The current Formula 1 Champion has confirmed the early indications that the RB20 is, as expected, a useful tool on the Suzuka track. His teammate Perez was a close second in terms of speed.
Although Ferrari initially appeared to be the second best team, they were unable to showcase their pace in the final practice and fell far behind. Carlos Sainz finished in seventh place and Charles Leclerc in tenth.
Leclerc expressed his frustration with Ferrari’s run plan as he returned to the pits, stating that he missed out on two laps of qualifying running.
Mercedes seemed to be in good shape, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing in third and fourth place respectively. However, the question remains whether they can maintain their speed during qualifying, as they have been inconsistent in the past.
The session was closely contested, with the top ten drivers finishing within six tenths of a second. This sets the stage for an exciting qualifying session.
The final practice session for the Japanese GP will be crucial, as no running was possible in the rain-affected FP2. This means that teams will have only this remaining hour to fine-tune their cars for qualifying and the race.
Early indications suggest that Red Bull is the team to beat, with Ferrari chasing closely behind. While McLaren struggled in FP1, Mercedes performed better. However, without a proper FP2, it is difficult to determine how these two teams compare.
Aston Martin, with their heavily upgraded AMR24, seemed to maintain their usual position as the fifth fastest team. However, Alonso will have the upgraded car today, so it remains to be seen if one hour is enough for him to adjust to it.
Williams can breathe a sigh of relief as Sargeant’s chassis survived the crash. The car was rebuilt with older parts, as the team did not have enough new ones.
Overall, FP3 promises to be an intriguing session to watch.
The session began under clear conditions, with a track temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and an air temperature of 17 degrees.
The teams wasted no time in getting out on the track. Verstappen was the first driver to head out, followed by teammate Perez and the Sauber pair. Ferrari and Haas soon joined them.
Hulkenberg experienced an immediate lock-up, but there was no drama. The same cannot be said for teammate Magnussen, who lost control of his car at Turn 11 and ended up in the gravel. Fortunately, there was no damage, only a dirty car and tires.
K-Mag had a small off-road moment at the hairpin, but there was no significant damage and he quickly rejoined the session.
Hamilton began his session with Soft tires, similar to the Sauber drivers, while others, including Russell, were using Mediums. The seven-time F1 Champion quickly climbed to the top of the timing screens.
Verstappen soon complained about the excessive vibration in the mirrors of his RB20, while Perez expressed dissatisfaction with the drivability of his car.
Perez then mentioned that he was struggling greatly at low speeds, experiencing a poor ride. He was advised to pit, but decided to stay out and reported improved drivability on his next lap, possibly due to some adjustments made to the steering wheel.
Things were even worse for Albon at Williams, who expressed a complete lack of confidence in his car. Sargeant also had complaints about the rear of his car.
Replay footage revealed that Ricciardo lost control of his VCARB at Turn 2 while starting a flying lap. He spun onto the grass but quickly recovered and continued.
You spin us right round, Daniel, right round 🥴
The Honey Badger has a small spin at T1 and continues.#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/XdGfu05ssZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
Twenty minutes into the session, Hamilton held the fastest time on Softs, with Verstappen in second on Mediums, just 0.128s behind the British driver. This clearly demonstrates the RB20’s advantage.
Ocon then reported that his A524 was bouncing and requested the team to investigate. Meanwhile, Verstappen mentioned understeer in his car, and replay footage showed him attempting to fix loose tape on his right side mirror.
Replay also showed Verstappen going wide on the kerbs at Turn 14, followed by Piastri doing the same at Turn 9.
Nothing to see here 🫣#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/B79nQ97KUW
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
As the session entered its final twenty minutes, the teams focused on long runs and had not yet performed any qualifying simulations.
Albon decided to change that and embarked on a qualifying run with a fresh set of Soft tires.
Just after setting the fastest time, Verstappen reported that the car’s ride had worsened, while replay footage showed Norris experiencing understeer and going wide at Turn 9.
There seemed to be an issue with the Red Bull mirrors, as Perez reported “losing his left mirror” just a couple of minutes before the session ended.
Report in progress…