Overview

• Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri continued McLaren's dominance, topping the timesheets in all practice sessions at Suzuka ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
• The FIA implemented measures to address grass fires caused by sparks during practice, which resulted in multiple red flags across sessions.
• Yuki Tsunoda made a promising debut for Red Bull at his home Grand Prix, finishing sixth in FP1 and demonstrating strong pace relative to teammate Max Verstappen.
• Jack Doohan suffered a high-speed crash in FP2 due to an open DRS flap but escaped unscathed; Alpine faces significant repairs ahead of qualifying.
• Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton showed competitive potential, while Verstappen struggled with car handling issues.