Japanese GP - Free Practice

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MSC Cruises Japanese GP - Free Practice

Free Practice 1

April 5, 2024

Max Verstappen quickest in first Suzuka practice for Japanese Grand Prix; more woe for Williams

In the initial free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday, Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, set the fastest time for Red Bull. Meanwhile, Logan Sargeant compounded the troubles of the Williams team by crashing his car into a trackside tyre wall.

Verstappen aimed to return to winning form this weekend following his first retirement since 2022 in Australia two weeks ago. He set a time of 1 minute 30.056 seconds after the session resumed following a red-flag stoppage due to Sargeant's incident.

Sergio Perez came in second, trailing his Red Bull teammate by 0.181 seconds, while Carlos Sainz, the victor in Melbourne, finished in third place for Ferrari, 0.213 seconds behind the leader.

Due to his teammate Alex Albon crashing his car in practice, Sargeant was unable to participate in the race in Melbourne two weeks ago.

Williams managed to repair the car, but they reached Japan without a spare chassis, which means Sargeant might miss out on the upcoming race on Sunday if the team mechanics are unable to fix it in time.

"Sorry," The American driver communicated over the team radio after spinning off at a corner, then proceeded to mention: "I'm OK."

Verstappen had to stay in the garage for the first 15 minutes due to a broken part on his car, but once he got back on track, he quickly demonstrated his speed on hard tires in dry conditions.

Lewis Hamilton set his best time (1:30.543) in his Mercedes just before the red flag, knocking Verstappen off the top spot.

Ferrari displayed some of their Melbourne pace, but Sainz couldn't keep up with the Red Bulls. Charles Leclerc, his teammate, finished sixth, half a second slower, behind George Russell and Hamilton in the Mercedes.

The cars are set to come back to the track for the second free practice session later this Friday.

Free Practice 2 

April 5, 2024

Verstappen leads the times in the second Suzuka practice session affected by rain

Max Verstappen, the world champion, set the fastest time for Red Bull in the initial two practice sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday. Meanwhile, Logan Sargeant added to the Williams team's troubles by crashing his car into a trackside tyre wall.

Verstappen, aiming to return to victory this weekend after his first retirement in Australia two weeks ago, recorded a time of one minute, 30.056 seconds in the dry first session, leading the timesheets with a 0.181-second gap over his teammate Sergio Perez.

"It was a good start for us... but it does look like everyone is a bit closer compared to last year," Verstappen stated that he achieved a record-breaking 19 race wins in 2023, which included a comfortable triumph at Suzuka.

Before the second practice at the figure-of-eight circuit, rain began to fall, prompting teams to opt for keeping their cars in the garage to preserve their tires for the remainder of the weekend. The track conditions were unsuitable for both dry-weather and wet tires, resulting in only three drivers setting lap times.

Despite being the fifth fastest in the initial session, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took his Mercedes out during a break in the rain but had to abandon his flying lap when the drizzle resumed.

Yuki Tsunoda from Japan and his Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo provided some entertainment for the spectators by posting the first lap times, although they were more than 10 seconds slower than Verstappen's time in the first practice session.

Oscar Piastri from Australia set the fastest time of 1:34.725 in his McLaren on soft tires during a late run, outpacing the other nine drivers who completed their flying laps mostly in the final minutes of the session.

In the initial session, Carlos Sainz, who led a Ferrari 1-2 in Melbourne, secured the third fastest time, trailing Verstappen by 0.213 seconds. Meanwhile, his teammate Charles Leclerc finished in sixth place, half a second behind the leading pace set by George Russell and Hamilton in their Mercedes cars.

Sargeant was unfazed by the weather, despite his crash leading to a long red-flag delay in the first session, requiring the Williams mechanics to work urgently to prepare his car for Saturday's qualifying.

Two weeks ago in Melbourne, the 23-year-old American had to forfeit his car to teammate Alex Albon, who had crashed during practice, preventing Sargeant from racing.

Williams fixed the car, but they reached Japan without an extra chassis, which means Sargeant might miss out once more if the team mechanics can't fix it in time for the race on Sunday.

"Sorry," Sargeant communicated over the team radio following a spin at a corner.

The cars are scheduled to take to the track for the third free practice session on Saturday morning, with qualifying set to follow in the late afternoon.

Free Practice 3 

April 6, 2024

Verstappen from Red Bull sets the fastest time in the last practice session in Japan.

In the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, Red Bull showed their speed once more, as Max Verstappen, the current leader of the Formula One championship, set the fastest time in the final session before qualifying. He was followed by his teammate Sergio Perez and George Russell from Mercedes in the rankings.

Verstappen was the quickest in the first free practice session on Friday as well. However, he chose not to participate in the rain-affected second session. The 26-year-old, aiming for a third consecutive win in Japan, completed a lap at Suzuka with a fastest time of 1 minute 29.563 seconds using the soft tires on a cloudy but dry day.

In second place, Perez was 0.269 seconds slower than the leader, while Russell was 0.355 seconds behind in third. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, achieved the fourth-fastest time.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc from Ferrari, who both secured top 6 positions on Friday, finished seventh and tenth respectively. Leclerc expressed his frustration over the team radio at the conclusion of the session saying: "What are we doing... come on!"

Daniel Ricciardo from RB spun off the track in the last session, ending up in 13th place once again trailing his less experienced teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who finished 9th.

Ricciardo is feeling the heat to keep his position as the esteemed reserve driver Liam Lawson stands prepared to take over.

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