George Russell topped the timesheets in FP2 at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in P2.

The Silver Arrows are still on the hunt for that first win of the campaign and may well hope the wet conditions we had on Friday will stick around for the rest of the weekend, based off of this showing at least.

The forecast, though, looks less kind to Mercedes for the weekend - though there may be some showers around for the race - but nevertheless they'll be happy enough taking the top two fastest times in another tricky Friday practice session thanks to the wet conditions in Suzuka.

Russell and Hamilton were followed on the timesheets by Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, meanwhile, with Verstappen on the brink of winning the title this weekend.

The Dutchman, perhaps conversely to the Mercedes pair, will be hoping for dry running this weekend as he bids to win the championship with as minimal fuss as possible, especially after a rather trying Grand Prix weekend in Singapore last time out.

Kevin Magnussen was fifth fastest, as he was in FP1, showing that he and the Haas clearly have pace in the wet around Suzuka at least, though in the other garage there wasn't as much to smile about with Mick Schumacher's sister car not running in FP2 after the German had a crash in the first practice session of the day.

Carlos Sainz was the first and only Ferrari in the top ten with him finishing sixth fastest, whilst Fernando Alonso would be P7, dropping down from going fastest of all in FP1 earlier in the day. His team-mate Esteban Ocon was P9, meanwhile, with the Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu 8th and 10th respectively.

What's next at Suzuka?

George Russell in practice for the 2022 Japanese GP

SUZUKA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 07: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on October 07, 2022 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

The running is done for today in Japan and the drivers and teams will return tomorrow for FP3 and then qualifying.

The important business of qualy starts at 7am UK time so set those alarms for what could be one of the most intriguing sessions of the year, especially with Max Verstappen looking to set himself up for a potential title win on Sunday.

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