Free Practices One and Two at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen top the times in both outings, while Ferrari and McLaren continued to hold their own in the top four. Coming off the back of a successful weekend in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton found himself outside the top ten in both practices. On the other hand, his teammate George Russell was slow out of the blocks in FP1 before rounding out the top five in FP2.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
It was slightly cooler in Suzuka compared to Singapore’s heat and humidity last week as the drivers headed out onto the track for Free Practices One and Two. All teams were running some prototype Pirelli C2 tyres in FP1, giving them two more sets than their usual 13. With Suzuka’s tyre-shredding abilities, the testing of these extra sets in a practice session could prove valuable by the end of the race on Sunday.
Red Bull succeeded in setting the pace again in Free Practices One and Two; the Austrian team were quick off the mark as Max Verstappen topped the times in both sessions. However it wasn’t such plain sailing for his teammate Sergio Perez who found himself struggling to stay in the top 10. Verstappen’s two P1-worthy times could only be met with P11 and P9 from Perez.
Consistency was key for Ferrari, securing P2 and P4 in both sessions. Last week’s winner Carlos Sainz took P2 in the first practice session, while Charles Leclerc drove to fourth. The two drivers swapped positions in FP2 staying comfortably in the top five.
Mixed Feelings for McLaren
Lando Norris rounded out the top three in both practices. McLaren’s upgrades previously run by the Brit in Singapore seem to be holding up in a different style of circuit. However despite Norris’ remarks that the “car feels pretty all over the place” with low grip, both himself and his teammate Oscar Piastri were impressed with the pace. Rookie Piastri – who just signed a lengthy contract extension with McLaren – was comfortably inside the top ten in both sessions, finishing in P7 and P8 respectively in Free Practices One and Two.
Over at AlphaTauri, home favourite Yuki Tsunoda impressed in FP1 putting in a time worthy of fifth. In a not-so-successful FP2, he could only manage 18th. Liam Lawson managed P9 and P15 in FP1 and FP2 respectively off the back of his first Formula 1 points last week.
Mercedes’ Slow Start
Mercedes, off the back of an up-and-down weekend, had a somewhat quiet day. Lewis Hamilton opted not to run the soft tyres in FP1 and finished in P16, and drove to 14th in FP2. George Russell also had a bit of an apprehensive start to his weekend finishing his first session in P13. He pulled his second session back to finish P5.
Aston Martin were another team to have a consistent FP1 and FP2, however not quite as successful as the likes of Ferrari. Fernando Alonso finished just outside of the top five in both sessions, settling for P6. Lance Stroll was back on track after missing the Singapore GP as a precaution from a nasty crash in Qualifying. He posted times worthy of tenth and eleventh in FP1 and FP2.
Alex Albon, seemingly very comfortable in his Williams, drove consistently to an eighth best time in FP1, improving to P7 in FP2. Further down the standings, his rookie teammate Logan Sargeant could only manage P19, and then P20.
More Red Flags for Alpine
Alpine’s run of bad luck continued today as they failed to get a car into the top ten of either session. Esteban Ocon, who was forced to retire in Singapore, found himself in 15th in FP1 and improved 12th in FP2. Pierre Gasly finished FP1 in P12, before bringing out the red flags in the final moments of FP2 as he locked up and careered into the barrier at Degner 2. He finished the session in P19, above only Logan Sargeant.
Valtteri Bottas secured only P17 in FP1 and rounded out the top ten in FP2 for Alfa Romeo. Zhou Guanyu was another driver who struggled, finishing dead last in the first practice. Like Gasly, he also had a hairy moment at Dagner 2 in FP2, but managed to come out of the other side unscathed. He finished the session in16th.
Haas found themselves in the midfield at Suzuka. Nico Hulkernburg managed to put his Haas in 14th and 13th in the Free Practice sessions. Kevin Magnussen had a less successful first outing, finishing in P18. He also found himself stuck in traffic in FP2, getting entangled with Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson through the ‘S’ Curves.
The final practice of the weekend starts tomorrow at 1130hrs local time (3:30am in the UK) and Qualifying kicking off at 1500hrs (7am UK).
[adrotate banner=”7″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.