Formula One arrived at Suzuka for this year’s Japanese Grand Prix. The performance was a little shuffled due to the unpredictable weather that we have grown accustomed to in this particular region. This weekend was a return to the normal, in terms of the Mercedes domination.
The sessions held on Friday were hindered by rain and the sessions were virtually pointless. In free practice one, only twelve drivers managed to set valid lap times. Free practice two was a little better, with all drivers setting lap times except for Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull proved to be strong in the rain; with Daniil Kvyat topping the time chart in the second free practice session and setting the second fastest time in free practice one. Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso, set the fastest time in the first session of the weekend. Carlos Sainz Jr. topped the chart in that session.
The weather on Saturday was much better. As a result, we saw both Mercedes cars take their usual positions at the top of the time charts for free practice three and qualifying. Teams that had performed well on Friday, like Red Bull and Toro Rosso, declined. Williams improved greatly as the day came to a close, whereas Ferrari remained in the same position they were in during the wet sessions. Nico Rosberg topped both sessions of the day, taking the pole away from his teammate.
With the weather dry and the track surface noticeably hotter than the previous two days, it was a big concern that Pirelli increased tyre pressures. Felipe Massa and Daniel Ricciardo were the victims of two first lap punctures as a result of contact, along with Sergio Pérez after running wide in turn one. Lewis Hamilton took the lead of the race in the first lap, after running his teammate out of room in the corner and causing him to drop to fourth position. Rosberg recovered and managed to finish second in the Mercedes’ 1-2 finish, in a race that was dominated primarily by tyre strategy.
Formula One returns to action in two weeks for the Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom on the weekend of October 11.
