Oscar Piastri finished fastest in a chaotic second practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix, which was interrupted by four red flags. Jack Doohan`s heavy crash was one of the incidents that halted the session.
Piastri was just a fraction ahead of his McLaren teammate and championship leader Lando Norris. McLaren demonstrated strong performance early in the season. However, the practice was heavily disrupted, with only 20 minutes of track time out of the scheduled 60 minutes due to the interruptions.
Doohan, who had not participated in the first practice session as Alpine gave reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa a chance to drive in his home race, lost control of his car at the fast first corner. He crashed into the barrier, causing significant damage to his car, including the loss of two wheels.
It initially appeared that Doohan`s car bottomed out, but replays showed that the DRS (Drag Reduction System) was still open. Drivers are generally expected to close DRS before braking for Turn 1.
Doohan, aged 22, was reported to be `ok` by Alpine after a medical check at the circuit`s medical center. He was assisted out of his car. The session was delayed for about 20 minutes for barrier repairs.
Shortly after the session restarted, Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, lost control of his Aston Martin at Turn 8 due to windy conditions and ended up in the gravel, causing another red flag.
As teams rushed to complete qualifying simulations, the session was red-flagged again when grass beside the track caught fire from sparks from the cars` undercarriage.
Despite the limited running, Piastri managed to outperform Norris, suggesting a competitive weekend for McLaren. Isack Hadjar impressed by finishing third for Racing Bulls, while Liam Lawson, returning to the team after being replaced at Red Bull, was fifth.
Max Verstappen was only eighth, and Yuki Tsunoda, who had a good first practice session, was further down the order in 18th place. Both Red Bull drivers struggled to achieve a clean lap in the disrupted session.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Charles Leclerc in seventh. Ferrari is working to resolve setup issues that have affected their season start.
George Russell of Mercedes, who was second in the first practice, was sixth fastest.
Japanese GP Practice Two Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:28.114 |
| 2) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.049 |
| 3) Isack Hadjar | RB | +0.404 |
| 4) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.430 |
| 5) Liam Lawson | RB | +0.445 |
| 6) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.453 |
| 7) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.472 |
| 8) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.556 |
| 9) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.643 |
| 10) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.718 |
| 11) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.909 |
| 12) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +0.948 |
| 13) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1.221 |
| 14) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.393 |
| 15) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.540 |
| 16) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.619 |
| 17) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.864 |
| 18) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +2.511 |
| 19) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +2.731 |
| 20) Jack Doohan | Alpine | +3.545 |
