The third free practice session (FP3) of the 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka Circuit.
George Russell had been fastest in Friday’s FP1, and Oscar Piastri topped FP2, but FP3 belonged to Kimi Antonelli, who set the fastest time of the session.
At the same time, Lando Norris had his running limited by a battery issue, and the session highlighted clear differences in how well teams were prepared heading into qualifying.
■まとめポイント
- Antonelli set the fastest time as Mercedes showed overwhelming pace
- Ferrari led the fight for second-best, while McLaren slipped back slightly
- Norris hit trouble, while Red Bull continued to struggle
│ Result
| Pos | Team | Driver | Time (Gap) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Kimi Antonelli | 1:29.362 |
| 2 | | George Russell | +0.254 |
| 3 |  | Charles Leclerc | +0.867 |
| 4 |  | Oscar Piastri | +1.002 |
| 5 | | Lewis Hamilton | +1.021 |
| 6 | | Lando Norris | +1.238 |
| 7 |  | Nico Hulkenberg | +1.296 |
| 8 |  | Max Verstappen | +1.548 |
| 9 | | Gabriel Bortoleto | +1.638 |
| 10 |  | Pierre Gasly | +1.720 |
| 11 | | Isack Hadjar | +1.732 |
| 12 |  | Liam Lawson | +1.735 |
| 13 | | Arvid Lindblad | +1.926 |
| 14 |  | Esteban Ocon | +1.964 |
| 15 | | Oliver Bearman | +2.196 |
| 16 |  | Alex Albon | +2.371 |
| 17 | | Franco Colapinto | +2.397 |
| 18 | | Carlos Sainz | +2.467 |
| 19 |  | Valtteri Bottas | +3.141 |
| 20 | | Sergio Perez | +3.178 |
| 21 |  | Lance Stroll | +4.123 |
| 22 | | Fernando Alonso | +4.167 |
│Session Review
Late in the session, Kimi Antonelli set a 1:29.362.
That lap moved him to the top of the timesheets, and it remained the fastest time of FP3.
George Russell finished second, 0.254 seconds behind.
Both Mercedes drivers set their times in almost identical conditions, which suggests the pace was based on pure performance rather than changing track conditions.
Charles Leclerc was third, but he was still more than eight tenths behind the fastest time.
Oscar Piastri followed in fourth.
McLaren appeared to lose some of the pace it had shown in FP2.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth for Ferrari, but he was unable to close the gap to his team-mate, which suggests the team still has setup work to do.
In the midfield, Nico Hulkenberg again finished near the front and underlined Audi’s competitiveness.
On the other hand, Lando Norris lost track time because of a battery problem.
He eventually set a lap time, but he was unable to complete enough laps.
Max Verstappen also remained off the leading pace.
He finished eighth and was nearly 1.5 seconds behind the fastest time.
There was also a spin for Oliver Bearman during the session, but no major red flag interrupted the running, allowing teams to complete their final checks before qualifying.
Overall, Mercedes appears to hold a clear advantage over the rest of the field.
Ferrari looks to be in the fight for second-best, while McLaren has dropped back slightly.
Red Bull, meanwhile, continues to struggle.
Based on this result, qualifying is likely to become a direct fight between the two Mercedes drivers for pole position.