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LIVE: FP1 in Japan: Who will be the team to beat at Suzuka? *CLOSED*
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Follow along as the action at Suzuka gets underway ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix in Free Practice 1! Who will be the team to lay down the marker for the rest of the weekend?
Hagibis
The current weather forecast tells us that Typhoon Hagibis, which is currently raging in Asia, will hit Suzuka on Saturday, which will most likely mean qualifying will move to Sunday.
This would mean qualifying and the race would be on the same day, something which has happened at Suzuka before due to hurricanes. Most recently, it happened at the United States Grand Prix in 2015 where qualifying was on Sunday morning and the race later on in the day.
Honda's home turf
Last season, Honda just powered Toro Rosso, and they looked very competitive throughout Honda's home race weekend. Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly qualified in P6 and P7 respectively, and now that the Japanese carmaker also powers Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, we are expecting big things from them as well.
The Bulls took a grid penalty in Russia on purpose in order to introduce their new, Spec 4 engine in Japan, with the objective being to win or at least put on a show in front of those incredibly passionate Japanese fans. After all, Suzuka was originally built by Honda, and their base is next to the track.
Max Verstappen stood on the podium and has finished in second place as well in Japan but has never actually won the race. Can he start his winning streak this weekend?