- **Q: Who was fastest in FP2 for the 2025 Japanese GP?
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ARTICLE DETAIL
Piastri Leads McLaren 1-2 in Disrupted 2025 Japanese GP FP2 Marked by Crashes and Red Flags | Mercedes' F1 Advantage in 2026: A Deep Dive | Esteban Ocon Faces Information Overload with F1 2026 Regulations | George Russell Takes Pole in Australian GP, Verstappen Suffers Crash | Isack Hadjar Navigates Red Bull Debut at Australian GP: Consistency and Challenges | Lewis Hamilton Adopts a Cow Named Max: A Formula 1 Surprise | Lewis Hamilton's Motivation and the Story of 'The Other Rookie': Enrique Bernoldi's F1 Journey | Australian GP: Practice and Qualifying Analysis | F1 2026 Season Preview: New Rules, Driver Dynamics, and Team Challenges | Piastri Leads McLaren 1-2 in Disrupted 2025 Japanese GP FP2 Marked by Crashes and Red Flags | Mercedes' F1 Advantage in 2026: A Deep Dive | Esteban Ocon Faces Information Overload with F1 2026 Regulations | George Russell Takes Pole in Australian GP, Verstappen Suffers Crash | Isack Hadjar Navigates Red Bull Debut at Australian GP: Consistency and Challenges | Lewis Hamilton Adopts a Cow Named Max: A Formula 1 Surprise | Lewis Hamilton's Motivation and the Story of 'The Other Rookie': Enrique Bernoldi's F1 Journey | Australian GP: Practice and Qualifying Analysis | F1 2026 Season Preview: New Rules, Driver Dynamics, and Team Challenges
Formula 1 / Japanese Grand Prix
Piastri Leads McLaren 1-2 in Disrupted 2025 Japanese GP FP2 Marked by Crashes and Red Flags
The second practice session (FP2) for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit was heavily disrupted by multiple incidents, including a major crash and trackside fires, ultimately seeing McLaren's Oscar Piastri set the fastest tim...
Key Insights
- **McLaren Pace:** Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets with a 1:28.114s lap, closely followed by teammate Lando Norris (+0.049s), continuing McLaren's strong start after Norris led FP1.
- **Doohan's Heavy Crash:** Alpine's Jack Doohan suffered a significant high-speed crash at Turn 1 early in the session, causing the first red flag and substantial damage to his car. He was confirmed okay but faced a lengthy repair job. Speculation suggests a potential issue with his DRS remaining open.
- **Alonso Off:** Fernando Alonso brought out the second red flag after spinning his Aston Martin into the gravel at Degner 1 (Turn 8).
- **Multiple Red Flags:** The session saw a total of four red flags. Besides the crashes, two separate small grass fires along the track edge caused further stoppages, severely limiting track time.
- **Racing Bulls Impress:** Isack Hadjar put his Racing Bulls third fastest (+0.404s), with teammate Liam Lawson also showing strong pace in fifth (+0.445s).
- **Why this matters:** The numerous disruptions significantly reduced valuable track time for teams to gather data and perform qualifying simulations, potentially impacting preparations for Saturday. Alpine faces a significant repair task on Doohan's car.
In-Depth Analysis
Friday's second practice session at Suzuka was anything but straightforward. Following an FP1 session topped by championship leader Lando Norris (McLaren) and featuring Yuki Tsunoda's debut for Red Bull, FP2 descended into chaos.
Less than 10 minutes in, Jack Doohan, taking over the Alpine after Ryo Hirakawa drove it in FP1, had a massive shunt entering Turn 1. Replays suggested his DRS might not have closed correctly, leading to a loss of rear downforce and a high-speed impact with the barriers. While Doohan walked away unharmed after medical checks, the damage to the A525 appeared extensive.
Track action resumed after a lengthy clean-up, but further interruptions followed. Fernando Alonso lost control entering the Degner curves, beaching his Aston Martin in the gravel and triggering the second red flag. Later, two unusual incidents occurred where grass fires ignited beside the track, possibly due to sparks from the cars, leading to two more brief stoppages.
Amidst the fragmented running, McLaren locked out the top two spots, with Oscar Piastri narrowly edging out Norris. Racing Bulls were notably quick, with Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson finishing P3 and P5 respectively, sandwiching Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari in P4. George Russell (Mercedes) was sixth, ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who struggled with understeer and finished eighth. The frequent red flags meant many drivers, including the Mercedes pair, had compromised soft tyre runs, making the final classification less representative than usual.
FAQ
- **Q: Why were there so many red flags in FP2?
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- **Q: Was Jack Doohan injured in his crash?
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Takeaways
- McLaren appears to be the team to beat heading into Saturday, showing strong pace in both sessions.
- The reduced running time means teams have less data, potentially leading to a more unpredictable qualifying and race.
- Alpine faces a race against time to repair Jack Doohan's car for Saturday's running.
- Racing Bulls showed surprisingly strong pace, suggesting they could be a factor higher up the grid.
- Red Bull and Max Verstappen seem to have some setup issues to resolve, notably understeer.
Discussion
The limited running makes Saturday's final practice crucial. Do you think McLaren can maintain their advantage, or will teams like Red Bull and Ferrari find more pace overnight? Let us know!
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Sources
Source 1: FP2: Piastri sets the pace as Doohan crashes amid disrupted second practice in Japan target="_blank"
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