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Ella Simmons

Japan 2022! Everything you need to know.

Updated: Oct 10, 2022

This post will be updated regularly over the weekend.


Welcome to Japan 2022! Like Singapore, it's been 3 years since F1 last raced in Japan, and it's fair to say fans and drivers alike cannot wait to see its return this week.


Here you will find all the updates from free practice, to qualifying, to the race, along with any other news updates from the weekend!

 

JUMP TO:


 

Race Schedule (BST)


Friday 7th October 2022

Free Practice 1: 04:00 - 05:00

Free Practice 2: 07:00 - 08:00


Saturday 8th October 2022

Free Practice 3: 04:00 - 05:00

Qualifying: 07:00 - 08:00


Sunday 9th October 2022

The Race: 06:00

 

About The Track


  • The race will have 53 laps of the 5.807km Suzuka International Racing Course.

  • It's the home race for AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda.

  • The lap record is held by Lewis Hamilton, who set it at 1:30.983 in 2019.

  • A high speed track that drivers and fans alike love with the crossover and two commitment-rewarding Degners, what is not to love?

Image taken from official Formula One website.

 

Free Practice Updates


Free Practice 1:


Times by Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P9. 1:43.969. Completed 11 laps.

  • Zhou Guanyu: P11. 1:44.429. Completed 14 laps.


AlphaTauri

  • Pierre Gasly: P16.1:44.878. Completed 9 laps.

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P19. 1:46.192. Completed 13 laps.


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: P4. 1:43.022. Completed 5 laps.

  • Fernando Alonso: P1.1:42.248. Completed 7 laps.


Aston Martin

  • Sebastian Vettel: P20.1:48.090. Completed 5 laps.

  • Lance Stroll: P14. 1:44.570. Completed 7 laps.


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P2. 1:42.563. Completed 12 laps.

  • Charles Leclerc: P3. 1:42.634. Completed 13 laps.


Haas

  • Mick Schumacher: P7. 1:43.761. Completed 10 laps.

  • Kevin Magnussen: P5. 1:43.258. Completed 12 laps.


On his way back to the pits after FP1, Mick Schumacher suffered from aquaplaning and ended up in the barrier. Due to the damage on the car, he won't be participating in FP2 later on today.


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P8. 1:43.889. Completed 7 laps.

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P12. 1:44.486. Completed 8 laps.


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton: P13. 1:44.558. Completed 6 laps.

  • George Russell: P18. 1:46.103. Completed 4 laps.


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: P6. 1:43.362. Completed 4 laps.

  • Sergio Perez: P10. 1:44.234. Completed 4 laps.


Williams

  • Alex Albon: P15.1:44.791. Completed 9 laps.

  • Nicholas Latifi: P17. 1:45.424. Completed 11 laps.


OVERALL RANKING FOR FP1:


Position

Driver

Team

Time

1

Fernando Alonso

Alpine

1:42.248

2

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

+0.315

3

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+0.386

4

Esteban ocon

Alpine

+0.774

5

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

+1.010

6

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

+1.114

7

Mick Schumacher

Haas

+1.513

8

Lando Norris

McLaren

+1.641

9

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+1.721

10

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

+1.986

11

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+2.181

12

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren

+2.238

​13

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+2.310

14

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

+2.322

15

Alexander Albon

Williams

+2.543

16

Pierre Gasly

AlphaTauri

+2.630

17

Nicholas Latifi

Williams

+3.176

18

George Russell

Mercedes

+3.855

19

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+3.944

20

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin

+5.842


Free Practice 2:


Times by Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P8. 1:43.733. Completed 19 laps.

  • Zhou Guanyu: P10. 1:44.525. Completed 16 laps.


AlphaTauri

  • Pierre Gasly: P19. 1:47.109. Completed 13 laps.

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P14. 1:45.257. Completed 25 laps.


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: P9. 1:43.884. Completed 12 laps.

  • Fernando Alonso: P7. 1:43.533. Completed 13 laps.


Aston Martin

  • Sebastian Vettel: P15. 1:45.261. Completed 23 laps.

  • Lance Stroll: P18. 1:46.776. Completed 20 laps.


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P6. 1:43.204. Completed 23 laps.

  • Charles Leclerc: P11. 1:44.709. Completed 10 laps.


Haas

  • Mick Schumacher: P20 - he could not participate in this FP session due to aquaplaning at the end of FP1 and causing damage to the car. Hopefully everything will be up and running for tomorrow's FP3 session and qualifying.

  • Kevin Magnussen: P5. 1:43.187. Completed 16 laps.


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P16. 1:45.885. Completed 11 laps.

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P17. 1:45.0030. Completed 9 laps.


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton:P2. 1:42.170. Completed 21 laps.

  • George Russell: P1. 1:41.935. Completed 22 laps.


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: P3. 1:42.786. Completed 23 laps.

  • Sergio Perez: P4. 1:42.834. Completed 25 laps.


OVERALL RANKING FOR FP2:

Position

Driver

Team

Time

1

George Russell

​Mercedes

1:41.935

2

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+0.235

3

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

+0.851

4

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

+0.899

5

Kevin Magnuessen

Haas

+1.252

6

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

+1.269

7

Fernando Alonso

Alpine

+1.598

8

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+1.798

9

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

+1.949

10

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+2.590

11

Charles Leclrec

Ferrari

+2.774

12

Nicholas Latifi

Williams

+3.027

13

Alexander Albon

Williams

+3.104

14

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+3.322

15

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin

+3.326

16

Lando Norris

McLaren

+3.950

17

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren

+4.095

18

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

+4.841

19

Pierre Gasly

AlphaTauri

+5.174

20

Mick Schumacher

Haas

N/A


Free Practice 3:


Times by Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P13. 1:31.971. Completed 22 laps.

  • Zhou Guanyu: P18. 1:32.385. Completed 21 laps.


AlphaTauri

  • Pierre Gasly: P20. 1:32.881. Completed 23 laps.

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P17. 1:32.377. Completed 25 laps.


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: P9. 1:31.750. Completed 21 laps.

  • Fernando Alonso: P4. 1:31.320. Completed 19 laps.


Aston Martin

  • Sebastian Vettel: P14. 1:32.222. Completed 22 laps.

  • Lance Stroll: P10. 1:31.838. Completed 23 laps.


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P2. 1:30.965. Completed 26 laps.

  • Charles Leclerc: P3. 1:30.980. Completed 26 laps.


Haas

  • Mick Schumacher: P16. 1:32.366. Completed 23 laps.

  • Kevin Magnussen: P15. 1:32.290. Completed 22 laps.


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P8. 1:31.747. Completed 25 laps.

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P11. 1:31.860. Completed 27 laps.


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton: P7. 1:31.589. Completed 24 laps.

  • George Russell:P6. 1:31.530. Completed 27 laps.


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: P1. 1:30.671. Completed 21 laps.

  • Sergio Perez: P5. 1:31.514. Completed 24 laps.


OVERALL RANKING FOR FP3:

Position

Driver

Team

Time

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1:30.671

2

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

+0.294

3

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+0.309

4

Fernando Alonso

Alpine

+0.649

5

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

+0.843

6

George Russell

Merceddes

+0.859

7

Lewis Hamilton

McLaren

+0.918

8

Lando Norris

McLaren

+1.076

9

Esteban ocon

Alpine

+1.079

10

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

+1.167

11

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren

+1.189

12

Alex Albon

Williams

+1.275

13

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+1.300

14

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin

+1.551

15

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

+1.619

16

Mick Schumacher

Haas

+1.695

17

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+1.706

18

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+1.714

19

Nicholas Latifi

Williams

+2.197

20

Pierre Gasly

AlphaTauri

+2.210

 

Qualifying Updates


Eliminated in Q1 -


Nicholas Latifi

Lance Stroll

Kevin Magnussen

Pierre Gasly

Alex Albon


Eliminated in Q2 -


Mick Schumacher

Zhou Guanyu

Yuki Tsunoda

Valtteri Bottas

Daniel Ricciardo


Drivers through to Q3 -


Lando Norris

Sebastian Vettel

George Russell

Fernando Alonso

Lewis Hamilton

Esteban Ocon

Sergio Perez

Carlos Sainz

Charles Leclerc

Max Verstappen



OVERALL RESULT OF QUALIFYING:


*this does not take into account any penalties, final starting grid can be found under 'The Race' section*


The time listed shows the driver's fastest qualifying lap for their respective final qualifying sessions. Blue is for Q3, red is for Q2, and no background colour is Q1. For the driver's times for Q1, Q2, Q3, see below in 'Qualifying Results by Team'.

Position

Driver

Team

Time

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1:29.304

2

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:29.314

3

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:29.361

4

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

1:29.709

5

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

1:30.165

6

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:30.261

7

Fernando Alonso

Alpine

1:30.322

8

George Russell

Mercedes

1:30.389

9

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin

1:30.554

10

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:31.003

11

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren

1:30.659

12

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

1:30.709

13

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

1:30.808

14

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

1:30.953

15

Mick Schumacher

Haas

1:31.439

16

Alex Albon

Williams

1:31.311

17

Pierre Gasly

AlphaTauri

1:31.322

18

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

1:31.352

19

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

1:31.419

20

Nicholas Latifi

Williams

1:31.511

There was an incident involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris where Verstappen seemingly veers towards to Norris, causing Norris to swerve onto the grass. This is to be investigated by the stewards at the end of the qualifying session.


UPDATE ON VERSTAPPEN/NORRIS INCIDENT: This has since been investigated. Verstappen has had a reprimand but does not face any penalties ahead of tomorrow's race.



Qualifying Results by Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P12. Q1 = 1:31.226, Q2 = 1:30.709

  • Zhou Guanyu: P14. Q1 = 1:30.130, Q2 = 1:30.953


AlphaTauri

  • Pierre Gasly: P17. Q1 = 1:31.322

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P13. Q1 = 1:31.130, Q2 = 1:30.808


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: P5. Q1 = 1:30.696, Q2 = 1:30.357, Q3 = 1:30.165

  • Fernando Alonso: P7. Q1 = 1:30.603, Q2 = 1:30.343, Q3 = 1:30.322


Aston Martin

  • Sebastian Vettel: P9. Q1 = 1:31.256, Q2 = 1:30.656, Q3 = 1:30.554

  • Lance Stroll:P19. Q1 = 1:31.352


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P3. Q1 = 1:30.336, Q2 = 1:30.444, Q3 = 1:29.361

  • Charles Leclerc: P2. Q1 = 1:30.402, Q2 = 1:30.486, Q3 = 1:29.314


Haas

  • Mick Schumacher: P15. Q1 = 1:31.152, Q2 = 1:31.439

  • Kevin Magnussen: P18. Q1 = 1:31.352


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P10. Q1 = 1:3-.881, Q2 = 1:30.473, Q3 = 1:31.003

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P11. Q1 = 1:30.880, Q2 = 1:30.659


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton: P6. Q1 = 1:30.906, Q2 = 1:30.443, Q3 = 1:30.261

  • George Russell: P8. Q1 = 1:30.865, Q2 = 1:30.465, Q3 = 1:30.389


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: P1. Q1 = 1:30.224, Q2 = 1:30.346, Q3 = 1:29.304

  • Sergio Perez: P4. Q1 = 1:30.622, Q2 = 1:29.925, Q3 = 1:29.709

 

Pre-race Penalties


Another race with no pre-race penalties!


09/10/22 - UPDATE:

  • An hour before the race, the FIA decided that Pierre Gasly will start from pits. This is a penalty for a breach in parc ferme rules; his team called to change his rear wing ahead of the race, after being knocked out of qualifying at just Q1.

 

The Race


Starting Grid -

P1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

P2

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

P3

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

P4

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

P5

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

P6

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

P7

Fernando Alonso

Alpine

P8

George Russell

Mercedes

P9

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin

P10

Lando Norris

McLaren

P11

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren

P12

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

P13

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

P14

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

P15

Mick Schumacher

Haas

P16

Alex Albon

Williams

P17

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

P18

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

P19

Nicholas Latifi

Williams

PITS

Pierre Gasly

Alpha Tauri

Fastest Lap - Zhou Guanyu at 1:44.411.


Race Updates -


Lap1 - WOW! What an eventful start. Almost an immediate yellow flag in sector 1 with Vettel squirreling at the first turn and made contact with Alonso - both still in and unsure on damage as of yet. Vettel then spins out onto the grass but is back in the race. As the green flag is waved for sector 1, a yellow flag soon follows in sector 2. Carlos Sainz aquaplaned on the running water, spinning out and hitting the barrier. He is now out of the race. FIA Safety Car is deployed. Gasly also features a new accessory on his car in the form of one of the advertising boards stuck to the nose of the car - presumably some of the debris that flew from Sainz's crash. Alex Albon is also out of the race - unsure as to why, but he doesn't seem to have crashed.

Lap 2 & 3 - RED FLAG. All of the cars are now in the pits, following the safety car, and the race will restart, presumably after the worst of the rain has passed.


Current Standings:

P1 - Max Verstappen

P2 - Charles Leclerc

P3 - Sergio Perez

P4 - Esteban Ocon

P5 - Lewis Hamilton

P6 - Fernando Alonso

P7 - George Russell

P8 - Daniel Ricciardo

P9 - Yuki Tsunoda

P10 - Mick Schumacher

P11 - Lance Stroll

P12 - Kevin Magnussen

P13 - Lando Norris

P14 - Valtteri Bottas

P15 - Nicholas Latifi

P16 - Sebastian Vettel

P17 - Zhou Guanyu

P18 - Pierre Gasly


DNF:

Carlos Sainz

Alex Albon


There was also the tractor (recovery vehicle) on track before all of the cars had made their way back to pits - notably Pierre Gasly encountered it on track. An extremely controversial - and dangerous - call from the FIA, given the poor visibility and conditions the drivers are facing, especially after the tragic passing of Jules Bianchi in 2014 here.


Carlos Sainz: "I don't know why in these conditions we are risking having a tractor on track because it's just worthless anyways. You were going to red flag it anyways."


Pierre Gasly: "I could've f*****g killed myself." & "What is this? What is this tractor on track?! I passed next to it. This unacceptable. Remember what has happened. Can't believe this."


Christian Horner: "Totally unacceptable. We lost Jules Bianchi here 5-6 years ago. That should never ever happen [...] There just needs to be a full, full investigation as to why that vehicle was on track because it obviously shouldn't have been."

Restart Update - FIA have said it is mandatory for everyone to use wet tyres upon the restart.

Restart set to begin at 06:50 (BST).

Restart suspended. We are now approaching the one hour mark into the three hours allowed to completed the race once it has begun.

No update as to when the race will start. It is getting brighter, and the rain is easing slightly. However, we are now approaching hour two of the three allowed to complete the race. If the race does start, we will not get the full race. This could mean that we see the implementation of the FIA points scale - like Belgium last year. However, this may not apply if the race resumes/restarts.


POINTS TABLE:

% Completed / Position

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Fastest Lap

75% - 100%

25

18

15

12

10

​8

​6

4

2

1

​1

50% - 75%

19

14

12

10

8

6

4

3

2

1

1

25% - 50%

13

10

8

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

1

2 laps - 25%

6

4

3

2

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

<2 laps

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

The race will resume at 08:15 (BST), with less than an hour left of racing time. So far, there have not been two laps raced without a safety car.


Lap 4/39 minutes to go - Vettel and Latifi pit for inters after the rolling start. However, there was an unsafe release from the Aston Martin and it has been noted by race control. (UPDATE - No further investigation).


36 minutes to go - Norris and Bottas pits for inters.


35 minutes to go - Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Ocon, Hamilton, Russell all pit for inters. Just Zhou, Schumacher, Ricciardo, and Alonso left on wets. P1 - Alonso, P2 - Ricciardo, P3 - Schumacher.


33 minutes to go - Alonso pits for inters.


31 minutes to go - Zhou pits for inters. Ocon attempts to pass Schumacher but Schumacher manages to hold him off and retains his P4 position.


30 minutes to go - Ocon manages the overtake, with Hamilton also overtaking Schumacher in a brave move on the outside of the corner. P4 - Ocon,, P5 - Hamilton, P6 - Schumacher.


28 minutes to go - Schumacher finally pits. It appears Haas were attempting the long game with hopes of another safety car, however, this has not happened and instead is unfortunate for Schumacher whose maiden podium is now out of sight.


26 minutes to go - Russell reports his brakes are the same as Singapore quali.


23 minutes to go - an estimate of 13 laps left.


21 minutes to go - Russell overtakes Tsunoda to take P9.


20 minutes to go - Norris overtakes Tsunoda to get into P10 - and potentially points. Tyres seem to be wearing, Leclerc on radio asked about pitting for inters; reported that he will lose 5 positions if he pits right now.


15 minutes to go - Zhou pits and Charles Leclerc has the fastest lap. ZHou emerges from the pits P18, 20 seconds behind Schumacher.


14 minutes to go - Hamilton attempts another overtake on Ocon, but Ocon defends well against him once again!


8 minutes to go - Alonso pits now and drops position to P10, with Norris and Latifi ahead.


5 minutes to go - We're on lap 25 of 53, almost over halfway and will move us up on the points scale!


Last lap - Verstappen still leads and Zhou Guanyu has the fastest lap. Ocon is still the 2nd fastest driver on the speed trap. Leclerc and Perez battle furiously for P2. Verstappen is on his way to another victory, he takes the chequered flag and win the Japanese GP and it's his 12th win. Leclerc finishes 2nd but is perhaps going to lose this position for leaving the track and re-entering and 'gaining an advantage'. UPDATE - Leclerc will suffer a 5 second penalty, relegating him to P3.


POST RACE NEWS: MAX VERSTAPPEN HAS WON THE 2022 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!


He was awarded full points, he has a 114 point lead and there are only 112 points left up for grabs. This is the second championship for the Dutch driver., and the second championship win with Honda.



Race Results


Pos

Driver

Team

Gap

Pit Stops

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

2

2

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

+27.066

2

3

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+4.697

2

4

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

+7.922

2

5

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+0.641

2

6

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin

+6.032

2

7

Fernando Alonso

Alpine

+0.011

2

8

​George Russell

Mercedes

+1.292

2

9

Nicholas Latifi

Williams

+22.482

2

10

​Lando Norris

McLaren

+0.639

2

11

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren

+2.095

2

12

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

+1.027

2

13

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+1.695

2

14

​Kevin Magnussen

Haas

+10.417

2

15

​Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+0.480

2

16

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+0.547

3

17

Pierre Gasly*

AlphaTauri

+1.048

3

18

Mick Schumacher*

​Haas

+4.432

2

DNF:

Alex Albon - Williams

Carlos Sainz - Ferrari


Driver of The Day - Sebastian Vettel (well well well deserved, an incredible drive today, securing P6 with less than a tenth of a second, millimetres in front of Alonso)


*Pierre Gasly has since had to take a 20 second time penalty and 2 license points due to his 'speeding' under a red flag (many are disagreeing with this decision). This means he finishes P18 and Mick Schumacher finishes P17.

 

Any Other News

  • 08/10/22 - Pierre Gasly is confirmed to be moving to Alpine in 2023; it is reported that he has signed a multi-year contract.

  • 08/10/22 - Nyck De Vries is confirmed to be joining AlphaTauri in 2023, making him the second rookie to be starting next year alongside Oscar Piastri who will be driving for McLaren.

  • First time a world championship has been won at Suzuka since 2011 with Sebastian Vettel (also with Red Bull).

 

Championship Standings


World Driver Championship

1

Max Verstappen

​366

2

Sergio Perez

253

+113

3

Charles Leclerc

252

+114

4

George Russell

​207

+159

5

Carlos Sainz

202

+164

6

Lewis Hamilton

180

+186

7

Lando Norris

101

+265

8

Esteban Ocon

78

+288

9

Fernando Alonso

65

+301

10

Valtteri Bottas

​46

+320

11

Sebastian Vettel

32

+334

12

Daniel Ricciardo

29

+337

13

Pierre Gasly

23

+343

14

Kevin Magnussen

22

+344

15

Lance Stroll

13

+353

16

Mick Schumacher

12

+354

17

Yuki Tsunoda

11

+355

18

Zhou Guanyu

6

+360

19

Alex Albon

4

+362

20

Nicholas Latifi

2

+364

21

Nyck De Vries

2

+364

22

Nico Hulkenberg

0

+366


World Constructor Championship



1

Red Bull

619

2

Ferrari

454

+165

3

Mercedes

387

+232

4

Alpine

143

+476

5

McLaren

130

+489

6

Alfa Romeo

52

+567

7

Aston Martin

45

+574

8

Haas

34

+585

9

AlphaTauri

34

+585

10

Williams

8

+611


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