Nico Rosberg set the pace during the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, leading Lewis Hamilton by 0.215s.
The two Mercedes drivers used the soft tyre for the majority of the session, with Rosberg’s time of 1:32.431 leaving him over a second clear of third-placed Sebastian Vettel as Ferrari also used the softs. Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen were separated by 0.3s, with the pair enjoying a similar advantage over Red Bull.
- AS IT HAPPENED: Japanese Grand Prix – FP1
Daniel Ricciardo was fifth ahead of Max Verstappen, but both drivers only used the hard and medium compound tyres during FP1 and will close the gap on the soft tyre. It was a case of two-by-two for the complete top eight, with the two Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez seventh and eighth respectively.
Fernando Alonso was ninth quickest but had an eventful session which saw his running limited. The McLaren driver had a spin at Spoon – Turn 14 – and clouted the tyre barrier with the rear of his car, which was later found to have a damaged exhaust which ended his running after only ten laps.
Alonso wasn’t the only driver to have an off-track excursion, with Romain Grosjean running wide at Degner and just touching the barrier with his front wing. The Frenchman was able to reverse his Haas out of the gravel to rejoin the circuit, ensuring he could return to the garage for a new front wing.
Spoon proved tricky for a number of drivers as Perez and Verstappen followed Alonso in going off, but both were able to control their respective cars in the run-off area and rejoin. Raikkonen also ran wide at the hairpin after a lock-up, with a brief trip across the grass before continuing without damage.
Jolyon Palmer ended the session bottom of the times after Renault discovered an electrical fault which limited him to just 13 laps during the opening 90 minutes.
Chris Medland’s 2016 Japanese Grand Prix preview
Technical snapshot – Malaysia
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Scene at the Malaysian Grand Prix
2016 Malaysian Grand Prix – Quotes of the week
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01
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes
1:32.431
24
02
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:32.646
21
03
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:33.525
19
04
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:33.817
17
05
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:34.112
23
06
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:34.379
26
07
Nico Hulkenberg
Force India
1:34.530
28
08
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:34.767
30
09
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:35.003
10
10
Valtteri Bottas
Williams
1:35.381
31
11
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:35.446
23
12
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:35.672
27
13
Jenson Button
McLaren
1:35.677
24
14
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:35.688
17
15
Felipe Nasr
Sauber
1:35.967
15
16
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:36.169
23
17
Esteban Gutierrez
Haas
1:36.219
21
18
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:36.294
19
19
Kevin Magnussen
Renault
1:36.822
30
20
Esteban Ocon
Manor
1:37.797
29
21
Pascal Wehrlein
Manor
1:37.966
24
22
Jolyon Palmer
Renault
1:37.992
13
