F1 Japanese Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and times at Suzuka

An early benchmark on the soft tyres set by the flying Dutchman, with Max Verstappen fastest with a 1:31:377!

Charles Leclerc is in second, three-tenths back, with George Russell third – six-tenths back.

4-10: Sainz, Norris, Sargeant, Perez, Albon, Alonso, Piastri

Twenty minutes gone in FP2…

Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to a shuddering halt last weekend in Singapore, where the team admitted they did not understand their struggles with the car’s set-up around the street circuit.

Lewis Hamilton warned on Thursday the Red Bull car would be “phenomenal” around the high-speed corner circuit at Suzuka and, while practice times must always be treated with caution, it appears the runaway championship leader could dominate again this weekend.

We’re underway with second practice on a clear afternoon at Suzuka!

Most drivers wasting no time at all in getting straight out on track for this second hour of free practice, where we’ll likely see the main qualifying simulation laps as well as race sim right at the end of the session.

Can anyone get close to Max Verstappen this time?!

George Russell believes this season has been his best ever in terms of performance as he refused to dwell on his last-lap crash in Singapore.

Russell put his Mercedes into the barriers as he chased down Lando Norris and race winner Carlos Sainz on the draining street circuit.

The 25-year-old was visibly emotional afterwards following a strong weekend where he qualified second and held the edge over his team-mate Lewis Hamilton but is keen to move on quickly.

“In terms of pure performance I feel that this has been my best season ever,” Russell said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

4) Aston Martin – 217 points

9) Alfa Romeo – 10 points

10) AlphaTauri – 5 points

Sebastian Vettel was back in the Formula 1 paddock on Thursday as he unveiled a number of “bee hotels” at the Suzuka circuit.

The four-time F1 world champion, who retired last year, is the leading voice in the sport on the environment and climate change – and continues to use his platform within the sport even after leaving the grid.

Present at his favourite track in Japan, Vettel invited all the drivers and teams to turn two of the track on Thursday, where he has formed a set of specially-created insect hotels.

The message behind the project is to spread the word of the importance of biodiversity in our ecosystems. Each team was able to customise and paint their hotel, while the kerb at turn 2 was painted yellow and black.

1) Max Verstappen – 374 points

2) Sergio Perez – 223 points

3) Lewis Hamilton – 180 points

4) Fernando Alonso – 170 points

5) Carlos Sainz – 142 points

6) Charles Leclerc – 123 points

7) George Russell – 109 points

8) Lando Norris – 97 points

9) Lance Stroll – 47 points

10) Pierre Gasly – 45 points

11) Oscar Piastri – 42 points

12) Esteban Ocon – 36 points

13) Alex Albon – 21 points

14) Nico Hulkenberg – 9 points

15) Valtteri Bottas – 6 points

16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points

17) Yuki Tsunoda – 3 points

18) Kevin Magnussen – 3 points

19) Liam Lawson – 2 points

20) Logan Sargeant – 0 points

21) Nyck de Vries – 0 points

22) Daniel Ricciardo – 0 points

NOTE: Max Verstappen cannot win the world championship this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton expects Red Bull to return to their imperious form of 2023 this weekend in Japan, insisting “something’s up” if that doesn’t prove to be the case.

Red Bull had won 14 from 14 races prior to last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix but struggled in the twists and turns of the city-state, with both cars failing to qualify for Q3 and Max Verstappen finishing only fifth in Sunday’s race.

However, a return to a more traditional track at Suzuka this weekend is expected to coincide with business as usual for Christian Horner’s team.

Max Verstappen cannot secure his third-straight world title in Japan this weekend but is the favourite once again, with seven-time world champion Hamilton expecting Red Bull to be back on top by some margin.

Good morning – bright and early! – and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend!

We had a thriller in Singapore last week, with Carlos Sainz claiming his second win in Formula 1 ahead of Lando Norris in second and Lewis Hamilton in third, ending Max Verstappen’s win streak.

Could we see the drama continue this weekend at Suzuka?

Today is practice and free practice 2 is coming right up at 7am (BST)!