Mercedes roars back as Antonelli crushes the rest of the grid in Japan

The session kicked off in a rather uncharacteristic manner, with Lando Norris suffering an early issue with the Energy Recovery System (ERS) of his car. However, once on track, it was the Alpines swiftly lighting up the timing sheet.

The Enstone outfit witnessed both Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly storm to the top of the timing sheet in the early stages of the session. However, the early times set by the Alpine drivers would soon be usurped by Lewis Hamilton. The Scuderia Ferrari driver went quickest with a 1:31.056, just over five-tenths ahead of Gasly.

As more drivers hit the track, the timing sheet continued to change, and Charles Leclerc was the first to break into the high 1:30s. The Monegasque driver, however, saw his stint atop the pylon short-lived, with Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes clocking a staggering 1:30.418.

The pair traded leads for a few laps, even as the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar joined the track. Championship leader George Russell set a time quick enough for third place, behind Leclerc and his teammate.

The running order shifted again once the Mercedes cars settled into the session, with Russell and Antonelli both trading times. The Mercedes pair were the first to dip into the 1:29s, with Antonelli’s 1:29.362 just over two-tenths ahead of Russell. Leclerc kept up the pace in the Ferrari, albeit further down in sixth.

As the session wound down, Norris returned to the track after the McLaren team resolved his ERS issue. There was also a brief moment at the Spoon Curve for Oliver Bearman. The Haas driver suffered a massive spin but managed to save the car from crashing.

Teams then shifted to their final soft-tyre runs, with little change to the timing sheet, except for Norris, who continued to rack up mileage.

The session concluded with Antonelli topping the timing sheet ahead of Russell, Leclerc in third ahead of Piastri, and Hamilton rounding out the top five ahead of Norris. Nico Hulkenberg, Max Verstappen, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Gasly completed the top 10 from FP3.

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