Lando Norris fired a strong warning to Max Verstappen after dominating the opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, as Red Bull admitted they were battling unexpected car issues at Suzuka.
The McLaren driver posted the fastest lap of FP1 with a 1m28.549s on soft tyres, edging out George Russell by 0.163s. Despite some early off-track moments — including a brush with the gravel at the Casio Triangle — Norris recovered with a near-perfect lap and confidently stated after the session:
“We’re here to fight. Max knows I’m not backing down — especially after the pace we showed today.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s reigning world champion Max Verstappen ended the session in fifth, just 0.014s behind Lewis Hamilton, but admitted that his RB21 felt far from ideal.
“The car’s flexing too much in Sector 2,” Verstappen told reporters. “It’s not where we want it to be, and we’ve got some work to do overnight.”
Adding to the intrigue, Yuki Tsunoda made his first official appearance in a Red Bull car, finishing only a tenth behind Verstappen. The Japanese driver described the experience as “interesting” over team radio, showing promising signs after his promotion from Racing Bulls.
Red Bull later confirmed that the RB21 was experiencing structural issues in certain high-speed corners, which disrupted their balance and stability throughout the lap.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton slotted into third and fourth respectively, with Leclerc commenting that he was struggling under braking. Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10, though both Sainz and Antonelli had minor issues during longer stints.
As the first session at Suzuka wraps up, all eyes are now on the battle brewing between Norris and Verstappen — and with McLaren showing serious pace, the fight for Sunday just got a lot more interesting.