Japanese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen tops first practice as Logan Sargeant crashes

They, along with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, were the only drivers to set a flying lap on slick tyres as the track dried slightly at the end of the session.

It was another difficult day for Williams in a tricky start to the 2024 season as Logan Sargeant crashed heavily in the first session.

The American missed the last race in Australia when team-mate Alex Albon was given his car after a major accident in Friday practice because Williams had no spare chassis.

Sargeant, driving the repaired chassis this weekend at Suzuka, lost control at the high-speed Dunlop corner and did extensive damage to the front suspension, gearbox and nose, although the chassis was not damaged, much to the team’s relief.

Sargeant went a little wide on his first lap through the long left-hander that ends Suzuka’s famous Esses section when trying for his first time on the soft tyres midway through the session.

But he ran on to the kerb and then got sucked into the gravel, spinning and hitting the barriers with a sizeable impact.

Team principal James Vowles described the crash as “frustrating”, saying that it had happened because Sargeant had lost sense of his positioning and got too close to the edge of the circuit. “He didn’t know where he was on track,” Vowles said.

Williams did not repair the car in time for Sargeant to run in second practice – no great loss in the circumstances – but he will be able to take part in the rest of the weekend.

In the first session, Verstappen led Perez by 0.181 seconds, with Sainz, winner in Australia, 0.213secs off the pace.

Mercedes’ George Russell and Hamilton were fourth and fifth, ahead of the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

McLaren’s Piastri and Lando Norris were eighth and 10th, separated by RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Formula 2 driver Ayumu Iwasa was 16th fastest in the first session, just under a second slower than Tsunoda, on a run-out in Daniel Ricciardo’s RB at his home event as part of his driver development programme for Red Bull.

A number of teams have significant upgrades, among them Red Bull and Aston Martin, both of whom have revised aerodynamics, particularly around the floor.