Russell heads Mercedes 1-2 in FP1 for Japanese GP

George Russell led a Mercedes one-two in the opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, setting a lap time of 1m 31.666s. He was closely followed by his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who continues his impressive form following his recent victory in China. McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured third and fourth, showing promising pace after their recent challenges, while Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton followed behind. The session saw several incidents, including Williams driver Alex Albon suffering a minor collision with the barrier and later coming into contact with Cadillac's Sergio Perez at Degner 2. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar also struggled with oversteer, finishing in 13th, while Max Verstappen ended the session in seventh position. Teams utilized the session to test new aerodynamic components, with the field looking ahead to FP2 for further data collection.