In the context of the Formula 1 Japanese GP, George Russell has posted the best time during the first free practice session, surpassing his teammate Kimi Antonelli by just 0.026 seconds.
With both Mercedes drivers dominating the first two races of the season, Russell has once again demonstrated his team’s strength in this third event of the championship.
Russell led the early moments on the famous Suzuka track with an initial time of 1m32.429s, followed by Oscar Piastri from McLaren and Charles Leclerc from Ferrari. Once switched to the softer Pirelli tires, Russell and Antonelli solidified their positions at the front.
About halfway through the session, Russell managed to improve to 1m31.755s, with Antonelli next at 1m32.032s. The Italian, who recently won his first race in Shanghai, briefly surpassed Russell with a time of 1m31.692s, but he regained the lead with a record of 1m31.666s.
The world champion, Lando Norris, had a slower start in practice but managed to finish third, 0.132s off the provisional pole. Piastri also stood out, placing fourth, 0.199s behind Russell, seeking to recover after a double retirement in China.
Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished in fifth and sixth positions, respectively, with a gap of three-tenths to Mercedes. Max Verstappen from Red Bull qualified seventh, with Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon closing out the top ten.
The session went on without major incidents, although Alex Albon from Williams had a minor scare at Degner. Nevertheless, his vehicle returned to the track without significant issues. On his part, Aston Martin driver Jak Crawford made his debut in this session, allowing him to explore the limits of his new car.
With the Japanese GP in full swing, fans are eager to see if the Mercedes drivers can maintain their dominant position throughout the rest of the weekend.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI