Japanese Grand Prix: George Russell leads Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes one-two in second practice in Suzuka

George Russell led Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two in a wet second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. The high-speed Suzuka circuit and the harder tyre compounds were expected to play into Mercedes’ hands, although the conditions are likely to not be representative for the predicted dry weather for qualifying on Saturday. Ad Hamilton is looking for his first victory in 2022 to maintain his streak of winning a race in every season he’s competed in since making his Formula 1 debut in 2007.

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The Ferrari driver was able to crawl his way out of the gravel trap. As the drivers switched from wets to intermediates, the lap times began to tumble with Verstappen and Russell trading top spot in the middle of the session. Hamilton split the pair by slotting into second place, ahead of Verstappen and Sergio Perez.