First part of the free training
Cloudy. Dry. Air +17…16С, highway +25…23С
Never before has a Japanese weekend been held so early – in spring and not autumn, making the two stages in Suzuka only six months apart. It was very interesting to evaluate the changes in the balance of power on a complex, demanding route in such a short time.
RB decided to field an all-Japanese team for the first practice session – Ayuma Iwasa got behind the wheel of Daniel Ricciardo’s car and made his debut in the official Formula 1 session. However, he couldn’t leave straight away – the mechanics worked on his car for over fifteen minutes in the pits.
The teams started the session with aerodynamic testing on hard and medium tyres, before switching to soft tyres. For the second time during the season, as in Bahrain, the heaviest compound C1 was used as Hard.
After half an hour the session was stopped with red flags. Logan Sargent crashed his car after spinning in turn seven. The blow was powerful. Marshals collected the wreckage in a plastic bag and the car was towed away.
Williams still has no spare chassis and a shortage of spare parts. The team’s drivers had serious accidents for the second Friday in a row, so in Melbourne Alex Albon had to drive Sargent’s car, and now Logan crashed the same car in Suzuka.
After twelve minutes the riders were able to continue working, with many complaining about the traffic.
Max Verstappen followed the protocol and drove the best lap in 1:30.056, which is already faster than on Friday six months ago.
Results of the first session
| Pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:30.056 | – | 18 |
| 2. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1:30,237 | +0.181 | 18 |
| 3. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 1:30,269 | +0.213 | 20 |
| 4. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:30,530 | +0.474 | 18 |
| 5. L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:30,543 | +0.487 | 23 |
| 6. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:30,558 | +0.502 | 18 |
| 7. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:30,599 | +0.543 | 20 |
| 8. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:31,165 | +1,109 | 23 |
| 9. Yu.Tsunoda | RB | 1:31,230 | +1,174 | 20 |
| 10. L.Norris | McLaren | 1:31,240 | +1,184 | 22 |
| 11. E. Okon | Alps | 1:31,935 | +1,879 | 19 |
| 12. A. Elbon | Williams | 1:31,943 | +1,887 | 18 |
| 13. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 1:31,958 | +1,902 | 19 |
| 14. V. Bottas | Sauber | 1:32,054 | +1,998 | 17 |
| 15. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:32.055 | +1,999 | 17 |
| 16. Iwasa | RB | 1:32,103 | +2,047 | 22 |
| 17. P. Gasly | Alps | 1:32,277 | +2,221 | 23 |
| 18. G.Zhou | Sauber | 1:32,638 | +2,582 | 18 |
| 19. K. Magnussen | Hare | 1:32,803 | +2,747 | 21 |
| 20. L. Sargent | Williams | 1:33,204 | +3,148 | 10 |
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.
