2026 F1 Round 3, Japanese Grand Prix FP3: Antonelli fastest as Silver Arrows comfortably secure one-two

Final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, round three of the 2026 F1 season, took place at Suzuka on the morning of March 28, China Standard Time (UTC+8). Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) set a 1:29.362 to top the final practice session before qualifying. Teammate George Russell was second, 0.254 seconds behind, as Mercedes established a clear advantage ahead of qualifying.

At McLaren, winners of both championships last year, Oscar Piastri finished fourth, while teammate Lando Norris suffered another technical problem and spent much of the early running in the garage, losing valuable track time.

According to Speedcafe reporter Andrew van Leeuwen, McLaren CEO Zak Brown identified a battery issue with Norris’s car but said he had not yet been briefed on whether it was technically the same problem. Both McLarens had failed to start the previous round, the Chinese Grand Prix, because of electrical faults, and reliability concerns remain. According to Chiara Schulte genannt Hobein’s FP3 report for Pit Debrief, Norris took to the track with 24 minutes remaining and ultimately set the sixth-fastest time, but was unable to get enough running.

In his analysis of the opening day’s long runs for Motorsport, Kevin Hermann adjusted for tyre compounds and stint length, ranked Antonelli fastest and estimated Leclerc to be around 0.66 seconds per lap slower than Mercedes. This was a specific comparison in a media analysis, not a claim that Antonelli was nearly 0.6 seconds ahead of every rival.

Ferrari improved on its opening-day positions, moving ahead of McLaren to emerge as the second-strongest team. However, the gap to Mercedes remained considerable: third-placed Charles Leclerc was fully 0.867 seconds behind Antonelli. Teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth.

Red Bull, aiming to reclaim the crown, remained in a difficult position after failing to shake off its opening-day struggles. Max Verstappen could do no better than eighth, 1.548 seconds off the fastest time, making the prospect of a slide into the midfield increasingly real. Teammate Isack Hadjar was only 11th.

Over the radio, Verstappen expressed strong dissatisfaction with the gearshifts, even making emotional remarks. The handling problems seen in Shanghai remained unresolved at Suzuka, while Kevin Hermann’s Motorsport analysis identified time losses for Red Bull through the fast Esses and suggested a low-downforce setup as one possible explanation. That was the author’s technical hypothesis, not proof of a front-downforce defect.

Against this backdrop, Audi made its presence felt in the midfield: Nico Hülkenberg finished seventh and Gabriel Bortoleto ninth, putting both cars in the top 10.

Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman (Haas), who had impressed in the opening two races and sat fifth in the championship standings, was only 15th in this session and also spun at the exit of Spoon Curve. According to Formula 1’s FP3 report, Bearman avoided contact and rejoined the track.

Cadillac and Aston Martin-Honda currently form a clear group at the back of the field, although there is a gap of around one second between the two teams.

Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso continued to accumulate laps in this session but still struggled for performance: Stroll finished 21st and Alonso 22nd, both more than four seconds off the fastest time.

The hour-long qualifying session, comprising three segments, was scheduled for the afternoon of March 28 at Suzuka, China Standard Time (UTC+8).