Verstappen leads FP1 at Suzuka as Sargeant suffers heavy crash
Max Verstappen showcased his dominance by topping the timesheets in the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver clocked the fastest lap, edging out teammate Sergio Perez, while Logan Sargeant caused a significant disruption with a heavy crash that halted proceedings.
The session began in largely dry but cool conditions, with drivers initially opting for medium and hard compound tyres. Verstappen quickly set the pace on the C1s, leading McLaren's Lando Norris and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso on the C2s.
A key moment came just as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton switched to soft tyres, expecting the rest of the field to follow suit. Sargeant, however, lost control of his Williams at Dunlop Curve, dipping a wheel on the grass and colliding heavily with the barriers. The impact damaged both the front and rear of the car, prompting the red flags. With no spare chassis available, Williams now face a critical period between FP1 and FP2 to assess and repair the damage—a situation eerily reminiscent of their troubles in Australia.
Once the session resumed, drivers quickly transitioned to the soft C3 tyres for performance runs. Verstappen further lowered his lap time to a session-topping 1m 30.056s, finishing just under two-tenths ahead of Perez.
Carlos Sainz, fresh off his Australian Grand Prix win, started his weekend strong by securing third place, followed by the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc rounded out the top six, with a mere three-tenths separating the two Ferrari drivers.
Fernando Alonso was the leading Aston Martin in seventh place. Yuki Tsunoda, racing in front of his home crowd, positioned his RB between the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to complete the top 10.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloEsteban Ocon placed his Alpine 11th, ahead of Williams' Alex Albon—who was driving Sargeant’s old chassis following his own previous crash— and Nico Hulkenberg's Haas. Hulkenberg received a black-and-white flag for crossing the white line at the pit exit.
New faces included Ayumu Iwasa, the F2 race winner and current Super Formula driver, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo in the RB for FP1, marking his official F1 weekend debut on home soil. Iwasa finished in 15th, nestled between Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and Valtteri Bottas’ Kick Sauber.
Positions 17 to 19 were occupied by the remaining Alpine, Kick Sauber, and Haas cars of Pierre Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, and Kevin Magnussen, respectively, with Sargeant sitting at the bottom, observing from the garage after his crash.
While drivers navigated some light rain towards the session’s end, teams will now delve into both their short and long-run data ahead of the second practice session.
