Yuki Tsunoda delivered a solid performance in his opening training session for Red Bull after his controversial driver exchange.
Red Bull’s decision to demarize Liam Lawson after only two Grands Prix and promote a driver whom he neglected almost four months ago, was the main subject of discussion since the F1 circus left the Shanghai International Circuit in China 12 days ago.
With all eyes on Tsunoda, although on a Suzuka circuit, it could undoubtedly be said that he knows like the back of his hand, the Japanese driver – in front of his crowd of worship – finished the fastest hour session, just a tenth behind the rhythm of the quadruple teammate Max Verstappen.
All the Red Bulls asked Tsunoda, given the work of Lawson during racing weekends in Australia and China, must be as close to Verstappen for at least the team’s strategy options in future Grands Prix.
The duo, however, was always comfortably out of the pace published by the head of the Lando Norris pilot championship who paved the way with a round of 1: 28.549, two tenths of a second faster than Verstappen’s leading time from Q2 to this circuit a year ago.
The first sector of Suzuka, which includes radical tests, has been resurfaced and will have played a role, and will continue to do so as the evolution of the track increases, and there is undoubtedly the postpapn postplan time – 1: 28.197 – will be easily beaten.
In a two-two British at the top of the time sheet, Norris directed George Russell de Mercedes by 0.163, followed by the Ferrari Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton duo, 0.416 and 0.502 s respectively.
Verstappen ‘super bizarre’
Verstappen established the early reference times, although on gentle tires while the quadruple F1 champion deployed a racing plan different from its F1 competitors which preferred the average compound mainly, and for a few others, hard rubber.
The initial Tour of Verstappen was 1: 30.738 seconds, which he lowered to 1: 29.690 seconds, faster than his FP1 round a year ago. At the 20-minute brand, Russell has comfortably shaved half a second leave on the yellow striped tire.
Over the course of the session, Verstappen said that he was far from being satisfied with his RB21, describing him as “super bizarre” because of “flexing a lot”.
While soft-type races started seriously, Russell improved again at a 1: 28.809, then just after the stadium half at 1: 28.712, a slower fraction than the first Q2 of last year from Verstappen.
At this stage, Leclerc was a quarter of the second of the pace, followed by Verstappen 0.353 s, despite its previous engine.
Tsunoda, based slowly in the session and focusing only on its race plan rather than those around it, was 0.460 seconds just after the 30 -minute brand.
It was only 40 minutes that had escaped that McLaren showed his hand. Norris, who had endured a moment on the gravel a few minutes earlier after being potentially distracted by Lawson as approach, quickly changed.
Norris violated the first two sectors on the way to what turned out to be the best tour of the session, 0.163s faster than Russell.
Behind the main sexual, Fernando Alonso d’Aston Martin was the faster seventh, followed by Isack Hadjar for racing bulls, Kimi Antonelli in his Mercedes and Carlos Sainz de Williams.
There was a funny moment for Sainz when he was told to box at some point. With the garage at the start of the lane track, the Spanish driver exceeded it, believing that it was at the end. “Oh ****! I missed it. I thought we were at the end. Sorry!” he said on the radio.
As for Lawson, the demolished New Zealander finished 13th in the ranking, three tenths of a second behind Hadjar.
The slowest was the slowest Gabriel Bortoleto, with the 0.1598 Brazilians drifting Norris.
