Piastri fastest in rain-affected Japanese GP FP2
5th April 2024McLaren’s Oscar Piastri topped the timing boards of a quiet and wet second hour of free practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Unlike Free Practice 1, the second practice session did not see a flurry of action out on track. This was due to the intermittent rain which had fallen between FP1 and second practice.
The teams and drivers tried to wait it out to see what the conditions were like, and to test out the intermediate tyres.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was the first driver out after 15 minutes, for an exploratory lap, on the mediums but he soon came back in. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri later tested, alongside a few drivers, the wet conditions on the intermediates.
Only a total of five drivers completed a timed lap around the Suzuka Circuit whereas the remaining eight merely tested conditions – failing to put in a representative lap time.
How the second practice ended…
McLaren’s young Australian driver, Piastri, topped the timing boards on the damp Japanese circuit as Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the session in second and third, respectively.
Hamilton was half-a-second behind Piastri. However, Leclerc was not able to put in a representative time on the board and finished the session four seconds behind.
The RB pairing of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top five who choked a time on the board. RB’s home hero, Tsunoda occupied P4 with a time six seconds slower than Piastri.
Ricciardo, who got his first taste of the Suzuka circuit having missed FP1 to allow Ayumu Iwasa to drive, rounded out the top five as the last driver with a lap time on the board. His time was seven seconds slower than his fellow countryman, Piastri.
Eight other drivers completed laps around the Suzuka circuit but none of the laps were representative.
Both Red Bulls and Aston Martin’s, the Mercedes of George Russell and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly did not make an appearance in FP2.
Williams’ Logan Sargeant was also a diver who did not make an appearance in FP2, this was due to the team not being able to repair his car in time having crashed heavily in FP1.
Free Practice three will begin on Saturday at 11:30am local time (3:30am BST) ahead of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
That’s all for the article; Piastri fastest in rain-affected Japanese GP FP2 !
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
