Friday’s second wet-dry practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka saw Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finish ahead of title contender Max Verstappen.
Runaway Red Bull’s Verstappen can win his second consecutive world championship on Sunday if he wins the race with the fastest lap, regardless of what his competitors accomplish.
In the second practice session, though, he was beaten by the Mercedes duo, with Russell setting the fastest lap time of 1 minute, 41.935 seconds.
Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, trailed Russell by 0.235 seconds, and Verstappen finished third, 0.851 seconds behind Russell.
As a result of the rainy start to the session at Suzuka, the drivers began on wet tires before switching to intermediates as the weather improved.
However, this did not satisfy Verstappen, who radioed to his team, “all tires are garbage, no grip.”
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, Verstappen’s closest contender in the championship standings, finished 11th, 2.744 seconds behind Russell.
The Monaco driver complained that the jolt had ruined his front tire after bouncing off the track and landing in the gravel.
Later, his staff discovered a fault with his brakes and summoned him before sending him back out 10 minutes later.
Leclerc stated over the radio, “The feeling is dreadful for some reason; I’ll do my best to improve it.”
Red Bull colleague of Verstappen, Sergio Perez, finished fourth, followed by Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari.
Mick Schumacher of Haas did not participate in the second practice session after crashing during the first.
After the checkered flag, Schumacher spun through the barriers and onto the grass, breaking his front wing and necessitating a new chassis.
In the first practice, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was the fastest driver.
Sunday marks the return of the Japanese Grand Prix after a three-year absence due to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Saturday, weather are expected to be dry for qualifying, however on Sunday, rain is predicted.
AFP