HIGHLIGHTS: Catch the action from FP3 in Japan as Norris and McLaren head the pack

McLaren’s Lando Norris was the driver to beat in the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix as he led Oscar Piastri and George Russell at the end of a challenging hour for the field.

The Briton narrowly edged out his team mate by 0.026s with his fastest lap of 1m 27.965s, with the papaya pair continuing their impressive form from the opening two rounds of the season.

FP3: Norris leads Piastri and Russell during final Japanese GP practice session

There were echoes of the disruption from yesterday’s FP2 as two more small fires brought out the red flags at the very beginning and end of the session, leaving drivers a reduced window to find the limit at Suzuka Circuit.

But that action was tantalisingly competitive as Mercedes and Ferrari joined McLaren in fighting to claim the top spot throughout the hour, setting the stage for a thrilling Qualifying session later today.

There were a couple of wild moments to report, with new Williams driver Carlos Sainz taking a trip through the gravel early on and Kick Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto saving a wobble on the entry to 130R.

Click go on the video player above to catch up with the highlights from FP3 in Japan.