Antonelli leads Mercedes 1-2 as Norris is hit by yet more reliability troubles

Kimi Antonelli led a Mercedes 1-2 as the Brackley squad destroyed its competition in final practice in Japan, the Italian eight-tenths up on third-placed Charles Leclerc.

Only 21 of the 22 drivers suited up at the start of FP3, McLaren revealing it had “identified an issue with the ERS pack” on Lando Norris’ car and was in the process of replacing it.

Kimi Antonelli leads dominant Mercedes 1-2 in Suzuka FP3 rout

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The team added that it would be “extremely unlikely” that the job would be completed before the end of FP3, adding to Norris’ woes after a DNS in China and a hydraulic leak on Friday in Japan.

Franco Colapinto was the first driver out of the pits and had the track to himself as he laid down a 1:33.665. The rest of the field began to trickle out, with Lewis Hamilton taking over P1 with a 1:32.283. Only six drivers completed a timed lap in the first 10 minutes.

The Ferrari driver, running the soft Pirelli tyres, upped his pace to pull clear of Pierre Gasly but lost out to his teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.038s.

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Sergio Perez had a big lock-up entering the chicane and cut through the gravel before returning to the pits, where Cadillac inspected the car. Valtteri Bottas complained that Esteban Ocon had impeded him, with Nico Hulkenberg having a similar complaint about Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari’s 1-2 was short-lived as Kimi Antonelli blitzed Leclerc’s time by six-tenths of a second, with the Ferrari bringing the gap back to just a tenth. As they continued to trade fastest sector times, Leclerc returned to P1 by 0.189s. Red Bull was the last team out, with Max Verstappen P6 on his first flying lap, while Isack Hadjar was 14th.

Despite McLaren’s earlier concerns about Norris, the team got the reigning World Champion out on track with 25 minutes remaining in the session. As Antonelli and Russell made it a Mercedes 1-2, Norris crossed the line in 11th place on his first flying lap of the day.

Oliver Bearman went spinning out of the exit of Spoon but somehow kept his Haas out the barrier and headed back to the pits, his tyres ruined. Russell appreciated the moment, “Oh, that was a good save!”

Venturing out for qualifying simulations late in the session, the Mercedes teammates did not improve their times but still held onto the 1-2, and by a comfortable eight-tenths ahead of Leclerc.

Japanese GP FP3 Result

1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:29.362
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:29.616
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.229
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:30.364
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:30.383
6 Lando Norris McLaren 1:30.600
7 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:30.658
8 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:30.910
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:31.000
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:31.082
11 Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:31.094
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:31.097
13 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:31.288
14 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:31.326
15 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:31.558
16 Alex Albon Williams 1:31.733
17 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:31.829
18 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:31.854
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:32.503
20 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:32.540
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:33.485
22 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:33.529

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