It was an almost actionless FP2 session in Suzuka due to rainy conditions, with just a few drivers setting a time in the dying stages of the day.
All the drivers waited to get the first laps in during FP2 since light rain was hitting the track. The first one to exit was Lewis Hamilton with medium tires. Daniel Ricciardo also tried to get some laps in, but both drivers immediately went back into the pits as the rain got heavier.
With thirty minutes to go, Oscar Piastri hit the track with intermediate tires to get a feeling of the wet surface. Yuki Tsunoda and Guanyu Zhou followed the Australian. The Japanese was the only one among the three to set a timed lap, and his teammate did the same right behind him.
The RB F1 Team drivers were the only ones staying on track, with the local hero Tsunoda setting the fastest time of the session, +0.967s faster than Ricciardo. The two Sauber were also out on track with less than ten minutes to go but weren’t setting significant lap times and made their way back to the pits.
With a few minutes to go, Piastri fitted the soft tires and managed to set a faster time than the one made by Tsunoda. The Aussie continued his activity and further improved his time.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton also managed to set a time, with the Britton going second fastest, just half a second behind Piastri. Meanwhile, Leclerc went third fastest.