31.590, P12
“It’s great to be back in Suzuka and I’ve had a really enjoyable day. Things feel quite different from last year with these new cars. We made some changes between FP1 and FP2 as we were struggling with the car at high speed, but we managed to improve the balance and learned a lot in the process. We’re now in a good position to get the car into an optimal window ahead of Qualifying tomorrow. It’s going to be close, so everything is still to play for.”
Alan Permane, Team Principal
“We had an internal gear box failure on Arvid’s car on the out lap of FP2. We understand what happened, but we will put a fresh gear box on ready for tomorrow. Running time is obviously important here, so huge apologies to Arvid. We need to do better and give him a car that he can run reliably during Practice Sessions. Performance wise, we’re right in the thick of the midfield battle. A tenth either way could put us top or bottom of the midfield, so it’s super tight, but this makes for an exciting Qualifying tomorrow.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 03 RB Ford on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 03 RB Ford on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Alpine
Colapinto lost a little running in FP1 thanks to a radio issue, with neither Alpine car looking massively fast in the first session. That trend continued in FP2, but this time both were involved in incidents. Gasly had to take avoiding action in the pit lane after Albon was released into his path. Colapinto though was at fault when weaving down the back straight to warm his tyres – only to accidentally block Verstappen. The stewards looked at that and decided to hand Colapinto a warning.
Pierre Gasly – FP1: 1:32.978, P15; FP2: 1:31.734, P14
“Generally speaking it has not been an easy day for us here in Suzuka. In Free Practice 1, we struggled with the balance but we made a decent improvement for Free Practice 2. The feeling in the car is still not where I want it to be so we definitely have more to find ahead of tomorrow. The leaderboard is very tight, especially up to P7, behind the top three teams. Only a couple of tenths of a second splits P15 to P7 so I am sure it will be very close again in Qualifying tomorrow. If we can make some small improvements, I think it will have a big impact to our end result so the hard work will continue behind the scenes tonight and I am sure tomorrow can be better.”
Franco Colapinto – FP1: 1:33.361, P16; FP2: 1:32.438, P17
“Overall it has been a tricky Practice Day but one where we have learnt a lot. It is my first time driving at Suzuka, this legendary track, and it has been really cool to experience this place in a Formula One car and taking on some of these very special corners. We built up our confidence lap by lap and by the end of Free Practice 1 we were in a much better position but not feeling totally confident in the car, especially some of the high-speed parts. It was similar in Free Practice 2 so we have a few details to look at and fix and hopefully we can go into Qualifying tomorrow in a much better and more competitive place.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Alpine F1 A526 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Alpine F1 A526 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Cadillac
Perez was left frustrated in FP1 after late contact with Albon, as the Mexican turned in at the chicane only to find a Williams in his way. That crash cost him running too, as he was stuck in the pits at the start of FP2 while the team repaired some floor damage. Perez did manage to join his team mate out on track eventually, the duo jostling with the Aston Martin cars for position towards the back of the field.
Valtteri Bottas – FP1: 1:34.490, P20; FP2: 1:32.615, P18
“First of all, it’s fun to be driving at my favorite track once again. On my side of the garage, today was the best day we’ve had so far this season, with not a single issue. It meant we could completely focus on performance, fine tuning the balance and getting on with setup work. I feel we’ve gained a bit of load and stability with the upgrades this week, which gives me confidence that we’re going to see progress. We’re still lacking in areas compared to the top teams, but at least the direction is right and now we know, again, where we need to keep focusing on. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
Sergio Perez – FP1: 1:34.221, P19; FP2: 1:33.689, P20
“This morning we got through the majority of the program and the car felt pretty balanced. I missed a run at the end of the session with the incident with Alex (Albon) which then impacted the rest of the day as we were late out in the afternoon. When I did go out, we had another issue with the energy deployment and lost a lot of lap time. It hasn’t been the most straightforward day and it’s difficult to draw many conclusions, but we’ll look into everything from Valtteri as well and have a cleaner day tomorrow.”
Pat Symonds, Executive Engineer
“Today was a pretty good day. As we get more races under our belt we are really settling into a good rhythm. We brought some small upgrades to the car this weekend and, while we are still analyzing the data, both drivers seem happy with the balance of the car. There was a little upset after this morning’s collision, which cost us some time getting out in the second practice. Other than that, it was a relatively smooth day and we look forward to more of the same tomorrow, doing the best job we can, snapping away to get up into that midfield.”
Gallery2SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Cadillac F1 Team MAC-26 Ferrari in the Pitlane during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Cadillac F1 Team MAC-26 Ferrari in the Pitlane during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Aston Martin
Crawford was in for Alonso in FP1, and he ran aero rakes in the early stages as Aston Martin continued to gather much needed data as they look to develop their car. Alonso returned to the fray for the second session, and opted to just run the soft tyre for the entirety of FP2. Stroll ran a more standard medium-soft session, with both managing a decent haul of laps.
Lance Stroll – FP1: 1:35.294, P21; FP2: 1:33.951, P21
“I always enjoy coming back to Suzuka. It’s a very special track and the atmosphere here is amazing.
“We managed to get through our full run programme and will now look at the data and see what we can learn for tomorrow.
“There are some areas where we need to focus and find improvements – especially in the high-speed corners.”
Jak Crawford – FP1: 1:36.362, P22
“It was great to get out on track today in Suzuka.
“I’ve never driven here before, but my simulator work really helped me get up to speed quickly.
“I’m happy I could support the team by gathering valuable data on the AMR26, and I’d say it’s one of the most fun tracks I’ve driven.”
Fernando Alonso – FP1: No time set, P22; FP2: 1:33.596, P19
Gallery3SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR26 Honda on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)Close image galleryPrevious imageNext image
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SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 27: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR26 Honda on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 27, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Pirelli
Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer
“As is well known, this year the resurfacing of the final two sectors of the Suzuka circuit has been completed. The new asphalt is overall smoother than the surface laid in 2025, yet it still offers good grip. This lower roughness has certainly helped to keep tyre degradation under control, with graining so far having no significant impact.
“All three compounds can therefore be used to build race strategies that are almost certainly going to be one stop. The Soft, while capable of providing greater grip, is the option for which teams currently have the least data, due to the limited number of long runs carried out so far. The expected temperatures for race day, when the track will have evolved further, will also play an important role in strategic choices, as they are forecast to be around ten degrees lower than today’s.
“Among the decisions made by the various teams, it is interesting to note that McLaren was the only one not to test the Hard today. It’s a peculiar choice, perhaps aimed at preserving both sets of C1s for Sunday, ensuring one fresh set is available in case of a neutralisation.
Feedback on the hardest compound, meanwhile, came from all the other teams that used a set over the course of the day, with more than positive results. It could therefore be one of the possible options for the race start, delivering a consistent opening stint without compromising performance.”