Lando Norris topped the timesheets in the third and final practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, the McLaren man having led the way from team mate Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Following a disrupted Free Practice 2 on Friday – featuring four red flag stoppages – the drivers headed out again at 1130 local time on Saturday for a crucial last opportunity to fine-tune their cars at the Suzuka Circuit ahead of Qualifying.
PRACTICE DEBRIEF: Who’s on top and who’s got work to do after a red flag-filled Friday in Suzuka?
One of the big questions prior to the session had been whether Jack Doohan’s A525 would be repaired in time following his heavy shunt in second practice – but Alpine confirmed in the run-up to FP3 that the #7 challenger was ready, with all parts having been replaced barring the power unit.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Doohan was one of the first to hit the track when the green light appeared, the Australian bolting on the soft tyre for his initial run while the rest of the field opted for the medium and hard compounds.
Position
Team Name
Time
1
Lando NorrisNORMcLaren
1:27.965
2
Oscar PiastriPIAMcLaren
+0.026s
3
George RussellRUSMercedes
+0.112s
4
Charles LeclercLECFerrari
+0.449s
5
Max VerstappenVERRed Bull Racing
+0.532s
There looked to be an early issue for Isack Hadjar, the Racing Bulls driver having reported a “quite bad” problem in his cockpit before returning to pits. The rest of the field soon followed in heading to the pit lane as a red flag was thrown owing to a small fire at the side of the track.
A queue of cars had formed at the pit exit ahead of the session resuming, leading to plenty of action on track amid a variety of programmes across the pack. Piastri had gone fastest on a 1m 28.768s as the session headed towards its halfway point, while fellow McLaren driver Norris looked to be pushing hard after going wide on his effort.
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Piastri goes fastest while Doohan crashes in disrupted FP2 in Japan
Another name to have an off-track moment was Norris’ former team mate Carlos Sainz, the Spaniard taking a trip across the grass as he continues to get acquainted with the Williams machine in his third race weekend for the team.
The order at the top of the timesheets continued to evolve as more drivers completed soft-shod runs, with Russell lowering the benchmark and slotting into P1 after setting a lap of 1m 28.385s in the Mercedes.
Norris, meanwhile, was experiencing some ups and downs. The Briton’s car spent some time up on the stands in the garage as the team seemingly looked to be working on the floor, while he suffered another wide moment through the Degners upon returning to the track.
Doohan was back in action for Alpine following his crash during Friday’s FP2 session
As the times kept on tumbling – before another red flag was thrown in the closing stages owing to a trackside fire – it was Norris who had set the fastest time on a 1m 27.965s, putting him 0.026 clear of Piastri, while Russell was one-tenth back from Norris in third.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton put their Ferraris in fourth and sixth respectively, while sandwiched between them was Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver – along with Piastri – will be investigated after the session for allegedly failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions.
READ MORE: Alpine reveal ‘misjudgement’ that led to heavy Doohan crash in Suzuka FP2
Williams’ Alex Albon, the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, Red Bull debutant Yuki Tsunoda and Hadjar completed the top 10, with Sainz just missing out in 11th. Behind the Williams man was Racing Bulls’ returnee Liam Lawson, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, Doohan and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.
Ollie Bearman was P16 for Haas, ahead of fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto – who pulled off a big save following a moment in his Kick Sauber late on – with Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the other Kick Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg rounding out the order.
The drivers and teams will now have a final chance to debrief before the grid for Sunday’s race is decided in Qualifying, with the session set to get underway at 1500 local time.
