If the rescheduled qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix still gets canceled, the results of the second free practice session will set the starting grid for this Formula 1 race at Suzuka Circuit.
As speculated, the decision was made to move the qualifying session for the Formula 1 race at Suzuka Circuit from its regularly scheduled time Saturday afternoon (local time) to Sunday morning before the Japanese Grand Prix itself.
This decision was made because Typhoon Hagibis is set to strike the 18-turn, 3.609-mile (5.808-kilometer) Suzuka Circuit road course in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan on Saturday, and the wind and rain that it is slated to bring are considered to be too extreme to have any on-track competition.
In fact, the track itself is slated to be closed on Saturday, and the third and final practice session for the 53-lap race, which was scheduled to take place ahead of qualifying, was also canceled.
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The three-round qualifying session for the 17th race on the 21-race 2019 schedule is now scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time Sunday morning (9:00 p.m. ET Saturday) ahead of the race, which is still scheduled to get underway at 2:10 p.m. ET local time Sunday afternoon (1:10 a.m. ET).
But if this rescheduled qualifying session still cannot be contested due to extreme weather conditions, the starting grid for this race will be set based on how drivers stacked up against one another in the race’s second practice session, which took place earlier today.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Valtteri Bottas led a 1-2 charge for the Silver Arrows over teammate Lewis Hamilton in second place, just as he did in the opening practice session. He recorded a top lap time of 87.785 seconds (148.003 miles per hour).
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen finished in third place ahead of Scuderia Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel In fourth and fifth, respectively, and rookie teammate Alexander Albon In sixth.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr., SportPesa Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly and McLaren rookie Lando Norris rounded out the top 10 by finishing in seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th place, respectively.
Here are the full results of the second practice session for the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit.
Practice Results
1st – Valtteri Bottas
2nd – Lewis Hamilton
3rd – Max Verstappen
4th – Charles Leclerc
5th – Sebastian Vettel
6th – Alexander Albon
7th – Carlos Sainz Jr.
8th – Sergio Perez
9th – Pierre Gasly
10th – Lando Norris
11th – Kimi Raikkonen
12th – Daniil Kvyat
13th – Romain Grosjean
14th – Lance Stroll
15th – Antonio Giovinazzi
16th – Kevin Magnussen
17th – Daniel Ricciardo
18th – Nico Hulkenberg
19th – Robert Kubica
20th – George Russell
The qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix is not set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 like it had been before it was rescheduled. However, the Formula 1 race itself is set to be broadcast live from Suzuka Circuit on ESPN beginning at 1:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 13.