Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix was marred by a series of red-flag stoppages, including a high-speed crash involving Alpine rookie Jack Doohan and multiple grass fires beside the track. Despite the disruptions, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri emerged fastest, edging out teammate Lando Norris.
Doohan’s crash occurred at the 160mph first corner, with initial impressions suggesting the DRS overtaking aid remained open. Fortunately, the Australian escaped uninjured, though Alpine has yet to comment on the cause, stating they are still “assessing” the incident.
The session was further interrupted by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso spinning off into the gravel at Degner One, followed by two separate grass fires between Dunlop and Degner One. The final stoppage came when a larger patch of grass caught fire near Spoon Curve, leaving only seven minutes of running time at the end of the session.
While the interruptions made it difficult to gauge relative pace, McLaren’s dominance was evident, with Piastri and Norris leading the timesheets. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar impressed with the third-fastest time on his Suzuka debut, while teammate Liam Lawson, recently demoted from Red Bull, finished fifth behind Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed in sixth and seventh, respectively, while Max Verstappen struggled with understeer in his Red Bull, finishing eighth. Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and Carlos Sainz’s Williams rounded out the top 10.
Local favorite Yuki Tsunoda, who recently moved up to Red Bull, showcased promise in the first session with the sixth-fastest time but fell to 18th in the second session after failing to complete a representative lap on soft tires.
As the Japanese Grand Prix weekend unfolds, fans eagerly anticipate Sunday’s race, set to begin at 06:00 BST.
