Formula 1 roared back into life at the magnificent Suzuka Circuit, framed by Japan’s iconic cherry blossoms, for the opening day of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix weekend. While the weather remained pleasant and dry throughout Friday, the on-track action, particularly in the second practice session, was anything but straightforward. McLaren emerged looking formidable, topping both sessions, but a series of red flags severely disrupted running, leaving teams with limited data and plenty of questions heading into Saturday.

The biggest pre-session buzz surrounded the driver swaps within the Red Bull family. Yuki Tsunoda, greeted by immense home support, stepped into the senior Red Bull Racing car (sporting a special white and red Honda tribute livery) for the first time, while Liam Lawson returned to the Racing Bulls cockpit aiming to rebuild confidence after a tough start to his Red Bull tenure.

FP1: Norris Sets Early Benchmark, Tsunoda Impresses on Debut

The first 60-minute session unfolded relatively smoothly, offering an initial glimpse at the pecking order on the partially resurfaced Suzuka layout. Championship leader Lando Norris threw down the gauntlet for McLaren, setting the pace with a 1m 28.549s lap late in the session, despite a brief excursion onto the grass and gravel exiting the final chicane moments earlier.

Mercedes showed promising early pace, with George Russell slotting into second, just +0.163s behind Norris, suggesting their recent podium form might continue. Ferrari occupied the next row on the timesheets, with Charles Leclerc third (+0.416s) and new recruit Lewis Hamilton fourth (+0.502s), hinting at a tight battle amongst the leading teams.

All eyes were on the Red Bull garage, and Yuki Tsunoda delivered an assured and impressive debut. He steadily built up his speed in the RB21, appearing comfortable and running remarkably close to his highly decorated teammate Max Verstappen. On their initial soft tyre runs, Tsunoda was just a tenth slower than the Dutchman, eventually finishing the session sixth, right behind Verstappen in fifth (+0.516s). It was a near-perfect start under the intense spotlight of his home race debut for the senior team.

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin a respectable seventh, while Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar caught the eye in eighth. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was ninth despite a trip through the gravel at the Turn 11 hairpin, a fate shared earlier by Williams’ Alex Albon (P11 behind teammate Carlos Sainz in P10). Adding to the home interest, Alpine reserve Ryo Hirakawa took over Jack Doohan’s car for FP1 and finished P12. Liam Lawson marked his Racing Bulls return in P13, while Chinese GP winner Oscar Piastri had a quieter session in the second McLaren, ending up P15 after a less clean run than his pacesetting teammate.

FP2: Chaos Reigns as Red Flags Dominate

If FP1 offered intrigue, FP2 delivered chaos. The session was heavily fragmented by no fewer than four red flag stoppages, severely limiting valuable track time and data gathering for all teams.
The drama began less than 10 minutes in when Alpine’s Jack Doohan suffered a heavy, high-speed crash exiting Turn 1. Fortunately, the Australian reserve driver reported he was okay over the radio, but the incident caused significant barrier damage and left debris strewn across the track, leading to a lengthy delay of nearly 20 minutes while marshals effected repairs. It was a particularly cruel blow for Doohan, who had sat out FP1 for Hirakawa, meaning his Friday running totalled just four laps. Alpine later attributed the crash to a “misjudgement”.

Barely had the session resumed when the red flags flew again. Fernando Alonso, uncharacteristically, dipped a wheel onto the grass approaching Turn 8, pitching his Aston Martin into the gravel trap and beaching the car, ending his session prematurely.
With time ticking away, the remaining drivers scrambled to complete qualifying simulations on soft tyres. However, two further, albeit shorter, red flag periods caused by small grass fires at the side of the track added to the disruption. This meant many drivers, including Tsunoda and Antonelli, had their crucial low-fuel runs compromised or abandoned entirely.

Amidst the stop-start running, it was Oscar Piastri who ultimately topped the timesheets for McLaren with a 1m 28.114s, edging out teammate Norris by just 0.049s to make it a McLaren 1-2. Racing Bulls enjoyed a stellar session, with Isack Hadjar holding onto a brilliant third (+0.404s) and the returning Liam Lawson showing strong pace in fifth (+0.445s), sandwiching Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari in fourth.

George Russell backed up Mercedes’ strong FP1 showing in sixth, followed by Leclerc, Verstappen, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, and Williams’ Carlos Sainz (who had reported something “wrong” early in the session but continued) rounding out a jumbled top 10.
Friday Debrief: McLaren Lead, But Data is Scarce
Analyzing Friday’s performance is challenging given the FP2 chaos. With representative long-run data from the second session virtually non-existent (the most laps completed by anyone was just 14, roughly 40% of normal), analysts had to rely more heavily on the greener track conditions of FP1.

Based on that limited data and the headline times, McLaren appear to be the team to beat. They topped both sessions, handled the blustery wind conditions well, and analysis suggests they hold an edge of around 0.16s – 0.19s over their nearest rivals on both short and long runs (using FP1 data). Their strength lies particularly in Suzuka’s demanding medium and high-speed corners. Norris acknowledged their strong position but pointed to Mercedes, especially Russell, as a significant threat, believing the FP1 order might be more representative. The pace between Norris and Piastri looks incredibly close.

Mercedes enjoyed another positive Friday, building on their podiums in the first two races. Russell was immediately competitive, and rookie Antonelli adapted well. The data places them as McLaren’s closest challengers, roughly a tenth ahead of Red Bull and further clear of Ferrari in the simulations. They seem capable of challenging for another podium.

For Red Bull, there were encouraging signs despite the messy FP2. Tsunoda’s confident FP1 performance was a major positive, and while Verstappen admitted work is still needed, his general mood seemed less downbeat than after Friday practice at the previous two rounds. Their true pace remains slightly hidden due to the disrupted running.

Ferrari seem to have the most work to do among the leading quartet. While Leclerc spoke of learning valuable lessons and Hamilton continues to adapt to the SF-25, they appeared slightly off the ultimate pace of McLaren and Mercedes based on Friday’s evidence.

Looking Ahead:

Friday at Suzuka provided flashes of speed and plenty of drama, but the fragmented nature of FP2 means the true pecking order remains somewhat veiled. McLaren holds the provisional advantage, with Mercedes looking like their strongest challenger. Red Bull showed promise, particularly through Tsunoda’s debut, while Ferrari searches for answers. With limited running completed, Saturday’s final practice session becomes even more crucial for fine-tuning setups before the intensity of qualifying later in the afternoon. The stage is set for a fascinating continuation of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.