Oscar Piastri led teammate Lando Norris in stop/start FP2 session in F1 Japanese GP, with Isack Hadjar slotting in third.
It wasn’t as smooth in FP2 of F1 Japanese GP at Suzuka with four red flag stoppages which limited long runs for almost everyone on the grid. The first stoppage happened early in the session when Alpine’s Jack Doohan smashed his car at Turn 1 tyre barrier at high speed.
It seemed like he kept his DRS open into the corner which caused the high-speed incident to not only damage the tyre barrier, but also left side of his car. He was taken to medical center and cleared as he missed almost all of the running after he was replaced by Ryo Hirakawa in FP1.
He managed to set one quick lap, though. After a healthy stoppage, the session got going but only for a lap or two as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso beached himself at Turn 8 gravel. He put a wheel on the grass on the left side into the right-hand corner and lost control to find himself on the gravel.
After another round of 1-2 laps of running, the session was red-flagged for the third time due to fire at the side of the track at Turn 11 due to dry grass. The sparks from the floor hitting the tarmac created the fire. The session ended with a fourth red flag with barely seconds remaining.
It was another grass fire. The stop/start session saw McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on top in FP2 of F1 Japanese GP weekend with a 1m28.114s lap ahead of teammate Lando Norris and Visa Cash App RB’s Isack Hadjar. His teammate Liam Lawson was fifth behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes’ George Russell was sixth where he was in a hurry on the out lap, chasing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen first and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc the next time. The Monegasque was seventh from the Dutchman, with Pierre Gasly slotting in ninth as the lone Alpine driver.
The Top 10 was rounded out by Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who complained about bouncing on his first outing. He led teammate Alexander Albon, with the Sauber pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto slotting in 12th and 13th ahead of the Haas pair of drivers.
It was Esteban Ocon ahead of Oliver Bearman in 14th and 15th, as Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli was 16th from Alonso. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda was 18th after he didn’t get a time on the soft tyre, as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was 19th ahead of Doohan, who rounded the 20 runners.
UPDATE: The stewards have warned Ferrari/Hamilton and Aston Martin/Stroll for not following the race directors’ note about overtaking cars in the pitlane.
Stroll: https://x.com/fiadocsbot/status/1908092875818054008
Hamilton: https://x.com/fiadocsbot/status/1908093009289203961
Here’s how FP1 in F1 Japanese GP panned out
