First Free Practice Results 2022 Japanese F1 Grand Prix
Event: Japanese Grand Prix
Track: Suzuka Circuit
Max Verstappen walks in the Paddock next a fan holding a pit board showing their support (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Weather: wet 15.8°C
Tarmac: wet 20.0°C
Humidity : 93%
Wind : 1.3 m/s NW
Pressure: 1008.7 bar
The first practice for the 2022 Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix after two years of absence due to COVID-19 was driven under wet circumstances.
Kevin Magnussen was the first who came out with the Haas on a set of full wet tyres. The legendary Suzuka track was very wet and home driver Yuki Tsunoda also did an installation lap with the AlphaTauri.
Tsunoda told his team the track had some rivers after sector 1. Both drivers did not put in a lap time and only did an installation lap. After them the rest of the drivers came out to do a lap fo Suzuka in the wet. Mick Schumacher the first one to set a timed lap of 1:52.537 min.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc told his team on his first lap they could switch to intermediate tyres already.
Half way this Japanese GP FP1 only 12 drivers had recorded a lap time. The top 10 order was: 1. Sainz (1:47.758 min) , 2. Leclerc (+0.346s), 3. Ricciardo (+0.824s), 4. Alonso (+1.206s), 5. Bottas (+1.427s), 6. Norris (+1.664s), 7. Magnussen (+2.510s), 8. Schumacher (+2.585s), 9. Gasly (+2.607s) & 10. Zhou (+2.922s).
Both Red Bulls and Mercedes drivers had not clocked a lap time until then. A few minutes later the he track got dry enough the use intermediate tyres. Both Red Bulls then also came out and Verstappen improved the P1 right away an set it to 1:43.362 min.
With 15 minutes to go Lewis Hamilton at last put in a lap time with the Mercedes. It had started to rain a lot more now and he was 5.336s slower than Fernando Alonso who now had set quickest lap time to a 1:42.248 min in the Alpiine. A few minutes later Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc went off on the Intermediates and even switched back to the full wets.
Soon the track became very wet and all drivers returned to the pits, 3,5 minutes before the end both Alfa Romeo cars did come out the pits on full wets and Bottas went wide on the 130R turn. Later on a lot more cars entered the track to make use of the opportunity for the practice start in the end of the session.
After the session had ended Mick Schumacher crashed the Haas into the wall coming out of turn 7. He damaged the front right side of the car and wasn't able to drive the VF-22 back to the pits.
1:27.785 min was the quickest lap time in FP2 of the last time in 2019 driven by Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes.
FP1 Times Table 2022 Japanese GP
| P | No | Driver | Team | Time | 1st Gap | Laps | Tyres |
| 1 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1:42,248 | 7 | Inters | |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:42,563 | +0,315s | 15 | Inters |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:42,634 | +0,386s | 16 | Inters |
| 4 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:43,022 | +0,774s | 5 | Inters |
| 5 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:43,258 | +1,010s | 15 | Inters |
| 6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:43,362 | +1,114s | 4 | Inters |
| 7 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:43,761 | +1,513s | 13 | Inters |
| 8 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:43,889 | +1,641s | 7 | Inters |
| 9 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:43,969 | +1,721s | 13 | Inters |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:44,234 | +1,986s | 4 | Inters |
| 11 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:44,429 | +2,181s | 15 | Inters |
| 12 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:44,486 | +2,238s | 8 | IntersI |
| 13 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:44,558 | +2,310s | 6 | Inters |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:44,570 | +2,322s | 10 | Inters |
| 15 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:44,791 | +2,543s | 9 | Inters |
| 16 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:44,878 | +2,630s | 12 | Inters |
| 17 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:45,424 | +3,176s | 11 | Inters |
| 18 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:46,103 | +3,855s | 4 | Inters |
| 19 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:46,192 | +3,944s | 16 | Inters |
| 20 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:48,090 | +5,842s | 8 | Inters |
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MS jnr is getting to be an expensive option!
Another chassis destroyed by MS jnr, and he was outperformed by his team mate yet again!