In an action-packed practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda, under immense pressure as Red Bull’s newest recruit, showed his mettle with a standout performance. The Japanese driver was drafted from Racing Bulls only the previous week, replacing Liam Lawson, who was swiftly demoted after struggling in the first two races. Tsunoda, with four seasons of experience in Formula 1, was stepping into a car that had proven difficult to master, even for the experienced Max Verstappen.
Despite the tough circumstances, Tsunoda proved to be more than up to the challenge. In the first practice session, he finished sixth overall, just one-tenth behind Verstappen, who placed fifth. This performance was a significant improvement over Lawson’s results, with Tsunoda already showing greater comfort in the Red Bull. Lawson, driving for Racing Bulls, had failed to get anywhere near his teammate, finishing a distant 13th. For Red Bull, Tsunoda’s promising start offered hope that the team could regain the competitiveness of their second car, a crucial aspect of their strategy for the season.
The session was marked by multiple interruptions, including two significant fires and a crash involving Jack Doohan. Despite these disruptions, the timesheet saw some notable performances. McLaren’s Lando Norris led the field, continuing his strong run of form and extending his lead at the top of the championship standings. Norris, who currently holds an eight-point lead over Verstappen in the championship, finished the first session more than 0.15 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Despite a somewhat scrappy first outing, Norris was able to manage the track’s high-speed corners, showing a strong understanding of the Suzuka circuit’s demands.
Ferrari also showed well in the session, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton claiming third and fourth places respectively, demonstrating that the high-speed nature of the Suzuka track suited their cars.
The second practice session, however, was chaotic. Early into the session, a massive crash by Jack Doohan in his Alpine brought out the first red flag. Doohan spun into the barriers after what appeared to be an issue with his DRS device, which failed to close properly before turn one. He was unharmed, but his car was severely damaged. The session was halted for about 30 minutes while the wreckage was cleared, and the drivers returned to the track only to face further interruptions.
Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, also fell victim to the conditions when he lost control at the Degner curve, spinning into the gravel. This prompted another red flag, further delaying the action. Once the session resumed, there was a brief but intense period of running, with teams switching to soft tyres in a bid to set their best times. Norris once again went quickest, but just as it seemed the session would end, a fire broke out along the grass near the Degner corner, likely sparked by the skid plates on the cars. The fire was swiftly extinguished, but the session was stopped again with just seven minutes remaining.
Despite the delays and disruptions, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri managed to take the top spot, edging Norris by just 0.04 seconds to secure a McLaren one-two finish in the final timings. Meanwhile, Tsunoda, who had not set a quick lap on the soft tyres, was down in 18th place. Verstappen, too, found the Red Bull difficult to handle and finished the session in eighth.
The practice sessions highlighted the unpredictability of the weekend, with teams having to contend with both track incidents and technical issues. For Tsunoda, it was an encouraging start as he began to get to grips with the Red Bull. However, it was clear that there was still work to be done before the main qualifying sessions.
