Final preparations for the Japanese Grand Prix unfolded in Suzuka, where teams had one last opportunity to fine-tune their setups ahead of qualifying. Conditions were near-perfect as the session began, with bright sunshine allowing teams to focus entirely on performance runs
A Slow Crawl To The Session Start
Track activity, however, was slow to ramp up. Only a handful of cars ventured out in the opening 15 minutes, with Alpine leading the way as Franco Colapinto was first on the circuit, soon joined by teammate Pierre Gasly. Gasly quickly laid down an early marker, comfortably outpacing Colapinto by eight tenths.
There was immediate concern in the McLaren garage, as Lando Norris was sidelined with an ERS issue that looked set to rule him out of the session. Lewis Hamilton briefly moved to the top of the standings for Ferrari, though the overall pace remained well short of Friday’s benchmarks. As the session picks up, Sergio Pérez runs off track, and a potential impeding incident between Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg is noted for investigation.
Mercedes Emerges As The Benchmark
As the session approached its midpoint, Mercedes and Ferrari traded positions at the top, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell leading the charge against Charles Leclerc.
Antonelli then made a significant statement, breaking into the 1:29s and shifting the tone of the session. Leclerc remained within striking distance but unable to match the outright pace. Ollie Bearman had an intense moment at Spoon Curve, skating over the exit kerb before producing an impressive save to avoid the barriers.
Further down the order, Hülkenberg delivered a strong showing for Audi, placing himself firmly in the mix, while rookie Arvid Lindblad also impressed with a competitive lap despite a disrupted weekend.
Antonelli Leads Mercedes 1-2
By the end of the session, Antonelli secured top spot with a commanding lap, finishing just over a quarter of a second clear of Russell to complete a Mercedes one-two. FP3 offered a clear indication of the competitive order: Mercedes head into qualifying as clear favourites, but the margins remain tight enough to keep Ferrari and McLaren firmly in the hunt.