F1 Japanese GP: lap times largely insignificant as FP2 affected by four red flags. Suzuka, Free Practice 2: McLaren Dominates Amid Four Red Flags.

The second free practice session of the Japanese GP was largely insignificant, as the session was interrupted four times by red flags. The drivers were only able to complete a few laps between stoppages, so some didn’t even manage a qualifying attempt, and no one could try a long run.

The big news is that McLaren seems untouchable, with Oscar Piastri setting the fastest time on soft tires at 1:28.163, just 49 thousandths ahead of his teammate Lando Norris. Both McLaren drivers have already gone under the pole position time from last year by a tenth. A surprise third place for Isack Hadjar with Racing Bulls, four-tenths behind, and a solid fifth for the resurgent Liam Lawson with the second Faenza car. Between the two VCARB 02s, Lewis Hamilton managed to place his Ferrari in fourth, while George Russell with Mercedes is sixth, followed by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.

The session saw four red flags: the first due to a heavy off-track incident for Jack Doohan at Turn 1. The Australian driver lost control of his Alpine with the DRS still open. He got out of the car shaken but unharmed, though the A525 was destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. Then it was Fernando Alonso’s turn to touch the grass at Denger, losing control of his Aston Martin, which ended up getting stuck in the gravel trap—a rookie mistake. Two more stoppages were caused by sudden fires, ignited by the wind in the grass near the trackside. The teams didn’t collect much data, and the hour was practically wasted…

2025 Japanese Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 results