Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton spearheaded a Mercedes 1-2 during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, while Sebastian Vettel was ninth after a sequence of team and driver errors.
Mercedes dominated the three-part qualifying session as Hamilton posted a time of 1:27.760 to beat Valtteri Bottas by 0.299s in Q3 for his 80th pole position in Formula 1, as title rival Vettel encountered a series of setbacks.
A late rain shower during Q2 prompted Ferrari to use Intermediates at the start of Q3 – but they were the only team to do so, and Vettel immediately realised it was an error.
While Mercedes posted the times that ultimately wound up quickest, Vettel ducked into the pits and took on Supersofts, only to run wide on his first attempt through Spoon.
It left Vettel ninth, and he was unable to improve as the rain returned in heavier fashion during the closing Q3 laps, effectively bringing the session to a conclusion.
Vettel, already going at slow speed, ran through the gravel exiting Degner 2, which marked his third error of the session, having spun at the hairpin Q1.
To compound matters for Ferrari both Hamilton and Bottas were not only able to run the Soft tyre during Q2 but were faster than Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, who used Supersofts.
Max Verstappen profited from Ferrari’s malaise to take third position, with Raikkonen fourth, though his Red Bull team-mate had a frustrating session.
Daniel Ricciardo was unable to participate in Q3 after a suspected power unit problem slowed his Red Bull RB14 as he prepared to begin his first Q2 push lap.
Red Bull tried to repair the problem but Ricciardo was unable to return to the track, and he was heard screaming an obscenity through his helmet as he trudged to parc ferme from the garage.
Ricciardo’s demise and Vettel’s woes opened up fifth for Romain Grosjean, while Toro Rosso starred on Honda’s home territory, as Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly took sixth and seventh.
Esteban Ocon had comfortably led the midfield group in practice but fell to eighth in Q3, and is under investigation for an alleged red flag infringement during FP3.
Sergio Perez finished at the foot of the top 10 for Force India.
The rain that fell towards the end of Q2 meant that the first push laps in that session proved critical.
Charles Leclerc missed out by just 0.016s and spun through Degner 1 as the rain fell but was able to complete a 360-spin to remain on track.
Kevin Magnussen was 12th, in front of Carlos Sainz Jr., as Lance Stroll put Williams into Q2, where he was slowest, albeit his timed lap putting him in front of the afflicted Ricciardo.
Renault repaired Nico Hulkenberg’s car in time for the start of Q1, replacing the rear wing, floor, crash structure and various suspension components, after his crash at the end of FP3.
But Hulkenberg was unable to escape the first knockout session and took only 16th, ahead of Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin.
McLaren was the slowest team during qualifying as Fernando Alonso wound up 18th, albeit at the foot of a tightly-contested Q1 group, with Stoffel Vandoorne half a second back in 19th.
It marked the tenth straight Grand Prix at which Vandoorne has been knocked out in Q1.
Marcus Ericsson caused a brief red-flag period during the session as he drifted wide through the uphill left-hander at Dunlop Curve and crashed out.
Ericsson had already set a timed effort but once rivals improved he slumped to the rear of the 20-car field.
Sunday’s 53-lap Grand Prix will start at 14:10 local time
