Mercedes seems to once again be the team to beat heading into the third round of the season. McLaren also seem to be developing their car, as Norris was third and his teammate Piastri behind in fourth. The first session of the race weekend was a relatively calm one, albeit for some struggles Alex Albon suffered from. The Williams driver took a trip through the gravel before later bumping the Cadillac of Sergio Perez and causing some debris to end up on the track. FP1 also saw Jak Crawford take Fernando Alonso’s place in the Aston Martin for some practice running.
By the end of the hour, it was George Russell who was quickest ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli. The two McLarens came next, with Norris in third ahead of Piastri. Charles Leclerc was next, while Lewis Hamilton was right behind in sixth. Max Verstappen came in seventh, while Lawson, Ocon, and Lindblad rounded out the top ten.
Below are the full results of FP1 in Japan.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:31.666 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.026 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.132 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.199 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.289 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.374 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.791 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.863 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.935 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.999 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.093 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.132 |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +1.137 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.234 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.312 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.695 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.717 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.031 |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +2.555 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +2.824 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +3.628 |
| 22 | Jak Crawford | Aston Martin | +4.696 |
