Rainy conditions ruin FP2 running at Suzuka
Following a rain-induced delay to FP2 action, it was Oscar Piastri who ended Friday’s limited on-track running with the fastest time, albeit unrepresentative, ahead of late attempts from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
The session didn’t get off to its usual busy start, with the grid remaining in their garages while rain sprinkled down on the Suzuka International Circuit.
After 10 minutes of no running, Race Control confirmed that the track was ready for slick tyres, however, the drivers still held off.
Lewis Hamilton was the first to test the track conditions, leaving the pitlane on the medium compound tyre.
His feedback was that the kerbs were harbouring puddles while the track was predominantly dry, however, the radar reflected that wouldn’t last long.
Following his heavy FP1 crash, Logan Sargeant was forced back onto the sidelines for the second practice session in Japan, with his team still working to repair the #2 FW46, however, that loss of track time didn’t seem to be too much of a disadvantage due to the rain.
The main concern for the American’s car was the health of his chassis, with the Williams Team confirming there was no damage sustained to the fragile part in the incident.
Daniel Ricciardo, having missed out on FP1 to allow Ayumu Iwasa to participate, was eager to get some running in.
Daniel Ricciardo during FP2 at the Japanese GP. Image: Zak Mauger / LAT Images.
He followed Hamilton’s lead, however, by the time he rounded Sector 1, rain intensity increased and he was forced to tiptoe back to the RB garage.
At the halfway mark of the session, Oscar Piastri became the second Australian to take to the iconic track, only being the third driver of the session to do so.
He was, however, the first driver to don the intermediate tyres, with steady rainfall having arrived for a few short minutes.
Despite this, Piastri reported it wasn’t “that wet”.
Still, RB sent their drivers out with Sauber following suit, burning up their tyres in the few laps they underwent.
Of the four drivers, Yuki Tsunoda was the quickest with a time of 1:42.304s.
Alex Albon soon ventured out, instantly confirming that it was too dry for the intermediate tyre.
The drivers eventually returned to the pitlane, waiting out the frustrating conditions.
With under 20 minutes remaining, Valtteri Bottas took to the track for an exploratory lap, returning shortly after.
However, with 10 minutes to go, Sauber sent their drivers out once again.
Zhou Guanyu during FP2 at the Japanese GP. Image: Simon Galloway / LAT Images.
They weren’t alone with Albon and Kevin Magnussen joining them, both reporting different beliefs in terms of track conditions and correlating tyres.
Piastri headed out as well, taking the risk on the soft compound tyre.
Although lacking in comparison to his FP1 times, Piastri went to the top of the order with a time of 1:36.862s, demoting the home racer.
The majority of the grid followed suit, however, there was only one minute remaining on the clock.
Hamilton slotted into P2, with Charles Leclerc the last of the 14 drivers who set a timed lap crossing the line to complete the top three.
After the chequered flag, the drivers completed their practice starts before retreating for the evening.
Free Practice 2 Results:
| POS | DRIVER | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:34.725 | 6 | ||
| 2 | 1:35.226 | +0.501s | 5 | |
| 3 | 1:38.760 | +4.035s | 3 | |
| 4 | 1:40.946 | +6.221s | 7 | |
| 5 | 1:41.913 | +7.188s | 8 | |
| 6 | 1:44.977 | +10.252s | 3 | |
| 7 | 1:52.579 | +17.854s | 3 | |
| 8 | 6 | |||
| 9 | 6 | |||
| 10 | 4 | |||
| 11 | 3 | |||
| 12 | 4 | |||
| 13 | 2 |
2024 Japanese Grand Prix
Friday, April 5
Practice 1: 13.30-14.30
Practice 2: 17.00-18.00
Saturday, April 6
Practice 3: 13.30-14.30
Qualifying: 17.00-18.00
Sunday, April 7
Grand Prix: 15.00
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