Piastri halts Mercedes in Suzuka FP2

Oscar Piastri topped second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, breaking Mercedes' early-session dominance by setting a lap 0.092s faster than Kimi Antonelli. The McLaren driver's performance provided a much-needed boost for the defending champions, who have struggled for reliability at the start of the 2026 season, while Mercedes' George Russell completed the top three.

Why it matters:

After a dominant one-two in the first practice session, Mercedes appeared poised to continue its strong start to the new regulation era. Piastri's interruption signals that McLaren, despite its early-season woes including a double DNS in China, may have the raw pace to challenge the Silver Arrows. This session offers the first real hint of a potential title fight brewing beyond the initial Mercedes-Ferrari narrative.

The details:

• Piastri set the benchmark time of 1m30.133s on his first flying lap using the soft compound tyre, a full second quicker than his earlier medium-tyre run.
• Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, fresh from his maiden win in China, was closest to the McLaren, just 0.092s behind, with teammate George Russell a further 0.113s back in third.
• The session was troubled for reigning world champion Lando Norris, who lost the first 23 minutes to a hydraulics leak on his MCL40. He eventually finished fourth, 0.516s behind his teammate, after a late run on softs.
• Ferrari, Mercedes' closest challenger in the first two rounds, was led by Charles Leclerc in fifth, with Lewis Hamilton—coming off his first podium for the team in Shanghai—down in sixth.
• Max Verstappen continued to struggle with the handling of his RB22, complaining of severe understeer and finishing tenth, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad failed to set a time due to a gearbox issue.

What's next:

The true competitive picture will become clearer in FP3 and qualifying on Saturday. Piastri has shown McLaren has the one-lap speed, but the team's primary focus will be converting that into a reliable race package on Sunday. For Mercedes, the question is whether Antonelli and Russell can reclaim the top spot, or if Ferrari can find the pace to insert itself back into the fight at the front of the grid.