Verstappen fastest again as Leclerc closes in, Hamilton struggles in 14th
Max Verstappen continued his dominant form by topping both FP1 and FP2 at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. However, his advantage over Charles Leclerc narrowed to 0.320s during the low fuel runs on soft tyres. Lando Norris finished third in his McLaren, followed by Carlos Sainz in fourth for Ferrari. George Russell and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top six. Alex Albon impressed with a seventh-place finish for Williams, while Oscar Piastri took eighth in his McLaren. Sergio Perez struggled in ninth for Red Bull, while Lewis Hamilton could only manage 14th, struggling for pace and losing time in the first sector. Pierre Gasly caused a red flag with a crash in the second Degner Curve.
Source: Crash
