McLaren and Red Bull trade fastest Free Practice times in Japan - The sun shines in Suzuka, as Button and Webber top the times
Published by Christine
Welcome to F1Minute - McLaren and Red Bull trade fastest Free Practice times in Japan.
Free Practice day in Japan dawned bright and sunny, and it was the McLarens who got a headstart into the race weekend. Jenson Button was fastest in the first session, with teammate Lewis Hamilton just two tenths of a second behind him. Mark Webber wasn't far back in third, either.
Nico Rosberg was the only driver facing any significant problems, as his Mercedes stopped out on track towards the very end of the session.
Second practice featured a few more casualties than the first, with Paul di Resta managing only two laps before his Force India was off into the barriers - session over. Michael Schumacher also crashed his car, but still managed the tenth fastest time.
Rosberg's problem from FP1 turned out to be engine related, whilst Kimi Räikkönen was stuck in the garage for most of the afternoon with a serious KERS issue - the battery reportedly leaked and forced everyone into safety gear! It was left to Webber to challenge the McLaren drivers again, with Hamilton finishing two tenths off the Australian's session-topping time.
