Oscar Piastri has managed to stop Mercedes’ dominance, setting the fastest time in the second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix of Formula 1, held at Suzuka. The McLaren driver recorded a time of 1:30.133, surpassing Kimi Antonelli and demonstrating great pace throughout the session.
After a dominant start from Mercedes in the first practice, where George Russell and Antonelli achieved a 1-2, Piastri has changed expectations in this second session. In the opening minutes, Piastri displaced Russell from the top spot with a time of 1:31.495, which was 0.073 seconds faster than the best time by the Mercedes driver.
During the first half of the session, the drivers exchanged the best times, but Piastri stood out when he switched to the soft tires. On his first attempt with these tires, he set the fastest time of the day, thus consolidating his lead with a lap of 1:30.133, surpassing Antonelli, who clocked 1:30.225 with the same tire compound.
His teammate, Piastri and Lando Norris, finished the session in fourth place with a time of 1:30.649, just 0.516 seconds behind his teammate. The defending champion, Norris, had a difficult start due to a hydraulic leak at the beginning of the session but managed to recover and set good times toward the end.
Completing the group of drivers at the top of the table are Charles Leclerc in fifth place with 1:30.846 and Lewis Hamilton in sixth with 1:30.980. Hamilton, following his first podium with Ferrari at the last race, struggled to get close to the best times during this session.
The top 10 was rounded out by Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, and Max Verstappen, who is known for his battle with the RB22. The top six spots indicate a clear competition between McLaren and Mercedes, with Ferrari also trying to stay ahead in this new era of regulations.
The next session, which will be crucial for qualifying strategies, promises to be competitive, with Piastri demonstrating that he is a serious candidate for pole.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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