Oscar Piastri claimed the fastest lap in the second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver edging out the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
After Mercedes led a 1-2 in Friday morning’s FP1, the field returned to Suzuka for FP2 at 15:00 local time. Fernando Alonso made his first track appearance of the weekend, having handed his car to Third Driver Jak Crawford during the opening session.
Early Drama and Technical Issues
Lewis Hamilton was among the first out as the session began, with most drivers running medium tyres while a few opted for hard compounds. Alonso used the soft tyres, while Pierre Gasly had to take evasive action in the pit lane when Alex Albon emerged from the Williams garage.
Several drivers faced challenges. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad returned to the pits early with a suspected issue, while Lando Norris and Sergio Perez remained in their garages initially. Albon had multiple incidents, including a near-collision in the Esses and a brief stoppage on track that triggered yellow flags. Gabriel Bortoleto also remained sidelined while his team worked on the car.
Piastri Climbs to the Top
Charles Leclerc set an early benchmark with a 1m 31.019s, ahead of Oscar Piastri and Russell. As the session progressed, Piastri improved on soft tyres to take the top spot. Norris eventually joined on medium tyres, while Perez ran softs after repairs from FP1 contact with Albon. Lindblad’s session ended due to a gearbox fault.
Charles was a bit squirrelly through the S Curves 😮#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/1yZnbtZhUg
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 27, 2026
Stewards later announced an investigation into Franco Colapinto for allegedly driving erratically as Max Verstappen approached at speed.
By the halfway mark, Oscar Piastri led on a 1m 30.133s, just 0.09s ahead of Antonelli, with Russell third. Norris ran sixth, one of only two drivers yet to switch to softs at that point, alongside Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Bortoleto rejoined in the final ten minutes on soft tyres.
Final FP2 Standings
At the chequered flag, Piastri remained fastest, with Antonelli second and Russell third. Norris was fourth, followed by Leclerc and Hamilton. Nico Hulkenberg led Audi in seventh, with Albon, Ollie Bearman and Verstappen completing the top ten. Esteban Ocon finished 11th, followed by Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz, Gasly and Isack Hadjar. Bortoleto ended 16th after ten laps, while Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Alonso, Perez and Stroll completed the lower order. Lindblad recorded only one lap due to the gearbox issue.
Teams will now review data ahead of FP3 on Saturday at 11:30 local time, with Qualifying scheduled for 15:00.
