Suzuka (Reuters)
Once again, the Red Bull team outperformed everyone in the Japanese Grand Prix, within the Formula 1 World Championship, when its Dutch driver, world champion Max Verstappen, recorded the fastest time in the third and final free practice round at the Suzuka Circuit, directly ahead of his Mexican colleague. Sergio Perez, and British Mercedes driver George Russell.
Verstappen also outperformed everyone in the first free practice round, but decided not to compete in the second round due to rain.
Verstappen, who is seeking to win the Japanese race for the third time in a row, scored 1 minute and 29.563 seconds, using soft tires in cloudy but dry conditions.
Perez was 0.269 seconds behind his leading teammate, while Russell ranked third, 0.355 behind the leader.
British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, former seven-time world champion, recorded the fourth-fastest time in the round, while Spanish Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, coming from Monaco, took seventh and tenth places, respectively.
Through his team’s communications circle, Leclerc expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, “What are we doing, let’s go.”
The RB team car, driven by veteran Australian Daniel Ricciardo, left the track in the final round, leaving him in 13th place, while his less experienced colleague Yuki Tsunoda, who is Japanese, finished in ninth place.
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