Oscar Piastri fastest in Japan Grand Prix FP2 as Lando Norris suffers McLaren hydraulics issue

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Oscar Piastri topped the timings during FP2 at the Japanese Grand Prix with his McLaren teammate losing valuable running due to a hydraulics issue.

The session began under a virtual safety car as part of a planned test of the caution system. FIA stewards’ chairman Rui Marques has a history of trialling such procedures during his time in the feeder series, but the exercise felt particularly significant at Suzuka, a circuit that marks the most recent fatality in Formula 1.

Most cars took to the track without issue, though Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez were notably absent. Early indications suggested McLaren were still dealing with problems on Norris’ car, following the issues that sidelined him for 20 minutes during FP1 earlier in the day.

Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were involved in a minor pit lane incident at the start of FP2, after Williams released Albon into the path of the oncoming Alpine. Gasly was quick to voice his frustration over the radio, while his race engineer promptly issued an apology.

Albon, already on the back foot after a difficult start to the weekend, having clipped the barrier and collided with Sergio Perez in FP1, encountered further trouble moments later. An Audi slowed unexpectedly at Turn 3, prompting an angry response from the Thai-British driver: “What is that guy doing? That is dangerous!”

The top six were separated by just four-tenths in FP1 😮‍💨 Who will surprise Mercedes this weekend? 🤔

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His session continued to unravel when he brought out an early yellow flag after stopping on track just beyond Turn 1. Albon reported a throttle issue on his Williams, though he was able to restart the car and carry on with a preparation lap.

Arvid Lindblad also endured a difficult session, reporting an inability to downshift in his Racing Bulls car. The team subsequently called him back into the pit lane, where the rookie climbed out and unfortunately did not return for the remainder of the run.

Towards the halfway point of FP2, concerns were mounting for several drivers, including Norris and Perez, who had yet to take to the track, while Gabriel Bortoleto and Lindblad were both limited to very few laps. The reigning world champion was also dealing with issues, reportedly linked to a suspected hydraulic leak, though he eventually made it out onto the Suzuka circuit with 37 minutes remaining.

Cadillac then confirmed that Perez’s car had sustained damage to the floor after the earlier FP1 crash with Albon.

At the halfway mark of the session, Oscar Piastri, sat nine hundredths of a second ahead of Kimi Antonelli and two tenths faster than Russell.

Max Verstappen found himself down in 10th during the middle phase of the session, though his running was compromised by traffic. The four-time world champion was impeded by Franco Colapinto, who was weaving through Turn 15 while attempting to warm his tyres. While the incident had no immediate consequences, it will be investigated after the session.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc appeared to struggle with rear instability in the Ferrari, with the car looking particularly unsettled on corner exit. Replays showed Leclerc wrestling with his SF-26, highlighting the challenge. While the car is expected to be competitive, its nervous rear end could prove difficult for the drivers to manage.

A handful of drivers diverged from the rest of the field in the closing stages, with Norris, Bortoleto and Perez bolting on soft tyres for qualifying simulations, while the majority of the grid focused on longer runs.

At the end of the session, the top three remained unchanged from the halfway mark of FP2 when drivers underwent their qualifying practice runs. Lando Norris was able to recover from the significant amount of lost time to place his McLaren in fourth, ahead of the two Ferraris.