#JapaneseGP FP1: @alo_oficial heads @ScuderiaFerrari duo in wet session. #F1

Alonso Japanese GP FP1 – Alpine F1 Team’s Fernando Alonso was quickest in a wet Japanese FP1 session at Suzuka ahead of Ferrari pairing Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc who were second and third respectively.

Alonso posted the benchmark of a 1:42.248 benchmark on the green side-walled intermediates and was 0.315 seconds faster than Sainz with Leclerc a further 0.386 adrift in third.

Rain was falling heavily on the Suzuka International Racing Course 30 minutes ahead of the hour-long opening practice session meaning no cars emerged when the pit-lane opened, even though the precipitation had stopped by the time FP1 went green.

Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen was the first to hit the track after the opening five minutes and was joined by home-favourite Yuki Tsunoda – although neither driver completed a timed lap, with Tsunoda reporting “a couple of rivers” on the circuit at the end of sector one.

Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi, Haas F1 Team’s Mick Schumacher and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also came out towards the end of the opening 15 minutes of the session – but it was only the Haas driver who remained on track to post a time.

Schumacher’s benchmark was 1:52.237 using the full-wet tyres.

They were joined by more cars as the opening third ended, with Leclerc saying the conditions would soon be good enough for intermediates.

His Ferrari team-mate Sainz beat Schumacher’s effort with his initial flyer on a 1:49.952, before Leclerc, following a few seconds behind on the circuit, swept into P1 on a 1:49.103.

The two Ferrari F1-75 entries continued to circulate Suzuka and setting quicker times on the full-wets – first with Leclerc’s 1:48.104 and Sainz, who complained of hearing a a strange sound from his engine, which he thought came from the turbo, moved ahead with a 1:47.758.

Verstappen, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas were the first drivers to emerge on the intermediates just halfway through the session – the first two doing their initial laps in FP1.

As it’s become almost a trademark move for Verstappen in opening practice this season, Verstappen moved straight to the top of the time-sheets with his initial flying tour – a 1:44.059.

Bottas and Ocon then jumped ahead of the Ferrari duo using the green-marked intermediates, as did Singapore Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez – 2.286 off of his Red Bull team-mate, who had then completed his second flyer to improve to a 1:43.362.

Ocon’s second hot-lap put him in-front on a 1:43.022, before the rain returned and the spray returned around Suzuka.

But this did not stop the times from tumbling, with the Ferrari pairing now on the intermediates and finally as the final 20 minutes hit.

Leclerc moved back to the top with a 1:42.634, which featured a massive slide nearly off the exit kerbs coming out of the second Degner Curve, before Sainz beat that on a 1:42.563.

Behind them came Alonso, who charged his way to the fastest times in sectors one and two (Sainz kept the quickest sector three effort) and P1 with a 1:42.248, which stood as the session’s best effort.

The conditions worsened in the final 15 minutes meaning a few drivers suffered off-track moments – including both Ferrari drivers.

Sainz slipped into the run-off area at Spoon Curve, whilst Leclerc slid off the kerbs between both Degners on one tour before skidding off into the gravel trap at that point on his next lap.

Leclerc even went back onto the full-wets for one final flying lap, but soon followed the rest back into the pits.

Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (11th in the order) and Bottas lead the field out for a final sighting tour in the last couple of minutes – but no other drivers could improve their times on the full-wets, with Bottas sliding into the 130R run-off area.

The ten drivers that did go back out – including the Ferrari duo – had instead been sent out to do practice starts in the wet on the main-straight, as usual in practice sessions.

On return to the pits, Haas F1 Team’s Schumacher lost control of his VF-22 racer at the top of the hill at the end of sector one and hit the wall – knocking off the front corners of his car.

The final classification behind the top three was Ocon (fourth), Magnussen (fifth), points leader Verstappen (sixth), Schumacher (seventh) and McLaren’s Lando Norris eighth with the latter having to pit in the early proceedings after seeing the engine warning light appear on the wheel of his MCL36 racer.

Bottas and Perez completed the top ten, as the gap to top spot was almost two seconds.

The aforementioned Alfa Romeo of Zhou finished outside the top ten in 11th place and in-front of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo who was 12th, Sir Lewis Hamilton the leading Mercedes W13 entry in 13th and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll who took 14th in the classification.

Williams Racing pairing Alexander Albon and Latifi were 15th and 17th respectively as AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly split the pairing in 16th.

Latifi was the other driver to have an off-track excursion into the gravel trap – as the Canadian suffered a lock-up and sliding slow off at the hairpin just after the opening half-hour.

Mercedes’ George Russell ended FP1 in a low-18th and ahead of home-favourite Tsunoda who placed 19th for AlphaTauri and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel brought up the rear.

You can see the full Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022 Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1134/japan/practice-1.html

#Formula1 @Honda #JapaneseGP 2022 Preview. #F1