Red Bull streaked away from the competition in the first session at Suzuka, with Kubica and his Renault just managing to hold on to their tails. Hamilton missed half the session after crashing at Degner, meaning he was waiting patiently in the garage, while the mechanics did their best. Further down the order, Yamamoto returned to action after his illness in Singapore, and D'Ambrosio got some seat time for Virgin Racing.