Will the competition at Suzuka for Max Verstappen not come from Ferrari but Mercedes this weekend? In Japan it remained wet and in those conditions George Russell (P1 in 1.41.935) and Lewis Hamilton did well. Together they kept Verstappen at P3.
The first free practice in Japan has become a prey for Fernando Alonso. In a wet session, the Spaniard kept the Ferraris at more than three tenths. Max Verstappen decided to keep it short and settled for P6, a second behind two-time world champion Alonso.