Lando Norris believes George Russell will prove to be McLaren’s main threat in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix based on Friday’s limited running.
FP2 was interrupted by four red flags – including a massive crash for Jack Doohan – and teams were unable to complete any significant long running, with qualifying simulations also interrupted. That made FP1 the better session to compare performance and it was Norris who topped the times, but the championship leader has his eye on Mercedes.
“I still think we’re at the top, but I think George was very quick this morning, just as quick as us,” Norris said. “So I think Mercedes are in a good place. Maybe Red Bull looked a little bit further off, but they have looked further off into qualifying and then they get a bit closer again.
“So to be honest, I think the normal, but just a messy session. So I don’t think this session [FP2] was probably the best example of where everyone was. I think maybe FP1 was a better example that you kind of saw teams in order.
But I still expect it to be close and a tough battle tomorrow. I mean, I hope it’s not. I hope it’s nice and easy for us, but I’m sure Mercedes, at least, and definitely George from today’s showings will be challenging us a bit tomorrow.”
Teammate Oscar Piastri set the fastest time at the end of FP2, but hadn’t managed to complete a clean soft-tire lap in the first practice session and admits the conditions at Suzuka have made it hard to get a full understanding of car set-up.
“Difficult,” Piastri said. “I think with the part of the track being resurfaced and very gusty winds, it’s been a challenge. Around here, it’s somewhere where the wind really changes the balance a lot. And when it’s gusty like this, I don’t think you have the same car two laps in a row. So it’s been a pretty tricky day.
“Obviously, FP2 was pretty stop start, so it was hard to get into a rhythm. But I think by the end of the day, I felt reasonably comfortable. Still some fine tuning to go. I think there’s been some things I’ve been happy with today, but it’s not been the easiest overall.
“It’s really hard to know [the competitive order]. I think FP1 was difficult to get pace out the car. I think FP2, I was much more comfortable. But I think Mercedes looked very quick as well, just didn’t find much on the softs, which I think with this kind of session, it’s always a bit tricky to get a proper read.
“The pace is there and I’m feeling confident that we’ve got good pace for the rest of the weekend. But it’s still a little bit tricky at this point. So I think we’ve still got to be on our toes.”
