Japanese Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Piastri leads a session truncated by poor track conditions

After a first session dominated by Max Verstappen, this second session of the day begins under a light rain making the track greasy. Logan Sargeant, who crashed during FP1, does not start this session. So the drivers are 19 on track. Daniel Ricciardo gets his car back, after the VCARB test by Ayumu Iwasa during the first laps of the day. This session is important because it is the only one where teams can test the settings for the qualifying and the race, which will take place at the same times. Qualifying is scheduled for 3 pm in Japan, 8 am in France, the race will start an hour earlier.

The dilemma of the track and the tires

The drivers don’t seem to be in a hurry to start. It takes more than 10 minutes to see the first car leave the garage, Lewis Hamilton’s on soft tires. He indicates on the radio that the rumble strips are still wet and slows down, just after the first sector. He doesn’t set any time and heads straight back to the pits. Daniel Riccardo follows suit and leaves his box… just as the rain intensifies again. He doesn’t complete any laps either.

The brightness decreases on the Suzuka track and the rain, which has intensified, will allow the drivers to switch to intermediate tires. Oscar Piastri will test the track, just before the halfway point of the session. A false hope, as the Australian indicates that the track is not wet enough… he returns to the pits like his companions before him.

Many drivers remain outside their single-seaters. The track quickly dried up, with the asphalt absorbing moisture well. However, the track remains too greasy and slippery for the soft tires, too dry for intermediates.

Tsunoda opens the ball at home

It is finally the Japanese driver who records the first time of this second free practice session. On intermediate tyres, he sets his first lap in 1:42.304. The Racing Bulls are putting on a show, Daniel Ricciardo also completes his first lap. They are the only cars on track. With 20 minutes remaining in the session, the 2 cars return to the garage. Only Valterri Bottas attempts an outing, which is aborted before the end of his first lap. The session does not start, the conditions remain the same, where no tire is suitable.

Soft tires that finally work… two minutes before the end of the session

Two minutes before the end of the practice session, McLaren with Oscar Piastri set the fastest lap time on soft tires. The slick tires finally seem to be working, and many drivers are following the Australian’s lead. Half of the grid sets off for a lap, the only one for most of them. They take the opportunity to practice race starts. Yuki Tsunoda completes the top three in terms of lap times.

The ranking of the session

More information to come…