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Piastri Tops Truncated FP2 at Japanese Grand Prix

In a dramatic second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri of McLaren emerged as the fastest driver, clocking a time of 1m28.114s, just 0.048 seconds ahead of his teammate Lando Norris. The session was marred by four red flags, significantly impacting the amount of track time available to the drivers.

The disruptions began with a major incident involving Alpine rookie Jack Doohan, who crashed into the barriers at Turn 1 after having only completed four laps. Fortunately, Doohan managed to exit the damaged car unharmed.

The afternoon session was further interrupted by a spin from Fernando Alonso, which resulted in another red flag. The practice continued to face interruptions as teams were forced to pause for track maintenance, particularly to address scorched grass areas that posed safety concerns.

Isack Hadjar, driving for the Racing Bulls, came closest to challenging the McLaren duo during the session, but several drivers, including local favorite Yuki Tsunoda, were unable to record competitive times on the softer tire compounds due to the limited running.

Despite the setbacks, Piastri maintained his pace throughout, establishing himself as the session leader until its conclusion. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in his Ferrari, followed closely by Liam Lawson and George Russell to round out the top five. The full top ten was completed by Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, and Carlos Sainz.

F1 Japanese GP – FP2 Results

Following a turbulent afternoon, the drivers will be looking to fine-tune their performances ahead of the next sessions, with hopes for clearer conditions to allow for more competitive laps.

Photos from Japanese GP – Practice

As teams continue to adapt to the challenging conditions, all eyes will be on the drivers as they prepare for the race weekend ahead.

Source
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