During the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, set the fastest lap time, showcasing strong performance. His teammate Sergio Perez followed closely behind, demonstrating the team's competitiveness. However, the session was marred by an incident involving Logan Sargeant from the Williams team, leading to the suspension of the session due to safety concerns. This interruption highlighted the risks and challenges faced by drivers on the Suzuka circuit.

In the first hour of practice, the track remained mostly dry with cool temperatures, prompting drivers to take to the circuit on medium and hard compound tires. Reigning world champion Verstappen led the way on the C1 compound, closely followed by McLaren's Lando Norris and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, both on C2 tires.

As the session progressed and drivers began to transition to soft tires, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes made the switch, expecting others to do the same. However, the situation took a turn when Logan Sargeant, driving for Williams, veered off the track and onto the grass at Dunlop Curve. This led to a loss of control, causing Sargeant to collide with the barriers positioned on the outer edge of the track.

Following the substantial impact both at the front and rear, Williams is now confronted with another tense interval between FP1 and FP2. Their priority lies in evaluating the extent of the damage and strategizing to prevent a recurrence of the challenges faced in Australia, particularly considering their lack of a spare chassis.

As the practice session resumed after the interruption, drivers opted for the softer C3 compound tires to focus on improving their performance. Verstappen steadily increased his pace during these runs, eventually clocking the fastest time of 1m 30.056s. This put him ahead of Perez by a margin of just under two-tenths of a second, securing the top spot in the session.

Carlos Sainz, fresh off his victory at the Australian Grand Prix, continued his impressive form by securing third place at the start of the weekend. Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton followed closely behind, with teammate Charles Leclerc not far behind, showcasing a mere three-tenths gap between the two Ferrari drivers.

Alonso showcased Aston Martin's potential by clinching seventh place, demonstrating the team's competitiveness. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, a crowd favorite, aimed to capitalize on his impressive season so far, positioning his RB car between the McLarens driven by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, securing a spot within the top 10 positions of the grid.

Esteban Ocon secured the 11th position for Alpine, showcasing his skill on the track. Following closely was Alex Albon of Williams, utilizing Sargeant's former chassis after his own was damaged in Albert Park. Nico Hulkenberg of Haas faced a warning flag for crossing the pit exit's white line, adding a touch of drama to the session.

The middle pack saw Pierre Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, and Kevin Magnussen claiming positions 17 to 19, representing Alpine, Kick Sauber, and Haas respectively. Meanwhile, Sargeant, sidelined after his crash, observed from the rear, rounding off the lineup.

As the session drew to a close, drivers contended with sporadic rain showers, prompting teams to analyze both their long and short-run data in preparation for the upcoming second practice session, slated to commence at 15:00 local time.

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