Free Practice 3 saw a flurry of activity as drivers eagerly took to the track in improved weather conditions, making up for lost time due to the previous day’s rain during FP2.
Kevin Magnussen experienced a setback with a spin that briefly took him off-track. This mishap mirrored Daniel Ricciardo’s, in which his car completed a full spin after a spin at Turn 2.
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As the session progressed, teams explored various tyre options, culminating in Verstappen posting the fastest lap on soft tyres during the qualifying simulation runs. His lap time of 1 minute 29.563 seconds edged him 0.269 seconds ahead of Perez.
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton claimed third and fourth, buoyed by their car’s performance in the initial practice sessions. Fernando Alonso, driving an updated Aston Martin, secured fifth, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who narrowly missed completing a fast lap due to a kerb mishap.
Carlos Sainz, the winner of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, recorded the seventh-fastest time. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, celebrating his 23rd birthday, and Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull, competing on his home turf, took eighth and ninth, respectively, with Charles Leclerc completing the top ten for Ferrari.
Williams’ Alex Albon, expressing a lack of confidence in his car, was the fastest among his team, placing 11th. He was followed by Valtteri Bottas of Kick Sauber and Daniel Ricciardo in 12th and 13th.
The Alpine team, introducing their season’s first updates, saw Esteban Ocon in 14th. Zhou Guanyu and Nico Hulkenberg followed, indicating potential challenges for Haas in matching their recent performance.
Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll were next, with Logan Sargeant making a return after crashing in the first practice session. Kevin Magnussen, trailing the pack, hinted at a challenging weekend for Haas after their success in Australia.
Next up, the eagerly anticipated qualifying round to begin at 3 p.m. local time.
Japanese GP FP3 Results
2024 Japanese Grand Prix, 6 April 2024
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