FP3: Antonelli heads Russel in final Suzuka pracitce as Mercedes' advantage become ominous
Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable early‑season form by topping the final practice session for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix, leading a dominant Mercedes 1–2 ahead of George Russell.
The Italian’s best lap, a 1:29.362, put him 0.254 seconds clear of his team‑mate and a commanding 0.867 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who once again emerged as the closest challenger.
FP3 offered teams a final hour to refine setups before qualifying, yet the session began quietly. Only a handful of cars ventured out in the opening 15 minutes, with Lewis Hamilton initially setting the pace on soft tyres before Leclerc edged ahead with a 1:31.018. But once the track began to rubber in, Mercedes took control.
Antonelli was the first to break the 1:31 barrier, posting a 1:30.418 around the 20‑minute mark to go six‑tenths clear of Leclerc. The Ferrari driver briefly responded, trimming the gap to just over a tenth, but the Mercedes pair were only warming up. Russell slotted into third with his opening push lap, though both silver cars lost time in the final sector compared with Leclerc’s early effort.
As the session approached halfway, Leclerc momentarily reclaimed the top spot with a 1:30.229, but Mercedes quickly struck back. Antonelli dipped into the 1:29s for the first time this weekend with a 1:29.929, only for Russell to immediately better it by 0.011s. The duel continued until Antonelli delivered the decisive lap: 1:29.362, a time no one else would come close to matching.
Behind the Mercedes duo, Leclerc secured third, albeit more than eight‑tenths off the ultimate pace. Oscar Piastri led McLaren’s charge in fourth at +1.002s, while Hamilton completed the top five at +1.021s. Lando Norris, hampered by the ERS issues that sidelined him for most of Friday, managed only 13 laps but still placed sixth at +1.238s.
Audi once again showed solid one‑lap performance, with Nico Hülkenberg seventh at +1.296s and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto ninth at +1.638s. Between them sat Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull continues to lack the sharpness seen in previous seasons; the Dutchman finished eighth, 1.548 seconds off Antonelli’s benchmark. His team‑mate Isack Hadjar followed in 11th at +1.732s, just behind Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
The Racing Bulls pairing of Liam Lawson (+1.735s) and Arvid Lindblad (+1.926s) occupied 12th and 13th, ahead of the Haas duo. Esteban Ocon took 14th at +1.964s, while Oliver Bearman survived a dramatic spin at Spoon Curve to finish 15th at +2.196s.
Williams endured a difficult session, with Alex Albon 16th (+2.371s) and Carlos Sainz 18th (+2.467s), split by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. Cadillac also struggled for pace: Valtteri Bottas was 19th at +3.141s, and Sergio Pérez 20th at +3.178s after a gravelly moment at the final chicane.
Aston Martin’s woes deepened, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso propping up the timesheets at +4.123s and +4.167s respectively — a worrying deficit heading into qualifying.
