George ends a wet Friday at Suzuka at the top of the timings.

An oil leak and subsequent engine change delayed the start of George’s FP1 session until 40 minutes into the session.

Taking to the damp track, George donned the Intermediate tyres despite the rain increasing as he left pit lane.

With the rain intensity increasing, George completed only four laps to end the morning session in P18 with a 1.46.103.

Due to the adverse weather conditions, Pirelli’s tyre test segment was cancelled but FP2 remained at the extended 90-minutes.

George made a steady start to the session, venturing out on the Wet tyres 15 minutes into the session to put in a 1.52.859 on his first run before quickly improving to 1.51.259 and into P3.

After completing four laps on the Wet tyres, the Brit was the first to make the switch to Intermediates and taking him to the top of the timings with a 1.46.891.

As the session unfurled, George and teammate Lewis Hamilton exchanged turns in topping the timings with the duo running first and second for the latter stage of the session with George claiming the top spot at the end of the day with a 1.41.935.

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George Russell – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team Driver

It is always nice to end the day top of the time sheets, and it was a decent improvement from FP1 when we were pretty much at the bottom. The wet conditions today were probably not that representative for the rest of the weekend, but it was a good learning opportunity for the future; it's important to understand things like the tyre crossover from wet to intermediate, and even if that doesn't pay dividends this weekend, it will in the future. It's amazing to be back here in Suzuka - the circuit is so iconic, one of the best in the world, and the first sector is just a joy to drive because it is so fast and flowing. I've no idea what to expect tomorrow in the dry - we will be battling for the top six positions, and hopefully we have a shot at something better than that. Let's wait and see.

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