Japanese GP – FP1: Norris Sets the Pace, Strong Start for Tsunoda in Red Bull Debut

Under sunny skies at Suzuka, Norris set the pace while Tsunoda’s Red Bull debut drew early praise from fans and paddock alike.

The first Free Practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix kicked off under bright sunshine, despite predictions of rain for race day. While the air was a chilly 14°C, the track surface heated up beyond 30°C, creating tricky but fast conditions for the drivers.

Red Bull brought upgrades and a tribute
Red Bull rolled out several upgrades, including a revised engine cover, new rear suspension, and updated rear brake ducts. Aesthetically, the team is running a white-and-red livery this weekend in tribute to engine partner Honda.

Other teams followed suit with their own upgrades. Haas introduced a new floor earlier than planned, admitting they’re taking a bit of a gamble. They too have a special Japanese-themed livery. Racing Bulls featured a redesigned Halo, while Williams debuted a new front wing with updated endplates and a tweaked nose section. Sauber arrived with a new floor, front wing, and beam wing at the rear.

Young talent gets track time
Alpine became the first team this season to field a rookie in FP1. Ryo Hirakawa, Toyota WEC driver and Alpine reserve, got his first outing in place of Jack Doohan. The Japanese driver previously tested with Haas and McLaren.

Action on track: tight at the top
Max Verstappen initially went fastest with a 1:29.690 on soft tires, but George Russell eclipsed him with a 1:29.616 on mediums. Hamilton slotted in behind, while the Haas drivers improved slightly but remained at the back.

Yuki Tsunoda impressed early, clocking the fifth-fastest time—on softs, like Verstappen. Alex Albon was a surprise name in the top three on hard tires, sharing that honor only with Fernando Alonso in the top 10.

Russell pushed again, dropping a 1:29.176 before Verstappen closed the gap to just 0.035 seconds. Rookie Isack Hadjar then briefly held P3 for Racing Bulls. Russell later bolted on softs and took the top time down to 1:28.809.

Antonelli and Tsunoda both had turns in P2, with Sainz and Leclerc showing Ferrari’s strength by moving into the mix. Leclerc briefly took P2 before Verstappen regained the spot. Hamilton climbed to sixth as Russell laid down a 1:28.712 to reclaim P1.

Norris was on a flyer but made a mistake in the gravel. Tsunoda, however, kept improving, staying just a tenth off Verstappen. Alonso moved up to P5, and Antonelli continued to impress. Albon had a moment in the gravel at the hairpin after locking up.

Norris strikes late
With about 20 minutes left, Norris put together a clean lap and snatched P1 with a 1:28.549. Hamilton improved to P4, edging out the Red Bulls. Hirakawa held a solid P12 behind the Williams drivers and ahead of Pierre Gasly.

Leclerc reported poor deceleration, but Ferrari assured him it was due to a tailwind. Norris, noticing early tire graining, questioned if others experienced the same. His engineer confirmed Russell had some too, but Norris wasn’t convinced: “Yeah, but I have it.”

His engineer reassured him there was no degradation, prompting Norris to respond, “I don’t know how you don’t see the graining—it’s obvious.” Meanwhile, Antonelli had a minor off-track excursion but rejoined safely.

In the closing minutes, most teams focused on longer runs. Apart from Haas making gains, the leaderboard stayed static.

Final FP1 standings
Norris stayed on top ahead of Russell, with Leclerc and Hamilton in the mix. Verstappen rounded out the top five. Tsunoda delivered a standout performance, just 0.107s off Verstappen, finishing P6. Alonso, Hadjar, Antonelli, and Sainz completed the top 10.

Albon followed in 11th, just ahead of Hirakawa. Then came Lawson, Gasly, and a struggling Piastri, who couldn’t set a competitive time. Stroll, Hülkenberg (in Sauber colors), Bearman, Ocon, and Bortoleto rounded out the timesheets.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
01	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	1:28.549	24
02	George Russell	Mercedes W16	1:28.712	29
03	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari SF-25	1:28.965	27
04	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari SF-25	1:29.051	25
05	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	1:29.065	23
06	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	1:29.172	25
07	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	1:29.222	25
08	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	1:29.225	28
09	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes W16	1:29.284	28
10	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes FW47	1:29.333	28
11	Alex Albon	Williams Mercedes FW47	1:29.392	25
12	Ryo Hirakawa	Alpine Renault A525	1:29.394	24
13	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	1:29.536	28
14	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault A525	1:29.547	23
15	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	1:29.708	25
16	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	1:29.758	25
17	Nico Hülkenberg	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	1:30.023	21
18	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari VF-25	1:30.077	17
19	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari VF-25	1:30.123	21
20	Gabriel Bortoleto	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	1:30.147	26

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Norris Leads Blazing Suzuka FP1, Tsunoda Impresses Early
Norris Leads Blazing Suzuka FP1, Tsunoda Impresses Early