First part of the free training
Cloudy. Dry. Air +28C, highway +38C
There were clouds around the highway Friday morning, but the asphalt remained dry. Pirelli brought a new version of the C2 compound to the podium, intended for the following season – and most teams started the session assessing its effectiveness.
The Suzuka circuit was built as a testing ground; it was much more efficient to evaluate new products there than in Singapore – many were working with solutions for the next season.
Lance Stroll returned to the wheel after a serious accident during qualifying in Singapore – he missed the race and this weekend he said the maximum g-force at the moment of impact was 50g.
The session went smoothly. Sargent drove off the track, Sainz was hit by an aerodynamic track from a McLaren car, Verstappen was unhappy that Russell interfered with him in the ‘esques’, although George even drove over the white line to let him through.
At the end of the session there was a light drizzle, but this did not affect the condition of the asphalt. Max Verstappen topped the timesheet with a lap of 1:31.647.
Results of the first session
| Pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31,647 | – | 25 |
| 2. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 1:32,273 | +0.626 | 24 |
| 3. L.Norris | McLaren | 1:32,392 | +0.745 | 24 |
| 4. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32,574 | +0.927 | 25 |
| 5. Yu.Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:32,597 | +0.950 | 21 |
| 6. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:32,650 | +1,003 | 23 |
| 7. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:32,713 | +1,066 | 26 |
| 8. A. Elbon | Williams | 1:32,991 | +1,344 | 24 |
| 9. L. Lawson | AlphaTauri | 1:33.005 | +1,358 | 28 |
| 10. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:33,040 | +1,393 | 17 |
| 11. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1:33,043 | +1,396 | 25 |
| 12. P. Gasly | Alps | 1:33,129 | +1,482 | 23 |
| 13. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:33,310 | +1,663 | 24 |
| 14. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 1:33,448 | +1,801 | 24 |
| 15. E.Okon | Alps | 1:33,516 | +1,869 | 22 |
| 16. L.Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33,699 | +2,052 | 22 |
| 17. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:33,860 | +2,213 | 24 |
| 18. K. Magnussen | Hare | 1:33.975 | +2,328 | 23 |
| 19. L. Sargent | Williams | 1:34,212 | +2,565 | 27 |
| 20. G.Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1:34,831 | +3,184 | 23 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
