Skip to main content
Grand Prix

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2026: Practice Results

Check out the full results and report from the only practice session ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Kaitlin Tucci|
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli (12) during the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli (12) during the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The Japanese Grand Prix is the final race in the opening stretch of Formula 1 in 2026 before an unexpected break. The break may give teams a much-needed reprieve to work on the reliability of their power units and new-spec cars that have been giving most teams on the grid grief over the opening races.

Teams widely focused on testing their aero setups during Free Practice 1 at Suzuka, with teams from McLaren down to Aston Martin and Red Bull utilizing different strategies to collect data.

Why FP1 at Suzuka? It's one of the most consistent tracks on the calendar, allowing engineers to compare data year over year for the three practice sessions of the weekend.

Practice Reserved for Data Collection Down the Grid

Drivers began the session with a number of small issues but a largely uneventful first part of practice. As mentioned, and easy to spot on broadcast, cars were fitted with aero rakes and flo vis paint to test various parts of aerodynamic performance on the cars.

Red Bull Racing F1
Red Bull Racing F1 | Red Bull Racing, Courtesy of AT&T

Red Bull was the key team to watch during FP1 as they were the only team to rush an upgrade to Japan rather than wait for Miami. Red Bull's Hadjar and Verstappen took the track with a heavily revised floor to address downforce and braking stability that hindered the team in China.

Free Practice 1 may not have been the session for the Red Bull to show off their true pace after the upgrade, with Verstappen finishing P7 and Hadjar in P13.

The other storyline being watched heading into the weekend is the double DNS of McLaren. The team has addressed the technical issue that the cars faced and showed real pace in FP1. Although it is just FP1, the McLaren duo outpaced both Ferraris, finishing P3 and P4.

Williams Racing Alex Albon
May 2, 2025; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Williams driver Alex Albon (23) during practice for the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Williams, another team struggling with a car that is significantly overweight and with reported design flaws, had their cars covered in flo-vis through the session. Albon nearly crashed the car mid-session with a lockup taking him into the gravel and just missing a hit into the wall.

Later in the session, Perez turned into Albon at the end of the lap while Albon was on a flyer. The Williams took mild damage, and Perez exclaimed in shock over the radio that he had no idea the Williams was there. FIA will investigate after the session.

Adding to the slight bit of drama during the session, the Racing Bull of rookie Arvid Lindblad and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc took journeys off the track, nearly losing it at Spoon Corner. Both cars remained unscathed, though.

Both Cadillacs of Bottas and Perez, as well as Aston Martin's Stroll and FP1 stand-in, Crawford, still appeared to be miles off the pace of the midfield. It is not expected that either car will see any real improvements until the month-long break before the Miami Grand Prix, when Aston Martin has announced it will bring upgrades (Cadillac is likely to follow suit).

In a largely uneventful Free Practice Session, meant for data collection for all of the teams, it was the expected top team, Mercedes, who topped the session.

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2026 - FP1 Results

Position

Driver/Team

Gap [s]

1.

George Russell/ Mercedes

1:31.666

2.

Kimi Antonelli/ Mercedes

+0.026

3.

Lando Norris/ McLaren

+0.132

4.

Oscar Piastri/ McLaren

+0.199

5.

Charles Leclerc/ Ferrari

+0.289

6.

Lewis Hamilton/ Ferrari

+0.374

7.

Max Verstappen/ Red Bull

+0.791

8.

Liam Lawson/ VCARB

+0.863

9.

Esteban Ocon/ Haas

+0.935

10.

Arvid Lindblad/ VCARB

+0.999

11.

Gabriel Bortoletto/ Audi

+1.093

12.

Nico Hulkenberg/ Audi

+1.132

13.

Isack Hadjar/ Red Bull

+1.137

14.

Oliver Bearman/ Haas

+1.234

15.

Pierre Gasly/ Alpine

+1.312

16.

Franco Colapinto/ Alpine

+1.695

17.

Carlos Sainz/ Williams

+1.717

18.

Alex Albon/ Williams

+2.031

19.

Sergio Perez/ Cadillac

+2.555

20.

Valtteri Bottas/ Cadillac

+2.824

21.

Lance Stroll/ Aston Martin

+3.628

22.

Jak Crawford/ Aston Martin

+4.696

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Kaitlin Tucci
KAITLIN TUCCI

Kaitlin Tucci has been a fan of motorsport for close to a decade. Before joining On SI in 2025, she contributed heavily to the marketing and media efforts at FanAmp, a motorsports startup for which she was the Head of Marketing. She has contributed to a number of publications covering series such as Formula 1, IndyCar, IMSA, and more... Kaitlin graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both a degree in Business/Marketing and Political Science. She works full time as a marketer at high-growth tech startups while spending her weekends immersed in the world of racing. Kaitlin was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, but has lived in New York City for the past 5 years with her 'giant chihuahua' Willow. You'll often catch Willow watching races alongside Kaitlin, but unfortunately she doesn't have enough airline miles to join her at the track just yet.

Home/News