Nico Rosberg set the pace during the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, leading Lewis Hamilton by 0.215s.
The two Mercedes drivers used the soft tyre for the majority of the session, with Rosberg's time of 1:32.431 leaving him over a second clear of third-placed Sebastian Vettel as Ferrari also used the softs. Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen were separated by 0.3s, with the pair enjoying a similar advantage over Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo was fifth ahead of Max Verstappen, but both drivers only used the hard and medium compound tyres during FP1 and will close the gap on the soft tyre. It was a case of two-by-two for the complete top eight, with the two Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez seventh and eighth respectively.
Fernando Alonso was ninth quickest but had an eventful session which saw his running limited. The McLaren driver had a spin at Spoon - Turn 14 - and clouted the tyre barrier with the rear of his car, which was later found to have a damaged exhaust which ended his running after only ten laps.
Alonso wasn't the only driver to have an off-track excursion, with Romain Grosjean running wide at Degner and just touching the barrier with his front wing. The Frenchman was able to reverse his Haas out of the gravel to rejoin the circuit, ensuring he could return to the garage for a new front wing.
Spoon proved tricky for a number of drivers as Perez and Verstappen followed Alonso in going off, but both were able to control their respective cars in the run-off area and rejoin. Raikkonen also ran wide at the hairpin after a lock-up, with a brief trip across the grass before continuing without damage.
Jolyon Palmer ended the session bottom of the times after Renault discovered an electrical fault which limited him to just 13 laps during the opening 90 minutes.
Chris Medland's 2016 Japanese Grand Prix preview
Scene at the Malaysian Grand Prix
2016 Malaysian Grand Prix - Quotes of the week
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| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:32.431 | 24 |
| 02 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:32.646 | 21 |
| 03 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:33.525 | 19 |
| 04 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:33.817 | 17 |
| 05 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:34.112 | 23 |
| 06 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34.379 | 26 |
| 07 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:34.530 | 28 |
| 08 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 1:34.767 | 30 |
| 09 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:35.003 | 10 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:35.381 | 31 |
| 11 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:35.446 | 23 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:35.672 | 27 |
| 13 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:35.677 | 24 |
| 14 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:35.688 | 17 |
| 15 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:35.967 | 15 |
| 16 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:36.169 | 23 |
| 17 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas | 1:36.219 | 21 |
| 18 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:36.294 | 19 |
| 19 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:36.822 | 30 |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | Manor | 1:37.797 | 29 |
| 21 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 1:37.966 | 24 |
| 22 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:37.992 | 13 |
