Antonelli beats team mate Russell in final Japan practice

Mercedes dominated the final practice session at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli setting the fastest time of 1m 29.362s, followed closely by his teammate George Russell. The duo established a significant gap over the rest of the field, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing third, over eight-tenths of a second behind. While Mercedes showed strong form, reigning champion Lando Norris faced persistent technical issues with his McLaren’s ERS, limiting his track time and placing him sixth. Meanwhile, rookie Oliver Bearman narrowly avoided disaster with a spin at Spoon Curve, and the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso struggled, finishing at the back of the pack over four seconds off the pace.