Lindblad's car will have its transmission replaced.

      Arvid Lindblad missed the second session of free practice for the Japanese Grand Prix due to gearbox issues. Racing Bulls confirmed that a new gearbox will be fitted to the British driver's car on Saturday.

      His teammate Liam Lawson completed the entire session and recorded the twelfth fastest time.

      Alan Permain, team principal: "On the out lap from the pits, Arvid's car experienced a gearbox failure. We understand the cause, and we will fit a fresh gearbox to his car by tomorrow.

      It's important to spend as much time on track as possible at this circuit, so we apologize to Arvid. We need to do better to provide him with a reliable car during practice.

      In terms of speed, we are right in the thick of the battle for the lead in the midfield. One-tenth in either direction can place us at the top or at the back of the midfield. The competition is incredibly tight, but that makes qualifying very exciting."

      Liam Lawson (12th): "It's great to be back in Suzuka. I really enjoyed it today. Driving on this track in a new generation car is different from what we're used to. We had some issues at high speed, so the team adjusted the setup between sessions. This helped improve the balance, and we learned a lot.

      We have everything we need to optimally set up the car before tomorrow's qualifying. The competition will be tight, so everything can still change."

      Arvid Lindblad (no time): "A disappointing day. There were gearbox issues in the second practice, so I couldn't get any work done.

      In the first practice, Liam and I had the same setup, but we saw some limitations and decided to move in a different direction. Liam was happy with the option found, which looks promising for Saturday.

      Overall, it's interesting to drive on this track, and I'm looking forward to when the grip increases, especially in qualifying. It's hard to say where we stand at the moment, but the battle in the midfield is very tight. We will work together and try to make it to the final."