The practice sessions of this Japanese Grand Prix have been chaotic. The rain disrupted FP2 yesterday, depriving the drivers of track time.<\/p>\n
This morning, the rain spares the 22 drivers who quickly take to the track. The two Mercedes immediately set the benchmarks, with Valtteri Bottas at 1:29.055 just ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton at 1:29.069. It’s very close between the two men, especially since behind them, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo slightly make mistakes.<\/p>\n
But it’s Bottas who will cause the first red flag by grazing the barrier just before 130 R. The Finn goes a bit wide on the exit of the turn and stays flat on the accelerator before hitting the barrier with the right side of his car, causing a rear tire puncture and the loss of many carbon elements.<\/p>\n
\nAfter setting the fastest time in FP3, @ValtteriBottas<\/a> had what could be a costly slip #JapaneseGP<\/a> \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 #F1<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8RqAjYy2yx<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) 7 octobre 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The track is being cleaned by the marshals, but it won’t remain clear for long. Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen also loses control of his Ferrari just before the bridge and crashes his car into the protective tires. The Finn was overly optimistic and lost his car by arriving much too fast at the entry of turn 9.<\/p>\n
\nOh Kimi \ud83d\ude48 #JapaneseGP<\/a> \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 #F1<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3CAfuGHZoa<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) 7 octobre 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The times will not improve in the last 20 minutes, with drivers focusing more on long runs in preparation for Sunday’s race.<\/p>\n
The complete classification of FP3:<\/b><\/p>\n
\nFP3 INITIAL CLASSIFICATION: @MercedesAMGF1<\/a> have the edge… #JapaneseGP<\/a> \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 #F1<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/21s5blTDjl<\/a><\/p>\n