Formula One: The Japanese Grand Prix – Practice Session 3
After Red Bull Racing’s complete dominance in the first and second practice sessions, things were heating up ahead of the final practice session in Suzuka. Audiences worldwide were on tenterhooks to find out who were to top the
final showdown before qualifying.
Rain was expected to bucket down on the track on Saturday which could even out the field. The question was: would Red Bull come up trumps once again?
Practice session 3 of the Japanese Grand Prix kicked off. Just as forecasted, the Suzuka track was soaked in rain as a few drivers headed out on to the track for their installation laps. Alguersuari was the first brave one to head
out in his Toro Rosso.
Unlike practice sessions 1 and 2, the Saturday session is only for 60 minutes. Drivers opted for full wet tyres for their run – it looked to be a stage set for a fight between man and nature. Safety was a big concern nonetheless.
A quarter of the session was done. No times were in yet as drivers looked extremely cautious on track. Conditions were very slippery and no one wanted to slide off and risk damage ahead of qualifying.
The rains were expected throughout the session with a forecast of them getting heavier later in the day. It appeared a possibility that qualifying could to be postponed to Sunday morning if it got torrential!
Lewis Hamilton was out on the circuit. The Briton had an outing to forget as he lost control of his McLaren and headed straight for the barriers. The resulting damage saw him not only miss the remainder of practice session 1, but
also the first 80 minutes of a 90 minute practice session 2. Therefore, he needed as much track time as possible considering his limited exposure to the Suzuka circuit this term.
Alguersuari slid off the track but avoided crashing into anything. He rejoined the circuit and looked set to struggle again – round one might have gone to mother nautre, but the war wasn’t over, as far as the Toro Rosso was concerned.
More than half the session had passed as the Toro Rosso of Alguersuari lapped it around the circuit. He even managed to set a timed lap.
Buemi headed out on track. There was a lot of standing water on the track with ‘little rivers’ flowing on the circuit. Teams were expectant that qualifying was to be called off for the day.
Buemi spun near the entrance of the pit lane, recovered and headed back to the garage. Kubica was next on track with less than 15 minutes remaining. However, the ‘safety first’ attitude was dominant for the majority as the practice
session ended without much drama. Teams were obviously content on getting their cars back to the garage in one piece rather than taking a rip at the Suzuka circuit at race pace. A few snail like laps later, the final practice session came to an end.
Red Bull was expected to be dominant this time round as well. However, if wasn’t Red Bull, it was the sister team! Jamie Alguersuari lead the timing charts in his Toro Rosso as only two cars were able to set a time in the entire
session. There were still question marks whether qualifying would take place or not. Most of the teams opted out stating that if similar conditions were to prevail later, qualifying was to be called off due to safety concerns. However, regardless of what all
12 constructor’s felt, the final decision lied in the hands of the Formula One governing body, the FIA.
Qualifying, if it were to happen, was scheduled for 0500 GMT. It was sincerely hoped that the FIA would come up with a decision that featured a good blend of racing and driver safety. The crowd came out for a race whereas the drivers
needed to look out for their safety while also considering the championship. Think Bernie Ecclestone, think. The fate of Formula One lies under your consideration!
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