Antonelli Continues to Impress
Kimi Antonelli was the first driver to break the 1:31 barrier at Suzuka this weekend, posting a 1:30.418 around the 20-minute mark of FP3. He later dipped below 1:30 with a 1:29.929 before ultimately setting his fastest lap of 1:29.362 in the final 30 minutes — comfortably the quickest time of the weekend so far.
George Russell was +0.254s behind in P2, confirming Mercedes' dominance heading into qualifying. The gap between the team-mates, however, is growing — Antonelli was just 0.026s behind Russell in FP1 but is now consistently quicker.
Leclerc Best of the Rest
Charles Leclerc slotted into P3 for Ferrari, +0.867s off the pace. While the gap to Mercedes is significant, Leclerc was clearly the quickest driver outside the Silver Arrows. Lewis Hamilton was P5 (+1.021s), with Oscar Piastri splitting the two Ferraris in P4 (+1.002s).
Norris's Weekend Goes From Bad to Worse
Lando Norris sat in the McLaren garage for the first 35 minutes of the session due to an ERS (Energy Recovery System) issue — his second reliability problem of the weekend after a suspected hydraulic leak in FP2. When he did get out, he managed P6 (+1.238s). The reigning world champion has completed just 29 laps across FP2 and FP3 combined — 18 fewer than team-mate Piastri.
Hulkenberg Leads the Midfield
Nico Hulkenberg was an encouraging P7 (+1.296s) for Audi, comfortably best of the midfield. Max Verstappen could manage only P8 for Red Bull (+1.548s), continuing a difficult weekend for the four-time champion.
FP3 Top 10
1. Antonelli 1:29.362 · 2. Russell +0.254 · 3. Leclerc +0.867 · 4. Piastri +1.002 · 5. Hamilton +1.021 · 6. Norris +1.238 · 7. Hulkenberg +1.296 · 8. Verstappen +1.548 · 9. Bortoleto +1.638 · 10. Gasly +1.720
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