2014 Japanese Grand Prix Friday - Practice
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Hamilton reports that his practice start felt "a bit aggressive".
Vergne continues to make steady progress, now going 16th in the Toro Rosso.
We've got some artificial grass that has been ripped up at Spoon Curve. Magnussen was the culprit, running wide in the long left-hander.
Kvyat is also improving, jumping from 13th to ninth, ahead of the sidelined Ricciardo.
Hulkenberg does a better lap and moves up from 15th to 10th.
Midfield pack: 11 Massa; 12 Kvyat; 13 Maldonado; 14 Sutil; 15 Hulkenberg; 16 Gutierrez; 17 Vergne; 18 Chilton; 19 Bianchi; 20 Ericsson; 21 Kobayashi.
Perez hasn't set a time.
Perez hasn't set a time.
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@MaxVerstappen3: "Happy boy at the moment :) not bad speed at all :)"
Lead order: 1 Hamilton; 2 Rosberg; 3 Bottas; 4 Button; 5 Vettel; 6 Raikkonen; 7 Alonso; 8 Magnussen; 9 Ricciardo; 10 Grosjean.
Twitter
@RenaultSportF1: "Another guy ready to go back out on track is #JEV - fuel pump problem earlier was a relatively quick fix so we're good to go again"
Vergne is now back out with his Toro Rosso having been repaired after its early failure. He's just gone up to 17th place.
Rosberg has another lock-up at the final chicane, although it's not as big as the one he had earlier in the session.
It's not a perfect lap from Rosberg on mediums, he's fastest in the middle sector but second to Hamilton by 0.240s overall.
Weather watch - some big clouds are appearing on the horizon. However, the sun is still shining at the start of the lap.
The Mercedes twitched on the exit of the final chicane, but unlike Ricciardo he kept it under control.
Alonso is sixth after trying mediums, 0.108s behind Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen.
Stopwatch
Hamilton has a tidier second lap and improves the benchmark time by four tenths to a 1m35.078s.
Vettel goes into fourth place, 0.027s behind Button in third.
Hamilton asks how his first sector was, and he's told: "Unfortunately can't say, Lewis". F1's new radio rules in action, there.
Bottas now puts his Williams second, 0.8s off Hamilton's pace on the other tyre.
Hamilton gets well out of shape on the exit of Degner 2. The car snaps to the right as he boots the throttle on the exit kerb, and it then tries to fire him in the other direction. The world championship leader gathers up what was a very dramatic moment.
Maldonado's medium-tyre run brings him up to 11th, two tenths and three places behind Lotus team-mate Grosjean.
Button uses the softer tyres to leap from 11th to second, albeit a second off pacesetter Hamilton.
Hamilton starts his medium-tyre run with a new best in sector one.
Kvyat is the next driver to have a moment at Turn 1. He suffers a twitch at the rear as he turns in, and then runs wide over the kerb and into the run-off. He didn't go as wide as Grosjean, who simply suffered high-speed understeer.
Grosjean brings his Lotus up to eighth on the softer tyre.
Grosjean has run wide on the way into Turn 1. For all the talk of Suzuka being a place that punishes mistakes - the asphalt run off enabled him to simply run wide at high speed and then rejoin the track.
A few years ago that would have been a big one.
A few years ago that would have been a big one.
Current top six: 1 Hamilton; 2 Raikkonen; 3 Rosberg; 4 Ricciardo; 5 Magnussen; 6 Bottas.
Replays of the Gutierrez crash aren't particularly clear. It looks like he lost the rear on the way into the corner, and then had a relatively low-speed impact with the tyre wall.
Just before that shunt, Raikkonen went second to split the Mercedes drivers at the top.
Yellow flag
The Sauber has gone off at Spoon Curve. Marshals and the customary tractor are on the scene already as the Mexican - who was on the softer tyres - climbs out.
Crash
Another crash. This time it's Gutierrez.
Stopwatch
Hamilton goes fastest, Rosberg second. The German ran wide at the final chicane, and finished his lap around four tenths down on his team-mate.
Both Hamilton and Rosberg are on course to set their first representative laps of the session.
Ferrari mechanics usher a TV cameraman out of the front of the garage as they prepare to send Raikkonen out.
Green flag
We're back underway here. Both Mercedes and Vettel are first to head out.
Drivers who have only done very slow laps: Vettel, Rosberg, Hamiton.
No times yet: Vergne, Hulkenberg, Perez.
No times yet: Vergne, Hulkenberg, Perez.
The midfield pack: 11 Maldonado; 12 Bianchi; 13 Ericsson; 14 Chilton; 15 Kobayashi; 16 Raikkonen.
Daniel Ricciardo
Marshals and a tractor have made their way back to Ricciardo's car. With the track clear of cars now, the Red Bull can at least be returned to the pits safely.
Current order under the red: 1 Ricciardo; 2 Magnussen; 3 Bottas; 4 Kvyat; 5 Massa; 6 Button; 7 Alonso; 8 Grosjean; 9 Gutierrez; 10 Sutil.
Ricciardo's crashed car has been moved to a safer place, but it's obviously not been deemed safe enough. It's parked up by the wall, just along from the final chicane.
It's reasonably out of the way, but if someone has to go straight on at the chicane (or suffers a brake failure) that car could be in a risky position.
It's reasonably out of the way, but if someone has to go straight on at the chicane (or suffers a brake failure) that car could be in a risky position.
By: AUTOSPORT staff, Glenn Freeman, Matt Beer, Ben Anderson
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