The two free practice sessions ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix were accompanied by rain. Due to the wet conditions, the Sauber F1 Team was not able to go through the planned aero tests or focus on race preparation, as, so far, the conditions forecast for qualifying and the race seem to be dry. However, it was important that Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson ran some laps on this technical track – on wet and intermediate tyres.
Marcus Ericsson
"It was a difficult day because of the rainy weather conditions. We did some running on intermediate as well as wet tyres, from which we collected some useful information. For the rest of the weekend, according the weather forecast, the conditions seem to be dry."
Felipe Nasr
"Although we had wet conditions in both free practice sessions, I am still satisfied I was able to run a few laps. As it is a new circuit for me, it is important to learn it as quickly as possible. We were able to collect some data in the wet, which can be useful in the future for the next sessions. Tomorrow hopefully I will get a first taste of the track in dry conditions. This will be a different experience which I am looking forward to."