The second practice session at Suzuka delivered a number of dramatic moments, with Oscar Piastri emerging on top in a disrupted and incident-packed hour that saw four red flags bring the running to a near-standstill. As the 2025 season continued to gather momentum, the afternoon sun shone brightly over the Japanese circuit—but the session was anything but smooth, with barely 20 minutes of green flag action.
What To Know
- Oscar Piastri led a McLaren one-two in a red-flag-heavy FP2, setting a 1:28.114 to edge out teammate Lando Norris by just 0.049s in a session with less than 20 minutes of green flag running.
- Multiple incidents disrupted running, including a heavy crash for Alpine’s Jack Doohan, a gravel trap spin for Fernando Alonso, and two small trackside fires caused by flying sparks igniting dry grass.
- Racing Bulls impressed again, with rookie Isack Hadjar finishing third and Liam Lawson fifth on his return, while Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda struggled to put together clean laps in the chaotic conditions.
Piastri clocked a 1:28.114 to narrowly beat his McLaren teammate and current championship leader, Lando Norris, by just 0.049s in a frantic late-session shootout. The result solidified McLaren’s dominance on single-lap pace so far this weekend, but their advantage was only one part of a chaotic storyline that unfolded over 60 minutes. The first major disruption came early, when Jack Doohan—returning to his Alpine after sitting out FP1 for home hero Ryo Hirakawa—suffered a huge crash at Turn 1 just minutes into the session. The Australian lost control at high speed and slammed into the barriers, tearing both wheels off the left side of his car and prompting a lengthy red flag period for cleanup and barrier repairs. Thankfully, Doohan emerged unscathed and was cleared after a visit to the medical centre.
Once the session resumed, a line of cars immediately formed in the pit lane as teams scrambled to recover lost track time. Strategies varied: some bolted on soft tyres for early qualifying sims, while others ran longer stints on harder compounds. But any plans were short-lived. Within minutes, Fernando Alonso added his name to the casualty list—his Aston Martin spun off and got beached in the gravel at Turn 8 after dipping a wheel onto the grass. Another red flag was flown, shrinking the usable session time even further.
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As the clock ticked down, the urgency to complete qualifying runs hit its peak, and Suzuka’s narrow margins led to more trouble. A small trackside fire caused by flying sparks igniting dry grass resulted in a third red flag, halting proceedings once again. After a brief restart and final flurry of laps, Piastri set the day’s best time just before yet another small fire triggered a fourth red flag and brought the session to an early close.
Behind the McLarens, the standout of the session was Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, who briefly held P1 before being displaced and ultimately finished third—another strong showing in what’s turning into a breakout start to his F1 career. Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Liam Lawson, who quietly delivered a confident return drive with P5 following his recent demotion from Red Bull. George Russell slotted into sixth, keeping Mercedes firmly in the mix as they continued to chip away at McLaren’s advantage.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed in seventh and eighth, the latter unable to hook up a clean lap amid the chaos. Verstappen’s new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, who had impressed in FP1, could only manage 18th after a compromised run plan. Both Red Bulls would be looking for answers overnight to find a more competitive footing heading into qualifying.
Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten, with Sainz still adjusting to life at Williams. His teammate Alex Albon was just outside the top ten in 11th, followed by the Kick Sauber and Haas pairs. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli ended up 16th after abandoning his soft tyre run, while Alonso, Tsunoda, Stroll, and Doohan completed the order—none able to fully recover from their respective setbacks.
It was far from a conventional practice session, but as the dust settled over Suzuka, the pecking order started to emerge. McLaren looked sharp, Racing Bulls were making waves, and Red Bull? Still a work in progress. With qualifying looming, the 2025 F1 World Championship continued to throw up new twists at every turn.
2025 Japanese GP FP2 Results
2025 Japanese Grand Prix FP2, 4 April 2025
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:28.114 | 13 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:28.163 | +0.049s | 12 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:28.518 | +0.404s | 12 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:28.544 | +0.430s | 14 |
| 5 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:28.559 | +0.445s | 13 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:28.567 | +0.453s | 13 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:28.586 | +0.472s | 14 |
| 8 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:28.670 | +0.556s | 9 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:28.757 | +0.643s | 13 |
| 10 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:28.832 | +0.718s | 9 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:29.023 | +0.909s | 11 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:29.062 | +0.948s | 12 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:29.335 | +1.221s | 13 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 1:29.507 | +1.393s | 13 |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 1:29.654 | +1.540s | 10 |
| 16 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:29.733 | +1.619s | 13 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:29.978 | +1.864s | 5 |
| 18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:30.625 | +2.511s | 12 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:30.845 | +2.731s | 12 |
| 20 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | 1:31.659 | +3.545s | 4 |
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