(Motorsport) Fernando Alonso was quickest across the Suzuka Circuit in Final Practice 1 ahead of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. Formula 1 will return to Japan for the first time since 2019 and two time World Champion Alonso posted a time of 1:42.240, three tenths faster than Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Haas’ Mick Schumacher crashed after the session was over when he was making his way into the pits, a telling indication of the conditions of the race and how they might influence Sunday’s outcome. The German driver had a 360 degree spin in the gravel, crashing his car into the barriers and causing significant damage. Meanwhile, the other Alpine of Esteban Ocon finished in fourth place.
Max Verstappen has a very realistic possibility of winning his second World Championship in Japan as the Dutchman needs to finish first and post the fastest lap time. The Dutchman managed to complete four laps and finished sixth in the grid behind Kevin Magnussen while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell also had a quiet session, finishing 13th and 18th respectively. Sebastian Vettel, who will be competing in his final Japanese GP of his career, was the slowest on the grid for Aston Martin and will look to improve.
Following the events in Singapore, Verstappen leads the Drivers Standings with 341 points, 104 points ahead of second place Leclerc and 106 ahead of third-placed Perez. In order to clinch the title, the Dutchman will need to be 112 points ahead of his nearest rivals, thereby becoming only the third driver since Michael Schumacher (2001 and 2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2011) to win the World Championship with four races to go. With 138 points up for grabs, Verstappen can win the World Championship if he finishes first as well as gets the fastest lap. He will also win the title if he wins the race and Leclerc finishes lower than second. If Leclerc or Perez finish ahead of Verstappen, the Dutchman won’t win the title this weekend.
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