Mercedes on alert after rivals impress in Suzuka practice

Mercedes acknowledged a strong start to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend but sounded a note of caution after seeing 'impressive' pace from rivals McLaren and Ferrari during Friday practice at Suzuka. While the team completed its program smoothly, Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin highlighted a specific energy deployment issue to solve and refused to take a competitive position for granted.

Why it matters:

After showing promising pace in recent races, Mercedes needs a clean, competitive weekend to solidify its position in the tight fight at the front of the grid. Friday's timesheets, which saw McLaren's Oscar Piastri lead the second session, serve as a direct reminder that multiple teams are in the hunt for victory, making every practice session crucial for fine-tuning performance ahead of qualifying and the race.

The details:

• Andrew Shovlin described the day as "fairly straightforward" and "productive," with the W17 running reliably and the team gathering long-run data on all three tire compounds for Sunday.
• The primary technical concern identified was a loss of energy deployment exiting the final chicane, which Shovlin said cost time on single-lap runs and is a clear target for overnight improvement.
• Despite reasonable pace, Shovlin specifically named McLaren and Ferrari as standouts, with Piastri's FP2-topping time underlining the MCL40's strong form and apparent suitability to the Suzuka circuit.
• George Russell added context to the energy discussion, confirming the final corner loss was worth "a couple of tenths" but should be a simple fix. He also supported the FIA's recent move to reduce usable energy per lap from 9MJ to 8MJ, suggesting they "could have gone even further" to reduce the extreme speed differences between deployment and clipping zones.

What's next:

The team's immediate focus is on overnight analysis to improve the car's balance and rectify the energy deployment issue ahead of final practice and qualifying. With McLaren and Ferrari looking strong, Mercedes cannot afford any missteps if it hopes to convert its decent Friday start into a front-row challenge and a potent race-day strategy on one of the season's most demanding tracks.