During the first practice session of the Japanese F1 Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen set the fastest lap with a time of 1 minute 30 seconds 056. His teammate Sergio Perez followed closely, 0.181 seconds behind, securing second place. It seems that Red Bull remains dominant in the Japanese GP, with Carlos Sainz of Scuderia Ferrari in third position. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu finished 18th in the session, neither he nor his teammate Valtteri Bottas using soft tires; their pace appears reasonable.
Before the race, Aston Martin F1 Team introduced a new floor design, and driver Lance Stroll was among the early adopters for testing, affectionately dubbed the “bbq rack.”
Twenty minutes into the session, McLaren’s Lando Norris temporarily topped the timesheets, matched by Fernando Alonso’s performance.
Halfway through the practice, Williams’ Logan Sargeant suffered another off-track incident, crashing at Turn 7 after losing control due to excessive grass contact. The impact with the tire barriers created a thick plume of smoke, prompting a red flag, requiring all drivers to return to the pits awaiting further instructions.
Upon resuming, with only twenty minutes left, drivers switched to soft tires to prepare for qualifying simulations.
In the closing moments, Verstappen and Perez of Red Bull secured the top two positions on the timesheet, with Sainz of Ferrari in third.
Finally, let’s review the P11 to P20 standings after the first practice. They were Ocon, Albon, Hulkenberg, Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, Magnussen, and Sargeant. Rookie Yuki Tsunoda replaced Daniil Kvyat at AlphaTauri for this practice session.
Japanese F1 Grand Prix Practice: Verstappen Fastest, Zhou Guanyu 18th!. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/speedy-f1/japanese-f1-grand-prix-practice-verstappen-fastest-zhou-guanyu-18th.html
