Rosberg returns Mercedes to P1 in final Suzuka practice - MotorSportsTalk

Nico Rosberg closed out practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets as teams scrambled to make up for Friday’s washout at Suzuka.

Rain in FP1 and FP2 meant placed extra importance on the final practice session on Saturday morning, forcing the teams to try and condense their regular dry running programme into just 60 minutes.

Most of the teams headed out early in a bid to get the jump on the field, with the early pace being set by the Red Bull duo of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat.

However, as the session wore on, Mercedes found its feet and managed to return to the top of the timesheets for the first time since FP1 in Singapore with Rosberg leading the way.

A fastest lap of 1:33.995 was enough to give Rosberg P1 by almost three-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, who struggled to match the pace of his German counterpart as Mercedes was forced to make changes to his car throughout FP3.

Ricciardo underlined Red Bull’s strong early pace by finishing third-fastest at the end of practice, half a second down on Hamilton at the head of the field. Kvyat did not get a chance to Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa hinted that Williams could be in for a more fruitful weekend at Suzuka by finishing fourth and fifth.

Ferrari’s hopes of a second straight win appeared to take a hit as Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel could only finish sixth and eighth respectively, finishing over one second behind Rosberg’s fastest time. However, the Italian team did run an alternative programme to most of the field, and Vettel had his best lap ruined by Kvyat, suggesting that there was more pace in the tank.

Max Verstappen split the Ferraris in seventh, whilst Romain Grosjean put Lotus’ recent troubles behind him to finish ninth ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr., who rounded out the top ten.

Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix is live on NBCSN and Live Extra from 2am ET on Saturday.

Follow @LukeSmithF1

The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.7-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.7-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit