F1 Japanese GP live commentary and updates: FP3

We'll sign off with another funky team livery, that of the Racing Bulls. Be right back for more fun and frolics as we head in to qualifying...

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Still, even if the laptimes are disappointing in some quarters, there are some funky one-off liveries on display. We're particularly taken with the Godzilla-themed livery on the Haas cars, though we're mildly disappointed that the team – usually so hot on social media – didn't take the opportunity to create a viral clip by dressing its drivers up in rubber Godzilla suits and letting them run amok in a cardboard model of Tokyo, like in the original movies.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Towards the tail of the field, the gaps are even wider. Carlos Sainz may be P18 in the overweight Williams, and 2.467s off frontrunning pace, but he's over half a second faster than Valtteri Bottas in P19. The Cadillacs and the Aston Martins very much occupying a class of their own at the moment.

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson go exploring the asphalt run-off at the Spoon in separate incidents, Lawson while taking evasive action upon finding a Haas "parked at the apex", to use the only repeatable part of the radio dialogue which followed.

That moment scuppered Leclerc's attempt to better his previous best of 1m30.229s on the softs, 0.867s off Russell's benchmark lap.

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris push Hulkenberg south but they're still over a second off Mercedes pace.

Now, while we're still over two seconds off the pole position time for last year's Japanese Grand Prix, the current pace bears an interesting comparison with the same session in the 2022 event, the first year of the previous regulations.

There, Max Verstappen was fastest with a 1m30.671s. And this was with warmer ambients – 22C as opposed to 16C – albeit a lower track temperature owing to cloud (30C rather than 38C). Different time of year, of course – but the cars were maturer then than they are now, where the 2022 event was round 18 whereas this is just the third race weekend of the new regs.

NOTE: edited to cure earlier brain-fade-related factula...

Leclerc now out again on softs. Let's see what he can do since that latest Mercedes lappery has left him eight tenths off the absolute pace.

We're doing the I-was-right dance now, as opposed to the Macarena, since Antonelli has just done a 1m29.362s and Russell a 1m29.616s before both return to the pits. Piastri has done a 1m30.364s to go P4. 

Hulkenberg now P5 with his first soft-tyre run, 1m30.658s. Nice, but 1m296s off Antonelli.

There's a brief yellow flag as Oliver Bearman loops his Haas most luridly under power at the exit of the Spoon.

Yes, I know I said "interesting" but it wasn't that interesting.

Interesting – both Mercedes back out on new sets of softs. Russell and Antonelli have been on slightly different runs so far – Antonelli did three separate runs of three laps on the last set of tyres, while Russell did three then six.

Meanwhile, the McLaren mechanics have excelled themselves as Lando Norris leaves the pitlane with 23 minutes left on the clock. The messaging from the team was that this might not happen.

Meanwhile, one has to reach for the binoculars to see where Aston Martin is. 1m34.344s for Fernando Alonso and 1m34.507s for Lance Stroll the fastest so far, on softs! Four and a half seconds off the Mercedes. In F1 terms we may as well be measuring the gap with an egg timer.

Interesting to see where the Audis are. Currently P6 (Bortoleto, 1m31.101s) and P8 (Hulkenberg, 1m31.326s). Yes, that's a second off Merc pace but they were both on mediums, and Hulk was on a 10-lap long run.

Leclerc has parked it after improving to 1m30.229s, but that's only good for P2 as Antonelli posts a 1m29.929s before heading for the pits.

This then becomes P3 and P2 as Russell does a 1m29.918s – 0.011s faster than his Mercedes teammate.

We're prepared to wager there's more in there, even though they're three tenths faster than the Ferrari.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

"Are you looking for more high-speed front?" Verstappen is asked.

"Yeah but like a massive amount," he rejoinders in what we would describe, at the risk of being ejected from his next press conference, as a tone of peevish dissatisfaction.

In-car footage of Max Verstappen reveals the extent of Red Bull's woes, with the caveat that he's not long into a run on mediums. He catches a slide through the exit of Degner 2 and then understeers gloopily through the hairpin. After a lap that's messier than Gregg Wallace's sock drawer he goes P9 with a 1m31.354s.

That's just under three tenths off a lap Bortoleto has just set in the Audi on the same tyre compound.

Everybody has visited the asphalt now apart from Lando Norris, whose car remains in the garage. A clear divergence of programmes going on as the frontrunners and usual front-midfielders circulate on softs while others grind out longer runs on mediums.

In the former camp we find the current top six (Leclerc, Antonelli, Russell, Piastri, Hamilton, Lindblad). In the latter the likes of Gasly, who did a seven-lap run on the mediums, and Ocon, who has just clocked his seventh.

Leclerc improves to 1m30.536s, Russell's first effort is a 1m30.545s, but Antonelli serves up a 1m30.418s to remain on top.

Nico Hulkenberg moaning on the radio about being impeded by Piastri in the final sector; Valtteri Bottas doing likewise having come across a Haas. So much negativity in the room!

In the Hulk's case it was open and shut, since Piastri was weaving to warm his tyres. But with Bottas it was more a case of how-dare-you-be-on-the-same-track.

Yes, Antonelli's first effort on softs is a 1m30.418s. And based on what happened in Australia, and to a lesser extent China (where there was just one practice session, it being a sprint weekend), Mercedes always has a little something in its back pocket for the quali sims at the end of the session.

Charles Leclerc now top with a 1m31.018s, also on softs. That's just his first push lap.

Antonelli, Russell and Piastri now out so expect those laptimes to continue their downward migration.

Hamilton signs off with a 1m31.056s before returning to the Ferrari garage with 5 timed laps in the bag.

Gasly finds 1m32.251s. Only eight drivers have set times so far but there are now 12 cars on track. No sign of Mercedes or McLaren yet.

Indeed, Hamilton goes top with 1m32.283s on soft tyres. Still nowhere near peak pace from yesterday, so expect the laptimes to make like the walls in that Style Council song and come tumbling down.

The Alpines are running on medium tyres and are first to put representative laps on the board. 1m32.860s for Pierre Gasly, 1m33.665s for Franco Colapinto. The only other time so far is a leisurely 1m46.348s by Sergio Perez in the Cadillac. – on softs!

But Lewis Hamilton is out on softs now so we hope the Alpine drivers enjoy their time in the sun.

In other matters arising from this weekend, Ferrari has parked its innovative pivoting rear wing flap arrangement again. We named it the 'rotisserie' wing, but in China Ferrari got in touch to insist that team principal Fred Vasseur's preferred nomenclature is 'Macarena' wing after the dance craze of the 1990s. We aim to please...

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images

Want to know what we learned from Friday practice? We've got you.

BRAKE EXPECTATIONS

Despite the absence of ground effects, cars aren't really requiring much use of the brakes through the legendary Esses at Suzuka. Hmmmm...

WELCOME TO LIVE COVERAGE OF FP3 AT SUZUKA

Yes, we're back. Last time out, in FP2, Oscar Piastri went fastest for McLaren. But don't get too excited – he certainly wasn't. Oscar explained that McLaren is still slower than Mercedes and Ferrari despite topping the timesheets. 

Dear readers, he must be tremendous fun at parties.

Mind you, Charles Leclerc was also quick to pour cold water over his own team's performance. Pessimism must be contagious. Good thing we're co-ordinating this coverage from the Lord Heseltine Theatre, he? Even the cats can't get in here (despite their best efforts ahead of FP2 yesterday).