Lando Norris Leads First Practice at Japanese Grand Prix
British racer Lando Norris took the lead in the opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull’s newest recruit, trailing closely behind.
Norris Overcomes Early Challenges to Set Best Time
Despite a few close calls earlier in the session, including a near spin at the Casio Triangle and a brief off on gravel, Norris managed to set the fastest time of 1m28.549s on the soft tire. This put him 0.163 seconds ahead of George Russell.
Russell had held the top spot throughout both medium and soft-tyre runs until Norris’ clean run eclipsed his time. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton followed in third and fourth positions, with Leclerc expressing difficulties with car deceleration in the corners.
Verstappen, Tsunoda Impress on Debut
Max Verstappen reported issues with car flexing in the second sector but still managed to finish just 0.107 seconds behind Tsunoda, who was making his debut with Red Bull after his promotion from Racing Bulls. Tsunoda found the car interesting and had a good session overall.
Fernando Alonso secured a spot in the top seven ahead of Isack Hadjar, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Carlos Sainz, and Alpine reserve Ryo Hirakawa completed the top 10. However, Sainz and Antonelli experienced issues on their longer runs, with Sainz disliking the sharper front end of the Williams after a set-up change, and Antonelli having a moment at the hairpin in sector two.
Alex Albon, in 11th place, also had an off similar to Antonelli’s after his car understeered at the slowest corner on the circuit. Alpine reserve Hirakawa was 12th, just 0.845 seconds from Norris’ benchmark in his first outing with the A525, putting him 0.15 seconds ahead of regular driver Pierre Gasly.
Lawson and Piastri Struggle in Practice
Liam Lawson returned to the Racing Bulls fold, splitting the Alpines, while Oscar Piastri failed to get a truly competitive lap in after struggling with his McLaren during the earlier soft-tyre runs. He placed only 15th.
