Formula 1 in Japan
McLaren reports back – Hamilton has “no trust”
March 27, 2026Reading time: 2 minutes
After two total failures, things are going much better for McLaren in the first training session in Suzuka. Things look different when it comes to the competition – especially for a title candidate.
In the first free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Oscar Piastri set the fastest time and relegated the two Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and World Championship leader George Russell to their places. For McLaren it is the first strong result after a start to the season that could hardly have been worse with two failures in a row.
The Australian turned the fastest lap on the traditional circuit in 1:30.133 minutes. Defending champion Lando Norris followed in fourth place in the second McLaren. Norris had already named his goals for the weekend on Thursday: “I have a lot of trust in the team and believe that we can have the best car this year. Our goal is first of all to get on the podium and then win races again.”
The training day at Ferrari was not very pleasant. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fought with their cars – clearly the second force behind Mercedes in the first two races. Hamilton radioed to the pits: “I have no confidence.” In the end he finished sixth, directly behind Leclerc.
Max Verstappen was even further back. The four-time world champion only achieved tenth place, over a second behind. The training took place on the day after a scandal: Verstappen had thrown a journalist out of his media group. Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies complained: “We are very far away. We lack a lot of performance.”
Nico Hülkenberg finished seventh in his Audi. The only German Formula 1 driver is hoping for his first points with the new racing team in Suzuka. Most recently, the sudden departure of team boss Jonathan Wheatley had shaken up the racing team.
The qualifying takes place on Saturday (from 7 a.m. in the live ticker on t-online), the Grand Prix on Sunday also at 7 a.m. (in the live ticker on t-online). This is followed by a longer break: Due to the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the war, the races in Miami will not continue until the beginning of May.
