McLaren Surpasses Mercedes in Japanese Grand Prix Practice with Piastri Leading

The reigning constructors' champions, McLaren, have outpaced the early 2026 championship leaders, Mercedes, with Oscar Piastri taking the top spot in the second Friday practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. After struggling to keep pace in the first two race weekends of F1's new era and failing to start either car in the last race in China, McLaren demonstrated a significant improvement in competitiveness throughout the opening day's practice at Suzuka. Piastri set the fastest time with 1:30.133, finishing 0.092 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli and 0.205 seconds faster than George Russell, the current world championship leader who had topped the first practice session. Lando Norris, despite a compromised session due to a hydraulic leak, secured the fourth spot, half a second behind Piastri, and ahead of the Ferraris. The Scuderia drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, finished over 0.7 seconds off the pace, with Hamilton expressing concerns over his car's performance, stating he had 'no confidence' in it. Meanwhile, Red Bull, the winners of the last four Japanese GPs with Max Verstappen, struggled with pace problems, with Verstappen finishing 10th and Isack Hadjar 15th. As the weekend progresses, McLaren aims to build on their encouraging start and defend their world title, while Mercedes is expected to push their performance in the qualifying sessions.