Lewis Hamilton remained the fastest driver around Suzuka for the third time this weekend, the Mercedes laying down a lap in 1m29.599s in a tricky final practice session marked by a spell of rain, gusty winds and a heavy crash for Renault's Nico Hulkenberg that brought out the red flag.
Hamilton edged Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen by just 0.116s and 0.455s respectively, with team mate Valtteri Bottas placing himself fourth in front of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:29.599s | 13 | |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:29.715s | + 0.116s | 14 |
| 3 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:30.054s | + 0.455s | 13 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:30.304s | + 0.705s | 13 |
| 5 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:30.422s | + 0.823s | 13 |
| 6 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:30.474s | + 0.875s | 10 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1:31.088s | + 1.489s | 12 |
| 8 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:31.483s | + 1.884s | 12 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Renault | 1:31.513s | + 1.914s | 14 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:31.521s | + 1.922s | 13 |
| 11 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:31.636s | + 2.037s | 14 |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber | 1:31.760s | + 2.161s | 14 |
| 13 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | 1:32.030s | + 2.431s | 13 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1:32.201s | + 2.602s | 14 |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:32.224s | + 2.625s | 12 |
| 16 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:32.442s | + 2.843s | 10 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:32.608s | + 3.009s | 14 |
| 18 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams | 1:32.631s | + 3.032s | 14 |
| 19 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1:33.034s | + 3.435s | 13 |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 1:33.105s | + 3.506s | 10 |
Reports called for some light rain around Suzuka at the start of the third free practice session, but everyone took to a dry track while the clouds moved in.
Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were among the first to get down to business, running unsurprisingly on supersoft tyres. The Finn's early effort yielded a 1m30.054s, with his team mate about a tenth slower.
Ten minutes into the running, the wind picked up the rain did appear, enticing drivers to dodge the water and pull into the pits.
After about 15 minutes of zero activity, Valtteri Bottas ventured out, reporting back to the Mercedes pitwall that "the track feels okay".
Caution was exerted however, with everyone avoiding the kerbs and the astroturf. Raikkonen ran wide however at the final part of the Esses, enjoying a bit of rallycross before rejoining the track.
The wind, which in the interim had blown away the clouds and revealed a blue sky over Suzuka once again, was definitely challenging drivers in several areas, but a great first sector by Hamilton still put the Brit at the top of the timesheet with a 1m29.599.
With just over two minutes to go in the session, Nico Hulkenberg picked up a gust at the Essess, put a wheel on the kerb and went off before clouting the barriers.
The Renault sustained some heavy damage that will leave the French team's mechanics scrambling to repair the German's car in time for qualifying.
The session was red-flagged and eventually terminated, but the incident was definitely a warning that a delicate qualifying lay ahead.
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