Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on April 05, 2024 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason | Getty Images)
SUZUKA, Japan – The Formula 1 paddock left the Australian Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz’s stellar return-to-the-grid victory, landing at the Suzuka International Racing Course for the Japanese Grand Prix, now earlier in the season for scheduling optimization as announced when the 2024 schedule was released. As the season starts to get underway, the grid hopes to stay close to the dominant Red Bull cars before their consecutive victories get too far out of hand. The first chance the drivers have to see if they can be competitive is in the opening practices for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Suzuka International Racing Course, also known as the “Suzuka Circuit”, is a 3.608-mile race course built and currently owned by Honda. It has been in operation since 1962 and originally opened for motorcycle racing, but soon welcomed F1 in the 1980s. Suzuka was host to notable historic moments in F1, such as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost colliding in the 1989 and 1990 title deciders plus the championship-clinching moments for Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen, as the race was initially set as the season finale.
Entering the weekend, most teams updated their cars in preparation for this Grand Prix, headlined by Red Bull Racing. They brought aerodynamic tweaks to the side pod inlets for increased aerodynamic flow and brake cooling for the expected cooler temperatures. McLaren introduced similar changes, but integrated more minor tweaks to its inlets, while Aston Martin showcased significant changes to its floors. Ferrari brought along a version of its 2023 rear wing in anticipation of rain. Alpine presented a new front wing, while Visa Cash App RB and Stake Sauber changed their floors.
It was announced that Williams could fix the damaged car that Alex Albon wrecked in Australia, however, they will not have a replacement until the Miami Grand Prix. Mercedes and Haas did not bring any changes to Japan.
Going into this weekend, F1 tire supplier Pirelli allocated the three hardest possible compounds to the teams. The C1, C2 and C3 were the choices at the ready as they prepared their strategies for the weekend. It is expected to be a two-stop race under dry conditions on the very technical Suzuka Circuit; however, with rain in the forecast, it may throw a curveball for teams to tackle through the rest of the weekend.
Suzuka is a true classic on the F1 calendar. A two-stopper is the most common strategy in Japan, where Pirelli have chosen the hardest trio of compounds. #Pirelli #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/oaQ7ERoBIs
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) April 4, 2024
As opening practice approached, teams were greeted with cool conditions for the session, which saw crews bring out their cars on Medium and Hard compound tires. Visa Cash App RB had a different driver than usual as Formula 2 winner and current Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa took over Daniel Ricciardo’s seat to partake in his first-ever session in F1. This marked the first time in almost 14 years that two Japanese-born drivers hit the track simultaneously as Iwasa ran practice with his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.
The session was not incident-free, though. Williams driver Logan Sargeant dipped a tire off-track in the Dunlop Curve and slid into the barrier, heavily damaging his car. This was an awkward situation for Williams and Sargeant since the aforementioned spare car is unavailable until Miami. The team sat out on the second practice as they looked to repair the damaged car and hoped not to repeat what happened in Australia.
Ayumu Iwasa driving the (40) Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 and Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on April 05, 2024 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason | Getty Images)
Once the session resumed, teams turned to their Soft compound tires, and Verstappen brought his Red Bull up to pace as he set the quickest time, close to two-tenths clear of his teammate Sergio Perez. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, hoping to make a mark to stay in F1 for 2025 and beyond, slotted in the third quickest time. The Mercedes duo had an impressive session as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the Top 5 on the timing sheets when rain drops started to fall in the waning moments of the session.
A couple of drops of rain turned into steady rainfall once the second practice session rolled around. The cooler conditions made it unsuitable for teams to gather valuable data for the rest of the weekend. While Mercedes sent out Hamilton on the Medium tires and the opening part of the lap felt good to the seven-time champion, he soon returned to the pits, and the rain began to make running on the track unnecessary. The track remained quiet as teams waited for better conditions.
Oscar Piastri (81) takes his McLaren F1 MC38 on track during the second practice ahead of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka International Racing Course (Source: McLaren F1 on X)
As conditions steadily improved around the halfway mark of the session, McLaren sent out Oscar Piastri on the Intermediate compound tires. He soon reached the top of the timing charts as teams got more comfortable with how the track reacted to the rain and colder temperatures. He led the future Ferrari teammates of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as the Visa Cash App RB teammates of Ricciardo and Tsunoda rounded out the Top 5 by the end of the session.
However, due to how the Pirelli tires were reacting to the weather, the second session was a bit quieter as some teams decided to sit out, including both Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez, along with both Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, the Mercedes of Russell and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.
Now, teams hope for better weather as the final practice session and qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix loom. Max Verstappen and Red Bull look strong, but it might be a close battle with the Ferrari and Mercedes duos right in the thick of it.
