Jenson Button led a McLaren 1-2 during first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, as team-mate Lewis Hamilton just two-tenths shy of the lead pace.
The McLaren duo dominated the first session, with only Red Bull’s Mark Webber coming close to their best times.
Whilst the top three were covered by just over three-tenths, fourth placed Nico Rosberg was half a second slower than Button.
A few drivers, including outgoing Michael Schumacher Romain Grosjean had some scary moments as they ran wide around the notoriously difficult Suzuka circuit.
| # | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | J. Button | McLaren | 1:34.507 | 20 | |
| 2 | 4 | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:34.740 | 0.233 | 26 |
| 3 | 2 | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:34.856 | 0.349 | 24 |
| 4 | 8 | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:35.059 | 0.552 | 18 |
| 5 | 7 | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:35.122 | 0.615 | 20 |
| 6 | 14 | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:35.199 | 0.692 | 27 |
| 7 | 6 | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:35.283 | 0.776 | 24 |
| 8 | 11 | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:35.299 | 0.792 | 18 |
| 9 | 12 | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:35.474 | 0.967 | 22 |
| 10 | 18 | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:35.478 | 0.971 | 24 |
| 11 | 5 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:35.484 | 0.977 | 26 |
| 12 | 15 | S. Perez | Sauber | 1:35.584 | 1.077 | 24 |
| 13 | 9 | K. Räikkönen | Lotus | 1:35.691 | 1.184 | 22 |
| 14 | 10 | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:35.724 | 1.217 | 21 |
| 15 | 16 | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 1:36.123 | 1.616 | 19 |
| 16 | 17 | J. Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:36.222 | 1.715 | 25 |
| 17 | 1 | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:36.366 | 1.859 | 23 |
| 18 | 19 | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:36.389 | 1.882 | 24 |
| 19 | 24 | T. Glock | Marussia | 1:37.716 | 3.209 | 17 |
| 20 | 21 | V. Petrov | Caterham | 1:38.295 | 3.788 | 23 |
| 21 | 25 | C. Pic | Marussia | 1:38.616 | 4.109 | 25 |
| 22 | 23 | N. Karthikeyan | HRT | 1:39.043 | 4.536 | 25 |
| 23 | 20 | G. van der Garde | Caterham | 1:39.374 | 4.867 | 22 |
| 24 | 22 | P. de la Rosa | HRT | 1:39.688 | 5.181 | 19 |
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