The string of interruptions throughout the sessions made it tough to come to any solid conclusions on how the teams stack up against each other in terms of speed. However, one thing remains clear: McLaren is the team everyone else needs to catch.
The day was unusually chilly, with temperatures hitting just 13°C. All the drivers pointed to the strong north-westerly winds, which posed a real challenge on a track known for its long, fast-paced corners.
Lando Norris shared his thoughts, saying, “We’re still in a good spot. It’s just tricky because of the wind. Wind makes a huge difference, especially around a circuit like this where speed is key.”
“With so much fine-tuning needed in the first sector, even a small gust can throw the car off balance. Still, I’m feeling good and confident about where we stand.”
On his first-ever visit to Suzuka, French driver Isack Hadjar turned heads for Racing Bulls by clocking the third-fastest time. Suzuka is renowned for being one of the season’s toughest tracks, and his performance was impressive.
His teammate, Liam Lawson, who recently faced a setback being moved from the Red Bull team after only two races, was right behind him in fifth place, trailing Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton commented, “The car felt fantastic. We completed all our tasks for the day. While there’s still performance we need to unlock—we’re not leading yet—it’s a solid foundation.”
“Every weekend I’m getting more comfortable and I’m beginning to better understand the changes we can make to optimize the car’s setup.”
Mercedes’ George Russell rounded out in sixth place, just ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Russell remarked, “A pretty solid day for us. The car’s behaved beautifully, and I’m quite pleased with that. We’ve got to ensure this remains the case going into tomorrow.”
“It’s really windy out there. With the wind expected to turn 180 degrees tomorrow, that’ll undoubtedly affect how the car handles, but I’m optimistic we can fight for a spot on the front two rows.”
Coming in eighth, Max Verstappen wasn’t exactly having a smooth day, grappling with understeer in his Red Bull. Rounding out the top ten were Pierre Gasly in his Alpine and Carlos Sainz in the Williams.
