Championship leader George Russell has topped Formula 1’s first free practice session at Suzuka’s Japanese Grand Prix, pipping Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli by a tiny margin.
With Russell and Antonelli having divided the first two grands prix wins between themselves, Mercedes’ early-season dominance showing little signs of slowing down at the third event of the 2026 era.
Russell led the early running at F1’s iconic Suzuka circuit on hard tyres (1m32.429s), initially followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. And when the frontrunners switched to Pirelli’s softest compound Russell and Antonelli further cemented their spot at the top of the order.
Around 25 minutes into…