Lando Norris finishes the session quickest but certainly had his issues out there, while team-mate Oscar Piastri was only 15th quickest, a second slower than Norris.

Plenty for McLaren to mull over there.

11) Albon

12) Hirakawa

13) Lawson

14) Gasly

15) Piastri

16) Stroll

17) Hulkenberg

18) Bearman

19) Ocon

20) Bortoleto

1) Norris

2) Russell

3) Leclerc

4) Hamilton

5) Verstappen

6) Tsunoda

7) Alonso

8) Hadjar

9) Antonelli

10) Sainz

Kimi Antonelli is off into the gravel at Turn 11 but is able to return to the track OK.

"Yeah I locked up," he reports.

Lando Norris is set to finish first practice quickest but it hasn't been plain sailing and he has another bumpy moment over a kerb.

He's on the mediums for this final part of first practice, as is George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

We're approaching the final five minutes of practice and there's no change at the top of the order.

Kimi Antonelli is currently ninth quickest in the Mercedes. He's only 18 and interestingly is balancing being a Formula 1 driver with doing his exams at school.

The only thing I was balancing my exams with at that age was trying to nail Rainbow Road on Mario Kart.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

You can't have two number ones but at this stage of the season you have to treat them equally because they are both doing a fantastic job. Oscar Piastri was really solid in China and deserved to have that win. Later on in the season, when it gets to crunch time, they will potentially have to look at having a number one.

Heading into the final 15 minutes of the session and the top of the order looks like this:

1) Norris 1:28.549

2) Russell +0.163

3) Leclerc +0.416

4) Hamilton +0.502

5) Verstappen +0.516

All set on softs.

Much better from Lando Norris as he puts it together for the first time in this session to go fastest of all with 1:28.549, a tenth quicker than George Russell.

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen is third quickest with Yuki Tsunoda fourth quickest but there's just a tenth between them, so encouraging stuff so far from Tsunoda.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

This McLaren is looking a little tricky around this Suzuka circuit.

Another moment from Lando Norris as he takes a bit too much of the kerb at Turn 17 and ends up briefly on the gravel.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

The Mercedes looks nice and compliant over the kerbs at the final chicane.

A lot more drivers are out on softs now for some quick laps and Yuki Tsunoda is bumped down to fourth by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, who go second and third quickest respectively.

Yuki Tsunoda is told by his race engineer that he's within three tenths of George Russell but the Red Bull driver says he'd prefer to focus on themselves than how they compare to others.

Kimi Antonelli goes second quickest, half a second down on George Russell for a Mercedes one-two at the top of the timesheet but Yuki Tsunoda, who appears to be growing in confidence with every lap, splits them to go second quickest.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

The McLaren of Lando Norris is not looking comfortable on this medium set of tyres.

Oscar Piastri, back out on softs, goes third quickest. Lando Norris sees his attempt scuppered by running wide at a corner and he heads into the pits.