Jenson Button led a McLaren one-two as he set the pace in the opening practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Under bright sunshine on a dry track, albeit one that was slow to grip up, the Woking team dominated proceedings in the first 90 minutes. Only Red Bull's Mark Webber looked anywhere near close to the two British drivers in terms of pace.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Jenson Button McLaren 1:34.507 20
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:34.740 + 0.233 26
3. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:34.856 + 0.349 24
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG 1:35.059 + 0.552 18
5. Michael Schumacher Mercedes AMG 1:35.112 + 0.615 20
6. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:35.199 + 0.692 27
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:35.283 + 0.776 24
8. Paul di Resta Force India 1:35.299 + 0.792 18
9. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:35.474 + 0.967 22
10. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:35.478 + 0.971 24
11. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:35.484 + 0.977 26
12. Sergio Perez Sauber 1:35.584 + 1.077 24
13. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:35.691 + 1.184 22
14. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:35.724 + 1.217 21
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:36.123 + 1.616 19
16. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:36.222 + 1.715 25
17. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:36.366 + 1.859 23
18. Valterri Bottas Williams 1:36.389 + 1.882 24
19. Timo Glock Marussia 1:37.716 + 3.209 17
20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham 1:38.295 + 3.788 23
21. Charles Pic Marussia 1:38.616 + 4.109 25
22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT 1:39.043 + 4.536 25
23. Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:39.374 + 4.867 22
24. Pedro de la Rosa HRT 1:39.688 + 5.181 19
SECOND FREE PRACTICE
The stage is set for another Red Bull/McLaren showdown in Japan, as Mark Webber beat Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time in the second free practice session at Suzuka on Friday. Webber's best time of 1m32.493s lap was 0.214s faster than Hamilton could manage, with the Mercedes-bound Briton sandwiched between the two Red Bulls. Sebastian Vettel was third, a further tenth back. Nico Hulkenberg impressed once again for Force India, going fourth fastest, ahead of world championship leader Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Mark Webber Red Bull 1:32.493 34
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:32.707 + 0.214 32
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:32.836 + 0.343 37
4. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:32.987 + 0.494 30
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:33.093 + 0.600 28
6. Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:33.107 + 0.614 35
7. Jenson Button McLaren 1:33.349 + 0.856 22
8. Bruno Senna Williams 1:33.499 + 1.006 35
9. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:33.614 + 1.121 32
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes AMG 1:33.750 + 1.257 13
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG 1:33.866 + 1.373 19
12. Sergio Perez Sauber 1:33.903 + 1.410 36
13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:33.983 + 1.490 33
14. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:34.291 + 1.798 12
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:34.300 + 1.807 33
16. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:34.863 + 2.370 32
17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:35.080 + 2.587 34
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham 1:35.711 + 3.218 41
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham 1:35.870 + 3.377 37
20. Timo Glock Marussia 1:36.194 + 3.701 32
21. Charles Pic Marussia 1:36.636 + 4.143 28
22. Pedro de la Rosa HRT 1:37.342 + 4.849 30
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT 1:37.701 + 5.208 35
24. Paul di Resta Force India No time 2
