George Russell maintained Mercedes' commanding start to the 2026 Formula One campaign by setting the pace in opening practice at Suzuka on Friday morning.
The championship leader posted a time of 1:31.666, edging out teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli by a mere 0.026 seconds.
The Silver Arrows have proven utterly dominant under this year's revised regulations, securing one-two finishes at both preceding grands prix.
Antonelli, who claimed his maiden victory in Shanghai a fortnight ago, kept the pressure on his more experienced colleague throughout the session.
George Russell posted a time of 1:31.666, edging out teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli by a mere 0.026 seconds
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World champion Lando Norris finished third, with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri fourth and the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completing the top six.
The afternoon session brought an unexpected twist as Piastri surged to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:30.133.
Russell found himself demoted to third, behind both the Australian and Antonelli.
"McLaren were pretty fast so [that was] a little bit of a surprise to be honest," Russell conceded following the second practice session.
The British driver dismissed any suggestion that McLaren's performance might be a mirage.
Mercedes have dominated the F1 season so far
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"I don't see why it wouldn't be genuine to be honest. I think Lando's had a disruptive day but Oscar has been pretty on it from the first lap out of the box this morning," he observed.
Russell acknowledged that Mercedes have work to do overnight to address specific technical shortcomings.
"There's still some improvements we need to do so a bit of work to do tonight," he stated.
Energy deployment emerged as a particular concern for the championship leader.
"I think we've got some more to give and things weren't quite optimised, especially on my side with the energy management, so hopefully a little bit more to come tomorrow," Russell explained.
The Suzuka circuit presents unique challenges regarding power unit energy recovery, with drivers permitted to recharge 9MJ per lap during practice, reducing to 8MJ for qualifying.
Russell pinpointed deployment differences between teams as a key factor requiring attention before Saturday's session.
George Russell admitted his surprise at the pace shown by Mercedes
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Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin offered a measured assessment of Mercedes' position following Friday's running.
"We've had a fairly straightforward first day here in Suzuka. The car ran reliably and we've been able to get through our planned work," he remarked.
The team identified time losses exiting the final chicane as an area requiring improvement before qualifying.
Shovlin acknowledged the competitive threat posed by their rivals whilst maintaining confidence in Mercedes' preparations.
"In terms of pace, it looks like we are in a reasonable place although both McLaren and Ferrari have posted impressive times during the day so we're not taking anything for granted," he added.
The team successfully completed long runs on all three tyre compounds, gathering valuable intelligence for Sunday's race.