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2024 F1 Japanese GP results: Verstappen fastest in practice

Verstappen was fastest in Free Practice 1, lapping in 1m30.056s, while FP2 was blighted by rain showers. That was topped by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with a quickest time of 1m34.725s.

Japanese GP FP1 results: Verstappen fastest from Perez

   
1
 - 
4
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Laps Time Interval km/h
1 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 Red Bull Red Bull 18

1'30.056

  232.135
2 Mexico S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11 Red Bull Red Bull 18

+0.181

1'30.237

0.181 231.669
3 Spain C. Sainz Ferrari 55 Ferrari Ferrari 20

+0.213

1'30.269

0.032 231.587
4 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 Mercedes Mercedes 18

+0.474

1'30.530

0.261 230.920
5 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Mercedes 44 Mercedes Mercedes 23

+0.487

1'30.543

0.013 230.886
6 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 Ferrari Ferrari 18

+0.502

1'30.558

0.015 230.848
7 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 Aston Martin Mercedes 20

+0.543

1'30.599

0.041 230.744
8 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 McLaren Mercedes 23

+1.109

1'31.165

0.566 229.311
9 Japan Y. Tsunoda RB 22 RB Red Bull 20

+1.174

1'31.230

0.065 229.148
10 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 McLaren Mercedes 22

+1.184

1'31.240

0.010 229.123
11 France E. Ocon Alpine 31 Alpine Renault 19

+1.879

1'31.935

0.695 227.391
12 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 Williams Mercedes 18

+1.887

1'31.943

0.008 227.371
13 Germany N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27 Haas Ferrari 19

+1.902

1'31.958

0.015 227.334
14 Finland V. Bottas Sauber 77 Sauber Ferrari 17

+1.998

1'32.054

0.096 227.097
15 Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 Aston Martin Mercedes 17

+1.999

1'32.055

0.001 227.094
16 Japan A. Iwasa RB 40 RB Red Bull 22

+2.047

1'32.103

0.048 226.976
17 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 Alpine Renault 23

+2.221

1'32.277

0.174 226.548
18 China Z. Guanyu Sauber 24 Sauber Ferrari 18

+2.582

1'32.638

0.361 225.665
19 Denmark K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team 20 Haas Ferrari 21

+2.747

1'32.803

0.165 225.264
20 United States L. Sargeant Williams 2 Williams Mercedes 10

+3.148

1'33.204

0.401 224.295

What happened in Japanese GP Free Practice 1?

Lewis Hamilton had just sent the quickest time on soft tyres of 1m30.543s in his Mercedes when Logan Sargeant lost control of his Williams at the final element of The Esses, known as the Dunlop Curve, and his car slammed into the tyre wall.

Sargeant, who was using the repaired chassis that team-mate Alex Albon crashed in Melbourne, was unhurt.

After a lengthy break to clear the track, the session resumed with Verstappen immediately setting a faster time of 1m30.056s, 0.181s quicker than team-mate Perez. Ferrari’s Australian GP winner Carlos Sainz was third fastest on 1m30.269s, three tenths ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes.

With rain in the forecast, teams were keen to get a long run on soft tyres, which meant further improvements weren’t forthcoming. Charles Leclerc ended the session in sixth, half a second off the pace, behind Hamilton but ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren).

Local hero Yuki Tsunoda was ninth fastest for RB, ahead of the second McLaren of Lando Norris.

Japanese GP FP2 results: Piastri fastest from Hamilton

   
1
 - 
4
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Laps Time Interval km/h
1 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 McLaren Mercedes 7

1'34.725

  220.693
2 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Mercedes 44 Mercedes Mercedes 6

+0.501

1'35.226

0.501 219.532
3 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 Ferrari Ferrari 4

+4.035

1'38.760

3.534 211.676
4 Japan Y. Tsunoda RB 22 RB Red Bull 8

+6.221

1'40.946

2.186 207.092
5 Australia D. Ricciardo RB 3 RB Red Bull 9

+7.188

1'41.913

0.967 205.127
6 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 McLaren Mercedes 3

+10.252

1'44.977

3.064 199.140
7 Spain C. Sainz Ferrari 55 Ferrari Ferrari 3

+17.854

1'52.579

7.602 185.693
8 France E. Ocon Alpine 31 Alpine Renault 3

+24.388

1'59.113

6.534 175.507
9 Denmark K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team 20 Haas Ferrari 4

+55.747

2'30.472

31.359 138.930
10 China Z. Guanyu Sauber 24 Sauber Ferrari 7

 

   
11 Finland V. Bottas Sauber 77 Sauber Ferrari 7

 

   
12 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 Williams Mercedes 5

 

   
13 Germany N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27 Haas Ferrari 5

 

   
14 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 Red Bull Red Bull 0

 

   
15 United States L. Sargeant Williams 2 Williams Mercedes 0

 

   
16 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 Alpine Renault 0

 

   
17 Mexico S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11 Red Bull Red Bull 0

 

   
18 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 Aston Martin Mercedes 0

 

   
19 Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 Aston Martin Mercedes 0

 

   
20 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 Mercedes Mercedes 0

 

   

What happened in Japanese GP Free Practice 2?

Rain showers caused a frustrating lack of running in FP2, with Hamilton and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo – who missed FP1 in favour of Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa – emerging after 15 minutes on slicks, only for it to sprinkle some more and send them pitwards.

Piastri sparked a small flurry of cars running on intermediates just before the halfway point. Tsunoda set the first flying lap time, a 1m42.304s, which he lowered to 1m40.946s, just under a second faster than team-mate Ricciardo.

For most of the session it was too wet for slicks and too dry for any serious running on inters, but Piastri ran again towards the end, this time on slicks, and worked down to 1m34.725s.

Hamilton also had a go, lapping half a second off the pace, with Leclerc going third fastest, ahead of inter runners Tsunoda and Ricciardo.

Norris and Sainz were sixth and seventh with unrepresentative times.

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