Oscar Piastri set the fastest time in second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, but Mercedes showed superior long-run pace. The session highlighted how new 2026 hybrid regulations are transforming driving through the track's Esses section. Teams like McLaren acknowledged they remain behind the frontrunners.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren posted the quickest lap of 1m30.133s in Friday's FP2 at Suzuka, edging out Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell by around a tenth. However, long-run simulations on heavy fuel revealed Mercedes as the clear leader, with Antonelli two and a half tenths per lap faster than Russell on average. Ferrari trailed as the second-quickest team, with Charles Leclerc 0.66s off Mercedes pace, while Lewis Hamilton struggled with 1.3s deficits and high tyre wear. McLaren's Lando Norris finished fourth but lost running time due to a hydraulic issue, completing limited laps after early pit stops. Norris said, 'Hydraulic, I think, I couldn't do more than one lap at the beginning, and then it seemed to get a bit better at the end, but I just lacked a lot of laps.' McLaren racing director Randy Singh noted, 'I think the pecking order generally looks pretty much the same in broad terms,' expecting Mercedes and Ferrari to dominate. Jenson Button urged caution on Sky Sports F1, saying, 'We don't know what Mercedes is holding back, do we?' New hybrid power units have altered approaches to Suzuka's Esses, where drivers barely brake as the MGU-K handles deceleration for energy recovery. The FIA reduced maximum recoverable energy to 8MJ for qualifying. Carlos Sainz commented, 'It’s not a disaster, but it’s not like before. F1 shouldn’t be like this.' Ferrari opted not to run its 'Macarena' pivoting rear wing, continuing factory tests ahead of potential Miami deployment, focusing instead on battery charging improvements. Red Bull lagged with Max Verstappen 1.49s off the pace, struggling in corners despite straight-line strengths.
