Formula 1 returned to the legendary Suzuka circuit after a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in a rough start, the drivers were able to feel the sensations of the modified Japanese track in the first free practice sessions of the end of week.
Throughout the hour-long session, Fernando Alonso was surprisingly quickest on the intermediate tyres, followed by fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and fellow Prancing Horse driver Charles Leclerc, who wants to avoid the wing. by Max Verstappen. Precisely the Dutchman was the sixth fastest, far from the two-time Asturian champion, and ahead of him were the other Alpine, Esteban Ocon’s, and Kevin Magnussen.
In seventh place was the other Haas, Mick Schumacher, who managed to overtake Lando Norris’s McLaren and Valtteri Bottas’s Alfa Romeo, but crashed his car at the end of FP1, while the winner of the last round of the calendar of Formula 1, Sergio Pérez, could not go beyond the tenth place.
The Mercedes were quite absent, since they did not go beyond 13th place with Lewis Hamilton and 18th with George Russell, although their times were not representative due to the heavy rain that fell at the end of the session.
Results of Free Practice 1 (FP1) of the Japanese GP 2022 F1
| Cla | Pilot | Chassis | laps | Weather | Difference | Interval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Fernando Alonso |
 |
Alpine | 7 | 1’42.248 | ||
| two | Carlos Sainz Jr. |
 |
ferrari | fifteen | 1,42,563 | 0.315 | 0.315 |
| 3 |  Charles Leclerc |
 |
Ferrari | 16 | 1’42.634 | 0.386 | 0.071 |
| 4 |  Esteban Ocon |
 |
Alpine | 5 | 1’43.022 | 0.774 | 0.388 |
| 5 |  Kevin Magnussen |
 |
Haas | 15 | 1’43,258 | 1,010 | 0.236 |
| 6 |  Max Verstappen |
 |
Red Bull | 4 | 1’43.362 | 1.114 | 0.104 |
| 7 |  Mick Schumacher |
 |
Haas | 13 | 1’43.761 | 1.513 | 0.399 |
| 8 |  Lando Norris |
 |
McLaren | 7 | 1’43.889 | 1.641 | 0.128 |
| 9 |  Valtteri Bottas |
 |
Alfa Romeo | 13 | 1’43.969 | 1.721 | 0.080 |
| 10 |  Sergio Pérez |
 |
Red Bull | 4 | 1’44.234 | 1.986 | 0.265 |
| see results | |||||||
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
Summary of Free Practice 1 (FP1) of the Japanese GP 2022 F1
The rain , in addition to the North Korean missiles launched at the beginning of the week, threatened the return of Formula 1 to the legendary Suzuka track, but after the pantomime that was experienced in the last race in Singapore, where the appointment already started with tires and the asphalt quite dry, the pilots took to the track because the forecast pointed to wet on Sunday.
The first to shine in front of the Japanese fans after three years was Kevin Magnussen, who rode the extreme rain tires to test the conditions, as well as the local hero, Yuki Tsunoda, who with his AlphaTauri raised passions as he passed through the curves of the legendary ‘8’. The Japanese pilot reported through the radio that the first sector was full of rivers that crossed the circuit, and in the slow-motion replays the strong intensity of the falling drops could be seen.
Both returned to the pits before the first ten minutes of the session, and another car was not seen until Nicholas Latifi dared to shoot, although the Canadian was very careful at low speed so as not to destroy his Williams again, as happened to him in Marina Bay just a week ago. Over time, others also took to the track, such as Lance Stroll, although in the garages you could see how the rest of the participants put on their helmets to test the Suzuka rain.
Before completing the first 20 minutes of FP1, some favorites took to the track, such as the Ferraris, who even, through Charles Leclerc, explained that it was possible to mount the intermediate tires because the water was no longer a problem. so big. However, it was his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who set the first reference, although far from what would later be seen in the standings.
Dropper, the cars were registering times, but the first scare was taken by the Ferrari driver from Madrid, who reported to his team that they check the turbo of his power unit because he noticed a strange sound. Before reaching the halfway point of the first free practice of the Japanese Grand Prix, the Ferrari duo was at the top, they are Sainz ahead of the Monegasque, with a 1:47.758 , although only separated by three tenths, while by behind, Daniel Ricciardo tried to keep up with them, as did Valtteri Bottas, Lando Norris and the two Haas.
Fernando Alonso, on his first fastest lap, was fourth, between the McLaren and the Finn’s Alfa Romeo, although the other favorites were still missing. The Red Bulls were in no hurry on a weekend in which they strengthened their union with Honda, while Mercedes wanted to wait to avoid risks.
Some took risks with the intermediates, although they still had to be careful, since the first yellow flag was waved by Latifi, who went long at the hairpin of the second sector and tried the gravel, although without major consequences. At that moment, the defending world champion, who has another chance at Suzuka to reap his second crown, Max Verstappen, took to the track with the mixed compounds to take the lead thanks to a 1m44.059s .
The intermediates were already the fastest option, as both Esteban Ocon and Valteri Bottas overtook the Ferraris to trail only the Dutchman’s Red Bull, although for the rest of the session it was clear that they were all going to improve. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Pérez, in his first time, placed fourth, although almost three seconds behind the Dutchman with the other RB18.
As time went by, with less than 20 minutes to see the checkered flag, Ocon was in the lead, but Charles Leclerc beat the Frenchman, already with the intermissions and a scare included in the tunnel. However, the Spaniards were the best so far in the rain, as Fernando Alonso took first place with a 1:42.248 and the mixed tires, ahead of Carlos Sainz and his Monegasque Prancing Horse teammate.
Now it was Lewis Hamilton’s turn, who in the weekend in which he was equal to Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button in number of races, 306, could not go beyond 18th place on his first lap, just at the moment when that the rain began to intensify and the runway exits became more common, like one by Charles Leclerc or another by Daniel Ricciardo.
With ten minutes remaining in Free Practice 1, Alonso continued at the top, followed by the Ferraris and his teammate, Esteban Ocon, while the favorites did not exceed sixth place, where he was located Max Verstappen, or the tenth of Sergio Pérez. The Mercedes were 13th with Lewis Hamilton and 18th with George Russell, far behind the leaders, and impossible to improve due to the increase in water.
The heavy intensity of the rain caused all the drivers to go to the garage, and no one else was going to risk going out because the homework had already been done, with which a Spanish double could be seen at the start of the 2022 Japanese GP in F1. However, some, like the Alfa Romeo or the Ferrari, returned with the extreme rain tires to test the start with the very wet asphalt, and Mick Schumacher , already with the time at zero, crashed his Haas against the protections.
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