With Saturday’s qualifying already canceled due to weather, at issue is whether qualifying will be rescheduled for Sunday morning.
SUZUKA, Japan—October 11th—With Typhoon Hagibis quickly approaching and the possibility of having qualifying canceled altogether, Friday’s Formula 1 practice was extremely important. Valtteri Bottas becoming the lead candidate to be in the front row in Sunday’s race, as the Finn posted a 1:27:785 fastest time, just ahead of his Mercedes’ teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen was third quickest in his Red Bull. Ferrari followed the top three, with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Due to severe weather conditions, Saturday’s qualifying has been postponed, but not as yet canceled. It may still be run (weather permitting) on Sunday morning. Race officials will make that call.
If qualifying is canceled, then practice results might stand up to determine the order for the race grid.
And the Japan Grand Prix is not the only sporting event here that’s being affected by Hagabis. The month-long Rugby World Cup is being played in Japan, and one match with worldwide interest–England v. France–has been rescheduled for a later day.
The long, flowing corners of this classic circuit assist more for Mercedes than it does for Ferrari, but Vettel himself felt that, apart from the storm, there is not much to worry about.
Hamilton, on the other hand, is hoping that qualifying will happen because the Briton is not happy with his set up. “It’s a work in progress,” Hamilton mentioned afterward. “When you first get on the track, you are pushing the limits and there’s always time to find at this track and always areas you are weak at. This is not my strongest of circuits and there are always areas that you can improve.”
Leclerc, like Vettel, feels comfortable but knows there is a lot of work to be done. “It seems that we are lacking pace this weekend, which is a bit of a surprise because we were very strong in the last four races,” Leclerc asserted. “We will be working to prepare at its best for qualifying on Sunday.”
Alexander Albon continued to improve in the second Red Bull by finishing sixth, while McLaren continued to improve by taking seventh and tenth with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris, respectively. Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly were eighth and ninth.
With the good chance that the Typhoon will move the schedule around, it’s still questionable if any of the drivers will be able to find the right set up on race day.
Here’s a preview of Sunday’s race, courtesy of The Inside Line.
