Fires, Tsunoda strong and pole fight clues: F1 FP3 at Suzuka
Everything you need to know about the final Formula 1 practice session before the Japanese Grand Prix
George Russell appears to be the biggest threat to another 2025 McLaren pole position on the evidence of final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix - but the threat of track fires could mix up qualifying.
Friday's Suzuka action was stopped twice with two fires in second practice and final practice featured two further red flags for fires on the exit of the hairpin and later the entry into 130R.
Both were likely caused by sparks igniting the grass, with the latter incident seemingly triggered by Gabriel Bortoleto running his Sauber onto the grass there.
After FP3 the FIA said: "Ahead of qualifying, all available time and resources will be focused on further dampening the grass before the session."
The frontrunners had already got their qualifying simulations in before that late-session red flag cost the last five minutes of the session.
Lando Norris topped FP3 on a 1m27.965s, the fastest lap of the Suzuka weekend so far. He's had to rebound from a trip through the gravel on the exit of Degner 2 earlier in the session.
Oscar and Lando pushing those limits on the soft tyres
