Photo credit: www.skysports.com

Final Practice Highlights from Japanese Grand Prix

Lando Norris secured the top spot in the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, as persistent grass fires around the Suzuka circuit raised alarms ahead of the pivotal qualifying rounds. Norris, currently leading the Drivers’ Championship, faced difficulties maintaining control of his car during much of the session but ultimately clocked a time of 1:27.965 seconds, narrowly surpassing his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, by a mere fraction of a second.

Looking poised to pose a serious threat to the McLaren duo in the upcoming qualifying—broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 7am—George Russell emerged as a contender, trailing Norris by just a tenth of a second in his Mercedes. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s performance continued to lag, with Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth, both positioned roughly half a second behind the leading McLarens.

Fifth place was claimed by defending champion Max Verstappen, who expressed concerns about his Red Bull’s handling, describing it as “all over the shop” via team radio as the session drew to a close. His new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, was positioned ninth, following Alex Albon of Williams and Pierre Gasly from Alpine.

Tsunoda, recently promoted from the junior Racing Bulls team, made his debut with Red Bull amidst a noteworthy swap involving Liam Lawson earlier this season. However, the overall landscape of competition remained muddied after a second grass fire prompted another red flag, stalling many drivers from completing their final qualifying runs. This incident followed a similar disruption earlier in the session and marked a challenging theme throughout the weekend, which had already seen two red flags in the previous practice session.

The FIA attempted to address the situation by cutting and dampening the grass in anticipation of this session, yet the potential for further interruptions in qualifying—a situation that could have ramifications for Sunday’s race—now looms large.

In a statement following the conclusion of practice, the FIA reassured teams that they would devote all available resources to mitigating the grass fire problem before qualifying began.

As McLaren heads into this third round of the season with high expectations—having secured victories in Australia and China—Norris’s recent struggles in finding a suitable balance for his car could allow for opportunities to arise for rivals such as Piastri and Russell, both in pursuit of potential pole positions.

17th-place finisher Gabriel Bortoleto provided a moment of tension as he was heard almost shrieking over the team radio after narrowly avoiding a mishap after hitting the grass. Additionally, Australian rookie Jack Doohan, who finished 14th for Alpine, resumed driving after a significant crash in the previous session, which his team attributed to him forgetting to deactivate the DRS system before entering the high-speed first corner.

Japanese GP Practice Three Timesheet

Upcoming Live Schedule for the Japanese GP on Sky Sports F1

Saturday, April 5

6am: Japanese GP Qualifying build-up
7am: Japanese GP Qualifying
9am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday, April 6

4:30am: Japanese GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
6am: THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
8am: Japanese GP reaction: Chequered Flag
9am: Ted’s Notebook

*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is set for an exciting weekend at the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1.

Source
www.skysports.com