Sebastian Vettel set the benchmark in the opening practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, going two tenths faster than championship rival Lewis Hamilton only moments after the session resumed following a red flag for a Carlos Sainz Jr accident. Sainz crashed his Toro Rosso exiting the Turn 11 hairpin, running slightly wide onto the astro-turf behind the kerb and spinning into the tyre barriers on the inside of the circuit. His car bounced into the air on impact, smashing the front nose and breaking his front-left wheel, stopping the session for a quarter of an hour as marshals recovered his car and the scattered debris left behind. The rest of the session was much calmer, with sixth...
Full Story »