Japanese F1 Grand Prix practice LIVE: Up-to-the-minute coverage as Red Bull's brutal driver change is put to the test

The 1997 world champion just told Sky's coverage that while Lawson (pictured below with Helmut Marko) looked confident behind the wheel last year, he 'collapsed' in 2025 as he had a horror run of results in Australia and China.

Yes, he won the sprint race in China after a poor showing for the Prancing Horse in qualifying and the race in Melbourne, but that first victory was followed by disqualifications for the Briton and teammate Charles Leclerc, giving rise to speculation the seven-time world champ is already frustrated with his new team.

The Red Bull boss admitted sacking Liam Lawson after just two races for the team was 'horrible' for the New Zealander - and revealed what he told the 23-year-old after the axe fell.

Good news - the weather forecast at Suzuka is sunny, with a top temperature of 14C - which makes for a small change from the blistering 37C conditions the drivers faced on the second day of the year's first GP in Melbourne.

Thanks for joining Mail Sport's live coverage of the first and second practices at Suzuka, where Red Bull's newly promoted Yuki Tsunoda will share the track with the man whose seat he took, Liam Lawson.

We'll bring you the latest lap times, updates and incidents as the third grand prix event of the 2025 season gets underway.