George Russell outpaced Lewis Hamilton to lead a Mercedes one-two in a rain-affected second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, Formula One's first visit to Suzuka since 2019.
The changeable conditions caused numerous off-track excursions, with Nicholas Latifi, Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda, Charles Leclerc, and Sergio Perez all spinning. Mick Schumacher crashed out after the chequered flag in first practice, damaging his Haas enough to miss the second session entirely.
Max Verstappen, who can seal his second consecutive drivers' championship with a win and fastest lap on Sunday, posted the third-fastest time, 0.851 seconds behind Russell. His Red Bull teammate Perez was fourth, while Kevin Magnussen took fifth for Haas.
Russell set the benchmark with a lap of one minute, 41.935 seconds, after trading fastest times with Hamilton. The session was extended to 90 minutes for a planned Pirelli tyre test for 2023, but that was scrapped due to the weather.
Third practice and qualifying are expected to be dry on Saturday, though rain may return for Sunday's race. Verstappen's potential title-clinching weekend continues to build anticipation.
