Free Practice 2: Sutil Outsmarts Vettel in Torrential Japanese Rain!

Adrian Sutil was the fastest in the second practice session of the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix. The Force India driver drove in the rain and demonstrated his talent. He was ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull, while the second Force India of Vitantonio Liuzzi placed third. Under a sun once again soaked by rain, laps were scarce. Only Heidfeld and Alguersuari completed more than 10 laps at Suzuka.

On this paradoxical Friday afternoon in the land of the rising sun, where the sun hasn’t shown itself, there is an air of change. No Brawn GP title contender is at the top of the leaderboard; they’ve opted to save their engines for the race weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. Especially since conditions are not ideal today. The circuit isn’t particularly elevated, unlike its competitor Fuji, yet it’s raining, and forecasts don’t predict improvements for the next few hours. However, the chances of rain for the qualifiers and the race are lower. For now, one must deal with 97% humidity and temperatures of 22°C in the air and 23°C on the track. It’s not enough to find the right settings, especially if conditions change for the following days.

The drivers had to be motivated. After the initial wheel turns by the Toro Rosso and Toyota drivers, who eventually returned to the pits due to an unmanageable track in F1, it took more than 50 minutes to see the first driver set a time. It was Jaime Alguersuari. The Toro Rosso driver leads the way. He is followed by Alonso who sets a benchmark lap in 1:48. His teammate Romain Grosjean follows suit.

It was only in the last thirty minutes of the session, when the rain calmed down, that the drivers finally decided to complete some laps and find a few settings in case the rain is present tomorrow during qualifying. The Force India drivers are almost the last to go out and are the ones who set the best times. Only Vettel can compete with Sutil at the end of the session. The Toro Rosso driver has reached his quota of 8 engines for the year. He was running today with a very old engine that had already covered two Grand Prix weekends.

The intensity of the rain has created small rivers around the track, draining all the water onto the asphalt. The gardeners will have to get to work before Free Practice 3 to improve racing conditions – at the request of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile).

Results of Free Practice 2 – Japanese GP – Friday, October 2, 2009: