Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix 2015: Results, Times for Practice and Qualifying

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel comes into this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix on a high after taking an excellent win last time out in Singapore.

The German remains 49 points back from championship leader Lewis Hamilton, but he is very much within sight of second-placed Nico Rosberg, who is only eight points clear of the four-time world champion.

Vettel can be confident of performing again at the Suzuka circuit as he has triumphed four times at the Japanese Grand Prix in the past.

However, Briton Hamilton will be looking to reassert his dominance this weekend having been forced to retire for the first time this season in Singapore.

As ever, grid placings will be essential ahead of Sunday's race and preparation time in practice will be vital.

Read on for all of the latest updates from Japan as the drivers battle it out for the best possible starting position.

Qualifying: Nico Rosberg Takes First Pole Position Since May Ahead of Hamilton

Shizuo Kambayashi/Associated Press

Mercedes star Nico Rosberg continued his sublime Suzuka form in qualifying on Saturday as he took his first pole position since the Spanish Grand Prix back in May thanks to a stunning performance.

The German chalked up a time a one minute, 32.584 seconds to lead the pack as the chequered flag came down, with Hamilton 0.076 seconds back ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa in third.

Mercedes haven’t enjoyed the Suzuka track too much over the week, but everything just seemed to click on Saturday, and they got their just rewards with an excellent display.

Here’s a look the full qualifying leaderboard:

POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	Q1	Q2	Q3
1	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:33.015	1:32.632	1:32.584
2	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:32.844	1:32.789	1:32.660
3	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:34.326	1:33.416	1:33.024
4	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:34.431	1:33.844	1:33.245
5	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:34.744	1:33.377	1:33.337
6	KIMI RAIKKONEN	FERRARI	1:34.171	1:33.361	1:33.347
7	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:34.399	1:34.153	1:33.497
8	ROMAIN GROSJEAN	LOTUS	1:34.398	1:34.278	1:33.967
9	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:35.001	1:34.174
10	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:34.646	1:34.201
11	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:35.328	1:34.390
12	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:34.873	1:34.453
13	PASTOR MALDONADO	LOTUS	1:34.796	1:34.497
14	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN	1:35.467	1:34.785
15	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:34.522
16	JENSON BUTTON	MCLAREN	1:35.664
17	MARCUS ERICSSON	SAUBER	1:35.673
18	FELIPE NASR	SAUBER	1:35.760
19	WILL STEVENS	MARUSSIA	1:38.783
20	ALEXANDER ROSSI	MARUSSIA	1:47.114

Rosberg and Hamilton quite simply flew out of the traps in qualifying, with the latter putting down a remarkable 1:32:844 in Q1 to lead his team-mate by a tenth of a second.

The World Champion held on to top spot through the first session, but it was clear that he had a lot more in the tank.

Understeer and tyre lock-ups plagued Hamilton’s laps despite his excellent times; while Rosberg was looking solid in every sector.

Either way, it was clear that Mercedes had returned to form.

A 1:32.632 in Q2 for Rosberg was enough to send him into the final session on top, and it was a position he never surrendered.

He was flying once again in Q3 with a 1:32.584, which was enough to beat Hamilton by 0.076 seconds with one final lap to go.

The Englishman once again had a few steering problems during his original time, and that suggested that he could well pip his team-mate second time around.

However, Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat’s horrible crash brought out the red flag with 30 seconds left on the clock—forcing Hamilton to accept second place.

Kvyat, luckily, was OK, yet it’s likely he’ll be starting from the pit lane in tomorrow’s race.

Elsewhere, Ferrari’s woes continued at Suzuka, as Sebastian Vettel could only land fourth, while Kimi Raikkonen was two places back in sixth. But the day belonged to Rosberg.

The German cemented his dominance early on, and although Hamilton threatened to steal pole ahead of the final lap, he deserves his place at the front.

BBC Sport’s David Coulthard agreed, as he was one of many praising Rosberg’s performance: “All credit to Rosberg, he went out there and put that lap in nice and early. He has delivered.”

Hamilton, meanwhile, will be hoping for a case of deja vu on Sunday. Rosberg took pole position in the Japanese Grand Prix last season, only for the Englishman to dominate the race in treacherous conditions.

And with rain expected for the race, Suzuka could well serve up yet more surprises.

One thing that’s for sure, though, is that Mercedes have found their winning formula again. Can Rosberg do the same?

FP3: Mercedes Back on Top as Nico Rosberg Goes Fastest in Final Practice Session

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Nico Rosberg returned to the top of the practice leaderboards in the final session of the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, as his time of 1:33.995 was enough to pip Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.297 seconds.

The dry conditions favoured the Constructors' Championship front-runners, with a switch from hard to medium tyres enough to set the fastest times.

Elsewhere, last week’s Singapore Grand Prix champion Sebastian Vettel failed to make a big impact once again in Japan, as he came home eighth fastest.

Fellow Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen fared two places better, yet the team’s aero track struggles were clear to see.

Meanwhile, Williams duo Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa put in a good performance, coming fourth and fifth respectively, while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo landed third spot.

Here’s a look at the final practice standings ahead of what promises to be an enthralling qualifying session: 

POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
1	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:33.995		19
2	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:34.292	+0.297s	20
3	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:34.497	+0.502s	22
4	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:34.797	+0.802s	27
5	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:34.934	+0.939s	25
6	KIMI RAIKKONEN	FERRARI	1:35.082	+1.087s	16
7	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:35.160	+1.165s	26
8	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:35.222	+1.227s	16
9	ROMAIN GROSJEAN	LOTUS	1:35.602	+1.607s	20
10	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:35.963	+1.968s	29
11	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:36.110	+2.115s	19
12	JENSON BUTTON	MCLAREN	1:36.174	+2.179s	15
13	MARCUS ERICSSON	SAUBER	1:36.199	+2.204s	19
14	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:36.294	+2.299s	23
15	PASTOR MALDONADO	LOTUS	1:36.307	+2.312s	21
16	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN	1:36.360	+2.365s	18
17	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:36.430	+2.435s	21
18	FELIPE NASR	SAUBER	1:36.919	+2.924s	24
19	WILL STEVENS	MARUSSIA	1:39.653	+5.658s	24
20	ALEXANDER ROSSI	MARUSSIA	1:39.819	+5.824s	22

While Rosberg will take the plaudits after an excellent display, it was Ricciardo who set the early pace at Suzuka.

The Australian got the ball rolling with a 1:36.010 on hard tyres, before his switch to faster medium rubber saw him chalk up a 1:34.755.

The Mercedes racers seemed a little subdued while Ricciardo was enjoying life at the top of the tree, but a similar switch to medium tyres saw them quickly leapfrog the Red Bull star.

Rosberg immediately posted his winning 1:33.995, while Hamilton crossed in 1:34.292 to leave Ricciardo in third place.

And that’s how it stayed until the chequered flag came down, with the early indications showing that Ferrari may not be putting up as spirited a fight to Mercedes this week.

BBC Sport’s Allan McNish reflected on as much, as he said that Hamilton was looking the man to beat in Japan: “Lewis Hamilton is the one who has stood out on the medium tyre. He has done some solid lap times. Sebastian Vettel does not appear to have the same medium-tyre pace.”

One team that could well give Mercedes a run for their money, though, is Red Bull.

Daniil Kvyat was fastest in FP2 despite ending up in the gravel on Saturday, while Ricciardo looked as sharp as ever around the treacherous track.

It all sets up a mouth-watering qualifying session, where Mercedes will be looking to re-establish their season dominance.

New suspension and new tyres have given Rosberg and Hamilton the perfect platform from which to build, and you’d be brave to bet against either one taking pole at Suzuka.

FP2: Daniil Kvyat Heads Both Mercedes in Wet Conditions

Shizuo Kambayashi/Associated Press

Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat headed the time sheets in second practice at the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday, two hundredths of a second ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes.

Rosberg's team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, was over half a second down on the Russian in third as the rain continued at Suzuka.

Daniel Ricciardo was fourth fastest in the other Red Bull, while Singapore winner Sebastian Vettel went fifth, closely followed by team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

As far as championship leader Hamilton was concerned, Friday's practice action was little help in gauging the situation ahead of Sunday's race, per BBC Sport's Andrew Benson:

"

"Have you heard of the term diddly squat? That's what it is today. It has not been particularly fun. There has not been a lot to learn. 

[...]

The balance will be so much different tomorrow so it is irrelevant what we did today. You don't want to risk the car. It's a shame for the fans because a lot of them have turned up today."

"

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas opted to not set a lap time at all as he stayed in the garage during the driving rain.

Here are the full results from the second practice session, courtesy of Formula1.com:

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
1	26	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:48.277		6
2	6	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:48.300	+0.023s	8
3	44	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:48.853	+0.576s	8
4	3	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:49.097	+0.820s	10
5	5	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:50.268	+1.991s	19
6	7	KIMI RAIKKONEN	FERRARI	1:50.319	+2.042s	16
7	55	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:50.418	+2.141s	6
8	33	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:50.542	+2.265s	5
9	12	FELIPE NASR	SAUBER	1:50.968	+2.691s	10
10	13	PASTOR MALDONADO	LOTUS	1:51.557	+3.280s	7
11	27	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:51.674	+3.397s	11
12	22	JENSON BUTTON	MCLAREN	1:51.861	+3.584s	9
13	9	MARCUS ERICSSON	SAUBER	1:51.934	+3.657s	12
14	11	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:52.070	+3.793s	8
15	8	ROMAIN GROSJEAN	LOTUS	1:52.534	+4.257s	6
16	19	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:52.765	+4.488s	6
17	14	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN	1:55.239	+6.962s	10
18	28	WILL STEVENS	MARUSSIA	1:58.059	+9.782s	6
19	53	ALEXANDER ROSSI	MARUSSIA	1:59.419	+11.142s	7

FP1: Carlos Sainz Takes Surprise Top Spot

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Torro Rosso's Carlos Sainz was the surprise pace-setter in first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix as he went fastest in soaking conditions at Suzuka on Friday.

The young Spaniard, 21, went over half a second quicker than second-placed Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat as the rain came down throughout the session.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg placed in third, while Sebastian Vettel finished fourth running the same intermediate tyres as his compatriot.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was fifth fastest.

Only 12 drivers posted lap times on Friday morning as there were numerous concerns because of the weather.

Here are the session results, courtesy of Formula1.com:

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
1	55	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:49.434		10
2	26	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:49.938	+0.504s	7
3	6	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:50.077	+0.643s	14
4	5	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:50.519	+1.085s	12
5	44	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:50.722	+1.288s	6
6	33	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:50.940	+1.506s	10
7	7	KIMI RAIKKONEN	FERRARI	1:51.212	+1.778s	15
8	19	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:52.288	+2.854s	12
9	9	MARCUS ERICSSON	SAUBER	1:53.820	+4.386s	12
10	77	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:53.964	+4.530s	14
11	12	FELIPE NASR	SAUBER	1:54.013	+4.579s	9
12	22	JENSON BUTTON	MCLAREN	1:55.678	+6.244s	6
13	3	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING			1
14	27	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA			4
15	11	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA			3
16	14	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN			5
17	13	PASTOR MALDONADO	LOTUS			1
18	30	JOLYON PALMER	LOTUS			1
19	28	WILL STEVENS	MARUSSIA			3
20	53	ALEXANDER ROSSI	MARUSSIA			4