The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix weekend at the iconic Suzuka Circuit finally offered a glimpse of dry running during the crucial third practice session (FP3), setting the stage for what promised to be an electrifying qualifying. Following two rain-soaked Friday sessions that severely limited track time and data collection, teams and drivers were eager to maximize their sole hour of dry preparation. Red Bull’s reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, emphatically asserted his dominance, topping the leaderboard ahead of both Ferraris, signalling his intent for pole position.
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Verstappen unleashed a blistering lap time of 1’30.671, a remarkable performance that put him nearly three-tenths of a second clear of his closest rivals, Carlos Sainz Jnr and Charles Leclerc. This decisive advantage was established in the closing minutes of the session, as all three front-runners completed their qualifying simulation runs on fresh soft tyres, pushing their machinery to the absolute limit on the challenging Suzuka layout.
Given the complete washout of Friday’s practice sessions, a palpable sense of anticipation filled the air as FP3 commenced. A lengthy queue of cars formed at the pit lane exit, a clear indicator of the drivers’ eagerness to hit the track and gather vital dry weather data. Carlos Sainz Jnr was the first to register a representative lap, marking the weekend’s inaugural dry effort with a 1’35.491 on soft tyres, setting an early benchmark for the field to chase.
As the session unfolded, Max Verstappen wasted no time in making his presence felt. Exiting the garage, his very first flying lap on softs propelled him to the summit of the timesheets with a 1’32.050. This initial effort was over a second quicker than his teammate, Sergio Perez, who momentarily held second position. The McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo also showed promising early pace, slotting into third and fourth respectively, as drivers began to acclimatize to the high-speed demands of Suzuka’s iconic corners.
Intriguingly, two seasoned world champions, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, diverged from the majority’s soft tyre strategy, opting for hard compound tyres during the early phase of FP3. This choice suggested a focus on longer runs and understanding tyre degradation, rather than immediate outright pace. Meanwhile, many other teams dedicated this precious dry hour to extensive long-run simulations, collecting crucial data ahead of the race. The two Red Bulls, after their initial explosive runs, briefly returned to the garage for adjustments, only to re-emerge onto an almost deserted track as most of their competitors concluded their first long-run stints.
Despite the track being completely dry, the gusty conditions added an extra layer of complexity. Drivers were visibly battling strong winds, particularly through Suzuka’s demanding high-speed sections, which unsettled their cars. Daniel Ricciardo notably overshot the chicane after a significant lock-up under braking, an incident that underscored the tricky nature of the circuit. Lewis Hamilton also experienced a similar moment, running deep into the chicane with a locked-up right front wheel. “Very gusty,” Hamilton communicated to his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, over the radio. Bonnington concurred, noting, “Wind gusts appear to be aligning with some of the snaps that we’re having,” highlighting the challenging conditions all drivers faced.
Around the halfway mark of the session, the Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz Jnr and Charles Leclerc embarked on their low-fuel, soft tyre runs, hinting at their qualifying potential. Sainz immediately elevated the benchmark, clocking a rapid 1’30.965. Leclerc followed suit, moving into second but trailing his teammate by a notable four-tenths. Sensing the rising pace, Max Verstappen then ventured out on medium tyres, demonstrating Red Bull’s versatility by improving his time to jump into second, just three-and-a-half tenths shy of Sainz’s leading lap. This mid-session battle offered an exciting prelude to the final showdown.
The intensity reached its peak in the final ten minutes as Max Verstappen and both Ferrari drivers bolted on fresh sets of soft tyres for dedicated qualifying simulation runs. Leclerc initially improved his personal best, narrowing the gap to Sainz to a mere 0.015 seconds. However, Sainz, despite improving in the first sector, couldn’t quite better his own leading time. The stage was set for Verstappen, who was the last of the trio to complete his final flying lap. The Dutchman delivered a masterclass, going ‘purple’ (fastest) in all three sectors, ultimately snatching the top spot by almost three-tenths over the Ferraris. This final flourish cemented his position as the clear favourite heading into qualifying.
As the chequered flag waved, Max Verstappen remained firmly at the top, leading Carlos Sainz Jnr and Charles Leclerc. Fernando Alonso impressed with a strong fourth-place finish for Alpine, demonstrating the car’s potential at Suzuka, ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton secured sixth and seventh respectively, showing consistent pace but still a noticeable gap to the front-runners. Lando Norris claimed eighth, becoming the first driver to be over a second adrift of Verstappen’s blistering time, underlining the Red Bull’s formidable performance. Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll rounded out the top ten, completing a fascinating and highly informative final practice session.
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2022 Japanese Grand Prix Third Practice Result
| Position | Number | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | RB18 | 1’30.671 | 22 | |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | F1-75 | 1’30.965 | 0.294 | 27 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | F1-75 | 1’30.980 | 0.309 | 27 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | A522 | 1’31.320 | 0.649 | 20 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | RB18 | 1’31.514 | 0.843 | 25 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W13 | 1’31.530 | 0.859 | 28 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W13 | 1’31.589 | 0.918 | 25 |
| 8 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL36 | 1’31.747 | 1.076 | 27 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A522 | 1’31.750 | 1.079 | 22 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR22 | 1’31.838 | 1.167 | 25 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL36 | 1’31.860 | 1.189 | 28 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW44 | 1’31.946 | 1.275 | 26 |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C42 | 1’31.971 | 1.300 | 24 |
| 14 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR22 | 1’32.222 | 1.551 | 25 |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | VF-22 | 1’32.290 | 1.619 | 23 |
| 16 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | VF-22 | 1’32.366 | 1.695 | 24 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | AT03 | 1’32.377 | 1.706 | 26 |
| 18 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C42 | 1’32.385 | 1.714 | 24 |
| 19 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | FW44 | 1’32.868 | 2.197 | 26 |
| 20 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | AT03 | 1’32.881 | 2.210 | 24 |
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| Position | Number | Driver | Team | FP1 time | FP2 time | FP3 time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1’43.362 | 1’42.786 | 1’30.671 | 50 | |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’42.563 | 1’43.204 | 1’30.965 | 0.294 | 65 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’42.634 | 1’44.709 | 1’30.980 | 0.309 | 53 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1’42.248 | 1’43.533 | 1’31.320 | 0.649 | 41 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1’44.234 | 1’42.834 | 1’31.514 | 0.843 | 55 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’46.103 | 1’41.935 | 1’31.530 | 0.859 | 55 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’44.558 | 1’42.170 | 1’31.589 | 0.918 | 53 |
| 8 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’43.889 | 1’45.885 | 1’31.747 | 1.076 | 45 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’43.022 | 1’43.884 | 1’31.750 | 1.079 | 40 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’44.570 | 1’46.776 | 1’31.838 | 1.167 | 56 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’44.486 | 1’46.030 | 1’31.860 | 1.189 | 45 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1’44.791 | 1’45.039 | 1’31.946 | 1.275 | 50 |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’43.969 | 1’43.733 | 1’31.971 | 1.300 | 57 |
| 14 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’48.090 | 1’45.261 | 1’32.222 | 1.551 | 56 |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1’43.258 | 1’43.187 | 1’32.290 | 1.619 | 55 |
| 16 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1’43.761 | No time | 1’32.366 | 1.695 | 37 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | 1’46.192 | 1’45.257 | 1’32.377 | 1.706 | 68 |
| 18 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’44.429 | 1’44.525 | 1’32.385 | 1.714 | 56 |
| 19 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1’45.424 | 1’44.962 | 1’32.868 | 2.197 | 53 |
| 20 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | 1’44.878 | 1’47.109 | 1’32.881 | 2.210 | 49 |
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