The rain began falling between the first and second practice sessions, and although it eased up slightly at the beginning of the second session, it quickly became more intense.
As a result, the teams decided not to do any running, as it appears that the forecast for the race has changed from wet to dry, rendering any wet running in FP2 pointless.
In the end, only a few drivers ventured out onto the track, and it was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri who set the fastest time. However, this time is essentially meaningless.
Verstappen and Red Bull regained their dominance in the first practice session for the 2024 Japanese GP, with the Dutchman and teammate Perez setting the fastest times ahead of Sainz in the Ferrari.
The only notable incident was a crash involving Logan Sargeant, which caused some anxiety for the Williams team as they do not have a spare chassis. This brought back memories of their nightmare in Melbourne and the concern that the chassis would be damaged.
Daniel Ricciardo will return to his car for FP2 after making way for Japanese rookie Ayumu Iwasa. This puts Ricciardo at a disadvantage as he is already struggling and could use every minute available in the car.
Ricciardo announced before FP1 that he will be given a new chassis for the next race in China in an attempt to address his performance issues.
Four drivers, Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda, and Esteban Ocon, have new power units for this weekend. However, none of them will receive a penalty.
Hamilton’s power unit failed during the Australian GP, and Mercedes confirmed that it couldn’t be salvaged. The team attributed the failure to a “quality process issue” rather than a specific design problem.
Just before FP2, Williams announced that Sargeant would not participate in the session as the team would not have enough time to rebuild his car.
Due to the extensive damage to Sargeant’s car, he will not take part in FP2. The team will continue repairs in time for tomorrow’s Free Practice session.
The rain continued to fall during FP2, which had a track temperature of 17 degrees Celsius and an air temperature of 14 degrees.
Although the pitlane was open and the session was given the green light, no cars emerged from the garages as most drivers were not even in their cars.
It appears that the weather forecast for Sunday’s race has changed from rain to dry conditions, making any wet running in FP2 pointless.
After 13 minutes, Hamilton was the first driver to venture out onto the track with Medium tyres on his W15. He completed an out lap and then returned to the pits.
Lewis Hamilton is the first driver to hit the track
📻 “It’s pretty dry,” he reports #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/1lAJLM0BUq
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2024
Ricciardo, who did not participate in the first practice session, was eager to get some running in and noted that the rain was intensifying. He was also using Medium tires.
As the skies grew darker, the rain worsened. After 20 minutes, there was still no action on the track except for a few laps from Hamilton and Ricciardo.
Halfway through the session, Piastri entered the track and reported that it was not very wet.
Oscar Piastri heads out on inters
📻 “It’s not really that wet”#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/PVi9SRGaen
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2024
Ricciardo and Tsunoda soon joined the track on Intermediate tires, followed by Albon in the Williams. Tsunoda set the fastest time and continued to improve.
The Saubers also joined the action but quickly returned to the pits after an out lap, as the teams were hesitant to do any running and wanted to save their tires.
With ten minutes remaining, Zhou went out on track for a second time, followed by teammate Bottas. The Saubers pitted after an out lap.
TV footage showed the other team garages relaxed, chatting and taking it easy, as it was clear they had no intention of going out on the track.
However, with six minutes left, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg went out with Soft tires on their cars.
Albon, in the Williams, reported after an out lap that the track was ready for slicks. Piastri also went out again in the final three minutes, on Soft tires.
In the final minute, Hamilton joined the action with Soft tires on the Mercedes, while Leclerc and Sainz also ventured out for a lap on the Softs.
A replay showed Norris losing control of his McLaren at Turn 2 in the last moments of the session, as drivers then proceeded to do some practice starts.
Report in progress…