Russell, Hamilton take 1, 2 with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third.
SUZUKA, Japan—Even with the continuous rains that plagued Friday practice for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, the situation did not stop George Russell and Lewis Hamilton from achieving a 1-2 for Mercedes, with Russell having 1:41:935 fastest lap. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took third.
Russell and Hamilton were in the thick of the action all day, and the younger Briton set his best time in the middle of the second session, which began slowly due to the increasing rains that delayed many going out onto the circuit.
Sergio Perez was the second Red Bull driver up into the top five, placing in fourth, while Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen ended up a deserving fifth. Ferrari did not have a good day, with Carlos Sainz in sixth and series challenger Charles Leclerc ending up 11th. After experiencing engine issues at the last race in Singapore, Alpine returned to the top ten, with Alonso finishing in seventh and teammate Esteban Ocon ninth. Another team impressing was Alfa Romeo, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu taking eighth and tenth, respectively.
All the drivers experienced going off the circuit at one time or another. Still, the only driver that did not appear in the afternoon session was Haas F1’s Mick Schumacher, who crashed at the end of the opening session at Dunlop, destroying his floor, chassis, and everything connected with it. That incident forced his mechanics to have a long afternoon to fix his car for free practice three and qualifying.
Weather is expected to be better for Saturday’s qualifying, but rain is again in the forecast for Sunday’s race. Saturday’s qualifying will be televised live by ESPN2 at 2 a.m., Eastern US time.
