Dry
At Suzuka, dawn breaks over Spain as Max Verstappen leads the third free practice and the team confirms Alpine and AlphaTauri lineups for the 2023 season. Gasly remains at AlphaTauri while Nick de Vries joins the outfit alongside him. The weather on Friday is dry, a sharp contrast to the rainier sessions some fear for Sunday. A dry track adds clarity to strategy, yet the forecast still hints at a possible shower come race day.
Conditions during the classification favored the slick surface and cool air, with 19°C ambient temperature and 26°C on the tarmac. Those variables could complicate Sunday’s plan, especially if the track starts to dry or wet episodes arrive unexpectedly.
Verstappen, aiming to wrap up the title this weekend, posted a rapid lap time, significantly quicker than the previous best. He surged to the top on the first run with a 1:30.224, while Alonso sat in fourth place behind him.
AlphaTauri reported brake concerns for Gasly and Tsunoda, though the Japanese driver still managed to push forward in front of his home fans. The Frenchman, however, was eliminated in Q1 along with Williams drivers Latifi and Albon, Haas’ Magnussen, and Stroll of Aston Martin.
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In the early phase of Q2, Sainz led the way with a 1:30.444, closely followed by Leclerc. Verstappen shaved a fraction off the time, posting 1:30.346, narrowing the gap to a razor-thin margin ahead of the final lap. The pole fight intensified as teams weighed tire strategies and final push laps.
Ferrari and Red Bull drivers pushed hard, with Perez finishing the session fastest on a short run with 1:29.925, edging Alonso and Verstappen as the clock ticked down. Tsunoda failed to pass the cut, while Ricciardo, Bottas, Zhou, and Mick Schumacher also missed Q3. Vettel delivered a remarkable lap to save a challenging sector and advance to Q3 for Aston Martin for a third time this season.
Leader to the pole
Verstappen grabbed the lead on his first quick lap, clocking 1:29.304 and beating Leclerc by one tenth and Sainz by just over three tenths. The lap signaled a powerful signal that the Dutch driver was not to be toppled easily on this track. The final moments of Q3 saw Leclerc set a strong second place by a slim margin, while Sainz settled in third ahead of Perez in fourth. Alonso fought to position Alpine higher, but a late mistake kept him seventh, with Ocon lining up fifth for Suzuka on Sunday.
In the decisive runs, Verstappen did not improve his time, but he already held the pole. Leclerc, who had briefly led in the second sector, slipped back and finished tenth, unable to challenge for the front. The pole went to Verstappen, followed by Ferrari’s Leclerc in second and Sainz in third. Perez did not reclaim the top spot and settled for fourth, with Alpine gaining ground as Alonso finished seventh while Ocon earned fifth on the grid for Suzuka tomorrow.
Japanese Grand Prix (QP)
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:29.304
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:29.314
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 1:29.361
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 1:29.709
5. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 1:30.155
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:30.261
7. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) 1:30.322
8. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:30.389
9. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 1:30.554
10. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:31.003
11. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:30.659
12. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1:30.709
13. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) 1:30.808
14. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1:30.953
15. Mick Schumacher (Haas) 1:31.439
16. Alexander Albon (Williams) 1:31.311
17. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1:31.322
18. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1:31.352
19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:31.419
20. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) 1:31.511