McLaren’s Oscar Piastri topples dominant Mercedes in Japanese practice

Oscar Piastri raised the prospect of a first non-Mercedes victory of the season after he finished fastest in practice for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver edged out Kimi Antonelli by 0.092 seconds in Suzuka with George Russell third.

Lando Norris missed the first half of the one-hour session with a hydraulics leak and was fourth, half-a-second down on Piastri in the other McLaren.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, a distant seven tenths behind Piastri, and one place ahead of Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion was 0.847secs off Piastri’s pace.

Max Verstappen’s torrid start to the new season looks set to extend into the third race after he finished only 10th.

Verstappen, a winner here last year, ended the one-hour running 1.3s behind Piastri with Isack Hadjar in the other Red Bull even further back in 15th.

Mercedes have set the benchmark this season with Russell and Antonelli both on one victory apiece. Up until Friday, either Russell or Antonelli had also occupied the top spot in every practice session so far. Indeed, Russell finished fastest in the day’s first running.

However, Piastri’s speed later in the day will offer encouragement for constructors’ champions McLaren and Norris whose has endured an underwhelming start to his title defence.

McLaren are also looking to bounce back from a horror show at the previous round in China where mechanical gremlins saw both Piastri and Norris fail to start the race.

Hamilton landed the first Ferrari podium of his career in Shanghai but he appeared down on belief in practice.

“I am very slow because I have no confidence in the car,” he said in the closing moments of the session.

After his strong showing in China, British driver Ollie Bearman, currently fifth in the standings, took ninth spot.

Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg was seventh, one place clear of Williams’ Alex Albon as Verstappen rounded out the top 10.