Even with the majority of the 2022 Formula One Championship already done, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are still searching for their first win in the season. There were high hopes from the team going into the Singapore Grand Prix. But unfortunately, Mercedes failed again in Marina Bay Street Circuit. Meanwhile, the Japanese Grand Prix\’s Suzuka track is the next destination for F1. And the team has finally found some momentum heading the qualifier race on Sunday. During the FP2, Mercedes finally managed to secure the top two spots on Friday. Therefore, fans are hoping that Japan may finally be the land to end Mercedes\’ winless streak.
George Russell & Lewis Hamilton Leads FP2 For Mercedes
On Friday at the Japanese GP, Mercedes demonstrated that they are still a master of the slick conditions. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton from their squad were the two fastest drivers in the second free practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix. The drivers started the session in the pit lane because Suzuka once again presented the teams with damp conditions as the rain continued to pour. But once they were on track, Hamilton took the lead with a lap of 1m 49.489s during the opening 45 minutes of the 90-minute practice.
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Lewis Hamilton came in second to George Russell in a Mercedes one-two during the second practice session. Compared to rivals Red Bull and Ferrari, the W13 took much better care of the compound. The intermediate tires allowed the British squad to achieve astonishing speed. The Mercedes duo traded best laps as the track conditions improved. Hamilton and Russell were also the first drivers to switch from wet to intermediate tires with one hour to go.
On the other hand, drivers within one second of Russell were Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez from Red Bull, who were closest to the Silver Arrows duo. However, the actual running times were mainly meaningless and dependent on the drivers\’ luck with the weather at the time of their runs.
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Verstappen was over eight-tenths slower than Charles Leclerc. Sadly, the Ferrari driver could only achieve the eleventh-fastest lap after losing time in the gravel in his Ferrari. This weekend, Verstappen is expected to win his second title. The reigning champion pulled out his regular maneuver of cruising to victory on the first try. Red Bull\’s driver completed a lap in 1m43.571 seconds before cutting it to 1m43.137 seconds the next time.
Lance Stroll was in position eighteen, followed by the McLaren team of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, who were sixteenth and seventeenth. Pierre Gasly, driving an AlphaTauri, was the final competitor in position nineteen. Sebastian Vettel, who has won the Japanese Grand Prix four times, was in 15th place. And Yuki Tsunoda, the home favorite, was down in the fourteenth position.
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