2026 Japanese GP FP2: Piastri hits back With McLaren

Oscar Piastri delivered a statement response in the second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, putting McLaren at the top of the timesheets and breaking Mercedes’ early grip on the weekend. After the Silver Arrows controlled FP1, it was Piastri who struck back under the Suzuka afternoon sun, leading Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in a tightly packed session.

Track action resumed at 1500 local time, with teams immediately returning to long-run programmes and setup refinements. There was added attention on the Aston Martin garage, as Fernando Alonso made his first appearance of the weekend after sitting out FP1 in favour of third driver Jak Crawford. Lewis Hamilton led the pack out of the pit lane in a busy opening phase, with most of the field opting for medium tyres, while a handful experimented with hards and Alonso immediately bolted on the soft compound.

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Early drama came in the pit lane, where Pierre Gasly was forced to take avoiding action after Alex Albon emerged directly into his path. On track, the session quickly settled into a rhythm of data gathering, though not without disruption. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad returned to the garage early with a suspected issue, while both Lando Norris and Sergio Perez were delayed in joining the session, remaining in their garages as initial lap times were set.

2026 Japanese Grand Prix FP2 Results

2026 Japanese Grand Prix FP2, 27 March 2026

Albon’s difficult day continued when he encountered traffic through the Esses on a push lap before later stopping on track, briefly triggering yellow flags before recovering. Meanwhile, Ferrari showed early pace once again, with Charles Leclerc setting the first benchmark at 1m 31.019s, narrowly ahead of Piastri and Russell as the session built towards its qualifying simulations.

McLaren’s momentum gathered as the session evolved. Norris eventually joined the action with just under 40 minutes remaining, running the medium compound as he began to recover lost track time. Piastri, meanwhile, switched to soft tyres and immediately climbed to the top of the order, underlining McLaren’s one-lap potential around Suzuka’s high-speed layout.

Behind the scenes, issues continued to shape the running order. Cadillac confirmed that Perez’s delayed appearance was due to ongoing repairs following his FP1 contact with Albon, while Lindblad’s session was ultimately cut short by a gearbox failure. The stewards also noted an incident between Franco Colapinto and Max Verstappen, with the former set to be investigated after allegedly driving erratically while warming his tyres as Verstappen approached at speed.

At the halfway point, Piastri remained fastest with a 1m 30.133s lap, holding a slender advantage of just 0.092s over Antonelli, while Russell completed a familiar Mercedes presence inside the top three. The margins once again highlighted just how competitive the front of the field has become under the new regulations.

Perez eventually joined the session on soft tyres, while Norris—still on mediums—climbed to a solid sixth before later switching to the red-walled compound. Elsewhere, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto returned to the track in the final 10 minutes after earlier technical work, adding valuable late mileage to his tally.

When the chequered flag fell, Piastri’s earlier effort remained unbeaten, securing top spot ahead of Antonelli and Russell. Norris recovered to fourth after his delayed start, while Leclerc and Hamilton followed in fifth and sixth respectively—the latter notably reporting a lack of confidence in the car during the closing stages.

Nico Hulkenberg led Audi’s charge in seventh, with Albon, Oliver Bearman and Verstappen rounding out the top ten, the Dutchman enduring a wide moment late in the session. Just outside, Esteban Ocon finished 11th ahead of Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz, Gasly and Isack Hadjar.

Further down, Bortoleto ended the session in P16 after completing 10 laps, followed by Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Alonso, Perez and Lance Stroll. Lindblad was classified last after managing just a single lap before his session-ending issue.