The first practice session at Suzuka started calmly, with Nico Hulkenberg leading the cars out while the FIA briefly tested the Virtual Safety Car system. After this short delay, the drivers began setting lap times, with Lewis Hamilton recording the first proper effort.

Teams used the early part of the session to test updates and gather data. Aston Martin ran Jak Crawford with aero rakes on the car to check new parts. There were also a few early issues, as Isack Hadjar struggled with cooling and had a small moment, while Alex Albon stayed in the garage while Williams worked on his car. Max Verstappen also had a slight moment while running with flow-vis paint.

After around 20 minutes, Charles Leclerc moved to the top of the times, just ahead of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Lando Norris had a slower start, as McLaren worked on his car, and his first lap was deleted for track limits.

Mercedes then switched to soft tyres earlier than others, and Russell went fastest. Antonelli briefly took first place, but Russell quickly responded and moved back ahead, despite mentioning a small issue with power out of the final corner.

As the session continued, there were more mistakes and busy moments on track. Albon ran through the gravel and touched the barrier, while Verstappen returned to the pits for a nose change. Several drivers, including Leclerc and Liam Lawson, ran wide at Spoon corner. There was also some frustration in traffic, with Russell unhappy with Sergio Perez, and other drivers involved in minor incidents.

In the final part of the session, drivers focused on fast laps using soft tyres. Hamilton improved and briefly moved up the order, but others soon went quicker. Norris then produced a strong lap late on to take third place, very close to Russell’s leading time.

Near the end, there was contact between Albon and Perez at the final chicane. Albon tried to go around the outside, but Perez turned in and did not see him, causing a collision that left debris on the track. The stewards noted the incident.

In the end, George Russell led the way with a 1:31.666, finishing just in front of his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who was only 0.026 seconds slower. Lando Norris secured third place after a strong late lap, followed by Oscar Piastri in fourth. Charles Leclerc ended the session in fifth, with Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Max Verstappen finished seventh after a difficult session, while Liam Lawson was eighth. Esteban Ocon took ninth place, and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.