2024 F1 Round 4, Japanese GP FP3: Verstappen Leads Red Bull One-Two in 1:29.563, Tsunoda Makes Top Ten in All Three Practice Sessions

The third free practice session for the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix concluded at Suzuka on the morning of 6 April Beijing time. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the times with a 1:29.563, 0.269 seconds ahead of team-mate Sergio Pérez. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda again finished in the top ten, taking ninth place.

Suzuka remained overcast, with the session beginning in dry conditions at an air temperature of 17°C and a track temperature of 26°C. After rain had cost the teams considerable running time in FP2, everyone was busy making up the lost mileage. Red Bull and Ferrari conducted long runs on medium tyres, Mercedes and McLaren used softs, and Aston Martin ran on hards.

Red Bull repeated its one-two from FP1, although the session was far from straightforward: both drivers complained about the feel of their cars and problems with their mirrors. Mercedes continued its strong form from the opening day, with George Russell third, 0.355 seconds off the pace, and Lewis Hamilton fourth. Fernando Alonso followed in fifth, just 0.045 seconds behind Hamilton. Aston Martin used an exemption to break the curfew and worked overnight to fit Alonso’s car with the new floor and bodywork that only Lance Stroll had used on the first day.

Ferrari’s two drivers completed their qualifying simulations slightly earlier and finished only seventh and tenth, with Carlos Sainz ahead of Charles Leclerc. Tsunoda once again broke into the top five teams’ ranks in ninth, completing all three practice sessions inside the top ten in front of his home crowd. Daniel Ricciardo’s rear end stepped out on the exit of Turn 2, sending him onto the grass. He finished 13th, around four tenths behind his team-mate.