The first practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix was full of excitement, especially for the home fans. All eyes were on Yuki Tsunoda, who drove for Red Bull Racing for the first time. The crowd cheered loudly as he came out of the pit lane in the RB21 car. It was a big moment for Tsunoda, racing for a top team at his home track.

Liam Lawson took Tsunoda’s place at Racing Bulls, and Ryo Hirakawa also joined the session, driving for Alpine as part of a young driver test.

At the start, Max Verstappen set the fastest time on soft tyres, but he wasn’t happy with how the car felt. He said it was “super weird” and that the car was moving around too much.

George Russell then went quicker than Verstappen, and later Lando Norris set the fastest time of all with a 1:28.549. That put him first, just ahead of Russell and Charles Leclerc.

Tsunoda had a strong session. He was careful at first and told the team the car felt fine, but he wasn’t pushing yet. Later, he improved his time and ended up sixth fastest, just behind Verstappen. It was a great start for him in the Red Bull car, especially in front of his home fans.

There were a few small mistakes in the session. Carlos Sainz accidentally drove past the wrong garage, and Kimi Antonelli slid into the gravel but kept going. Oliver Bearman had to wait in the garage for a while due to a problem with his car, while Lando Norris and Alex Albon took trips to the gravel as well.

In the end, Lando Norris finished the session on top, while George Russell was second for Mercedes, just a tenth behind. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton close behind in fourth. Max Verstappen ended the session in fifth place for Red Bull, followed by Yuki Tsunoda.

Fernando Alonso took seventh for Aston Martin, while Isack Hadjar finished eighth for Racing Bulls. Kimi Antonelli was ninth for Mercedes, and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten for Williams.