F1 Results Today: Chaos at Japanese Grand Prix as four red flags overshadow… Read more
The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix kicked off with an eventful Friday at the iconic Suzuka circuit, as Formula 1 drivers faced a mix of dominance, drama, and chaos throughout the two practice sessions. The first session on Friday seemed relatively straightforward, but the second session, FP2, took a wild turn with four red flags interrupting the action.
The drama began in the opening minutes of FP2 when Alpine driver Jack Doohan suffered a high-speed loss of control at the first corner, sending his car into the barriers and demolishing the front end of the vehicle. The crash halted the session for 20 minutes as the wreckage was cleared. Following that, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso found himself in a similar predicament after dipping a wheel onto the grass and losing control of his Aston Martin, getting stuck in the gravel. This caused the second red flag of the session.
The situation escalated further when sparks from some cars ignited grass at the side of the track, bringing out a third and fourth red flag. These disruptions significantly hampered the teams’ ability to complete their planned runs, particularly for drivers hoping to complete qualifying simulations ahead of Saturday’s session.
Despite the interruptions, McLaren’s Lando Norris continued to show his speed in what had so far been a dominant weekend for the team. However, he appeared far from entirely comfortable in his McLaren. Throughout the session, Norris struggled with tyre issues and went wide on several occasions, indicating that he was still working to fine-tune his car to the tricky Suzuka layout. Nonetheless, Norris managed to set the fastest lap of the weekend so far in the first session of the day, with a time of 1:28.549.
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, however, capitalized on the unpredictable FP2 conditions to secure the fastest time of the session with a 1:28.114, narrowly edging Norris by just 0.049 seconds. Both McLaren drivers were followed by a surprising performance from Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who managed to place third, 0.404 seconds off Piastri’s pace. He was closely followed by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth, 0.430 seconds behind Piastri, and fellow Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, who completed the top five with a 0.445-second deficit.
Notably, George Russell, representing Mercedes, was in sixth, just a fraction behind Lawson, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top seven, 0.472 seconds behind the session’s leader. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen finished in eighth, 0.556 seconds behind Piastri, showing that the Red Bull car, while still competitive, wasn’t entirely on pace during the disrupted session.
Pierre Gasly, from Alpine, and Carlos Sainz of Williams rounded out the top 10, with the pair finishing 0.643 and 0.718 seconds off the pace, respectively.
While McLaren and Racing Bulls seemed to dominate the session, it was a challenging day for several drivers. Yuki Tsunoda, driving for Red Bull in his home Grand Prix, was unable to get a clean run during FP2 due to the repeated red flags. His FP1 performance had been promising, as he finished sixth, just 0.623 seconds behind Norris. However, the Japanese driver was unable to capitalize on the disrupted FP2 session and ended the session 18th, 2.511 seconds adrift of Piastri’s best time.
The repeated red flag incidents also hurt the efforts of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Alonso, who has been consistently competitive this season, was in the thick of the action when he got stuck in the gravel, and he finished FP2 in 17th, 1.864 seconds off the pace. Stroll, his teammate, fared even worse, ending up 19th and 2.731 seconds behind the leaders.
Further down the list, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, who had caused the initial red flag, finished the session at the back of the pack, with his car’s damage preventing him from setting a meaningful lap time. His time of 3.545 seconds off the pace put him at 20th, indicating just how challenging the session had been for the struggling Alpine team.
In the end, McLaren showed impressive pace throughout the disrupted day, with Piastri emerging as the fastest in FP2 and Norris continuing to show promise despite his struggles. With more unpredictability expected for the rest of the weekend, teams will be looking to get their setups right ahead of qualifying, hoping for a smoother run on Saturday. The chaotic start to the weekend at Suzuka only adds to the excitement of the Japanese Grand Prix, as drivers and teams navigate the challenges of one of Formula 1’s most technical and beloved circuits.
