JAPANESE GP – Fernando Alonso fastest in first practice by three tenths in a Spanish one-two
0Fernando Alonso was fastest in a wet first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Alpine driver set a 42.248 to go three-tenths faster than the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in a session which was delayed by half an hour due to poor weather….
The rain, which also could be a factor for Sunday’s race, eased off enough for some intermediate tyre laps in the middle of the session, and two-time world champion Alonso managed a session-topping time. That put him three-tenths ahead of Sainz and Charles Leclerc, with both Ferrari’s having moments off track.
Sain ran off at Spoon curve, while Leclerc slid over the kerbs between the Degners on one lap before skating fully into the gravel at that point on his next tour. Leclerc returned to the full wet tyres for one final lap, but he soon joined the rest of his colleagues back in the pits.
Esteban Ocon put his Alpine fourth going seven-tenths behind his teammate and ahead of Kevin Magnussen by two tenths. The Frenchman was one of the first onto the inters setting a 43.033 going fastest at that stage before the rain returned. Max Verstappen who could claim his second title this weekend, only managed four laps going ahead of Kevin Magnussen.
It was a quiet session for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton’s thirteenth and George Russell eighteenth both multiple seconds off the pace.
Mick Schumacher put his Hass seventh a tenth and a quarter ahead of the McLaren of Lando Norris. The German was the first driver to set a time a 52.247, on the full wet tyre meaning during the session the times improved by ten seconds. Lando Norris put his McLaren eighth going eight hundredths ahead of Valtteri Bottas with Sergio Perez rounding out the top ten and splitting the Alfa Romeo’s going nearly two tenth ahead of Guanyu Zhou.
Both Alfa Romeos led a mass final exploration out in a final couple of minutes, but no drivers improved their times on the full wets, with Bottas sliding off into the runoff at 130R.
Daniel Ricciardo put his McLaren twelfth going seven hundredths ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes appeared to struggle in the first session, both multiple seconds off the pace but we have seen the team bounce back through weekends the season. Both drivers made mistakes at the chicane, when the rain started to fall.
Lance Stroll put his Aston Martin fourteenth, Alex Alon going two-tenths behind him and Pierre Gasly spilt the Williams. The Alpha Tauri driver was half a second faster than Nicolas Latifi. Latifi was six tenths faster than his former teammate Russell, with Yuki Tsunoda nineteenth nearly two tenths ahead of Sebastian Vettel