Unstoppable Mercedes: Antonelli responds to Russell, Leclerc 3rd but far off

Mercedes confirms itself as the absolute benchmark of this start of the season, virtually locking out the front row at Suzuka. In FP3 of the 2026 Japanese GP, the fight for pole seems like a private matter in Toto Wolff’s garage: Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in 1:29.362, finishing two and a half tenths ahead of teammate George Russell.

Read more 2026 Japanese GP – FP3 Classification: Antonelli beats Russell! Mercedes on a planet of their own, then Leclerc

For the rest of the grid, the gaps are becoming increasingly heavy. Charles Leclerc finished in third position with a Ferrari that appeared significantly more balanced than on Friday, but the gap from the top is nearly nine tenths. Behind the Monegasque, a tight battle for the second and third rows is expected: Oscar Piastri is fourth, followed by just 19 thousandths by Lewis Hamilton, with the McLarens confirming they can stay in the lead group despite the difficulties.

Reliability permitting, however: Lando Norris is sixth, 1.2 seconds behind the leader, but he again lost over half an hour of the session due to a battery pack issue. Max Verstappen didn’t shine either, eighth behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi and one and a half seconds behind Antonelli.

F1 returns to the track at 7:00 AM in Italy for qualifying, which we will cover live on FormulaPassion.it starting from 6:45 AM, which will decide the third starting grid of the season.

F1 Suzuka, race hub: all useful links

To best follow the live coverage of Free Practice 3 of the F1 Japanese GP, here are all the useful links for the race weekend at Suzuka, the third round of the 2026 World Championship:

• TV times – The weekend schedule
• Weather – What the weather is like in Suzuka
• Preview – The weekend’s themes
• LIVE – Session report
• Results – Session classification
• Last year – How it went in 2025
• Calendar – All F1 2026 rounds
• Driver Standings – After Shanghai
• Constructor Standings – After Shanghai

F1, live report of FP3 for the Japanese GP

04.35 – Well, that’s all for now, dear FP readers! Thank you for your attention despite the hour, you were insanely numerous. Our next appointment is at 6:45 AM for the minute-by-minute live coverage of the third qualifying session of the season. Have a good nap and see you later!

04.33 – The final classification of FP3 which certifies, if any more proof were needed, the dominance of Mercedes.

04.30 – Checkered flag! Free Practice 3 of the 2026 Japanese GP ends here.

04.29 – So Mercedes confirms it is very strong, not to say unreachable for anyone, at least on a single lap. But if the fight for pole position will realistically be a home battle between Antonelli and Russell, there is a nice duel between Ferrari and McLaren for the second row: Leclerc is third, then Piastri, Hamilton, and Norris, all within just over three tenths.

04.26 – Leclerc, on the other hand, does not improve on his second attempt due to going wide at the Spoon curve. A few moments earlier, Arvid Lindblad had also gone very wide at that point, which remains one of the trickiest: it’s just a pity there is no longer gravel as there was until recently, but a nice expanse of asphalt in the run-off area.

04.25 – Hamilton improves on his second attempt, but the Englishman only manages to overtake Hulkenberg to take fifth place, 1 second behind Antonelli. Norris also moves up to sixth after switching to his second set of soft tires.

04.23 – Max Verstappen is seventh, 1.5 seconds behind his friend Antonelli at the top of the standings. And for the Dutchman, there’s a repeat of a great classic from his repertoire: complaining about downshifts. “It’s a horrible feeling, everywhere, in every corner,” says the four-time world champion to Gianpiero Lambiase over the radio.

04.19 – Leclerc also doesn’t improve with new tires, remaining third, nearly 9 tenths behind Antonelli. Audi surprise with Nico Hulkenberg moving up to fifth, slotting in between Piastri and Hamilton.

04.18 – A rather disappointing first lap for Lewis Hamilton, who doesn’t improve with new tires, while Charles Leclerc immediately aborted because his battery wasn’t ready (i.e., sufficiently charged) at the start of the lap. Max Verstappen is also on track with Softs.

04.16 – The two Ferrari drivers return to the track, both with new Soft tires, while Max Verstappen is still in the pits. After a first run in tenth place on Mediums, he is still waiting to fit the soft Pirellis to complete the usual qualifying simulation.

04.14 – Scary spin for Oliver Bearman, who lost the rear exiting the very fast Spoon curve, miraculously managing to avoid the barriers and resume driving after a heavy flat-spotting of his tires. The Englishman even received compliments from championship leader George Russell, who was right behind and enjoyed the scene from the front row, saying over the radio: “Well done, nice save.”

04.12 – And it’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli again taking the satisfaction away from the expected dominator George Russell! 1:29.362 for the Bolognese, who puts two and a half tenths over his teammate. Piastri improves but remains fourth, 1 second behind Antonelli and two tenths off Leclerc’s time.

04.09 – Norris starts from 11th place, 1.5 seconds behind compatriot Russell at the top of the standings. Also, watch out because Russell, Antonelli, and Piastri are returning to the track with their second set of new Soft tires: the final qualifying simulation of the weekend is about to happen ahead of the real qualifying.

04.06 – Norris leaves the pits with new Soft tires. As for the standings, the difference at the back between Aston Martin and Cadillac now seems clear, with the American team having overtaken in terms of performance: Perez, 18th, has a 1-second advantage over Alonso and Stroll, 20th and 21st respectively (with Bottas in between).

04.05 – There seems to be good news for Lando Norris, who has gotten into the car and appears ready to start his day’s work. A nice surprise for the McLaren driver, who in the end loses his now-customary half-hour (this time a bit more) as seen in FP1 and FP2.

04.03 – For the first time this Japanese Saturday, George Russell takes first place, beating Kimi Antonelli’s already excellent time: 1:29.918 for the World Championship leader. The two Mercedes are thus tied at the top, three tenths ahead of the first of the pursuers, Leclerc.

04.01 – The standings as we reach the halfway point of this FP3: