Mercedes Duet Beats Verstappen In Japanese GP Second Practice

Mercedes (twitter @PET_Motorsports)

JAKARTA - George Russell and Lewis Hamilton helped Mercedes finish 1-2 in the second free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Friday, as Max Verstappen, who was chasing the world title, finished third.

The Red Bull driver will have the chance to seal a second straight title if he wins Sunday's race with one bonus point for the fastest lap, regardless of where his closest rivals finish.

Meanwhile, Russell scored the fastest lap of 1:41.935 which was 0.235 seconds ahead of Hamilton, and 0.851 seconds from Verstappen, quoted from Antara, Friday.

Torrential rain fell on Suzuka and the riders started the training session on wet tires before changing to the intermediate when track conditions improved.

However, this did not please Verstappen who informed his team over the radio that all tires lack traction.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was second in the standings, finished 2.744 seconds off Russell's lap time in P11.

The Monaco driver lost control of his car and was stuck in the gravel after earlier complaining of a damaged left front tire.

Ferrari then discovered a problem with Leclerc's brakes and called him to the garage before the driver took to the track again in the final 10 minutes of the session.

Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez finished fourth, followed by Haas's Kevin Magnussen and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

Mick Schumacher did not take part in the second training session after having an accident in the first session.

The Haas driver lost control and crashed into the guardrail after finishing, destroying the front wing of his car and requiring a new chassis.

The host racer, Yuki Tsunoda finished P14 in front of two-time Japanese GP champion Sebastian Vettel.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was the fastest in the first practice session.

The Japanese Grand Prix returns to the F1 calendar after a three-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The weather at Suzuka is expected to be sunny on Saturday but rain is likely during Sunday's race.