2017 Japanese GP, Practice 1: live results. Seb and Kimi begin preparations ahead of the race on Sunday.

The storyline is pretty simple, really. Scuderia Ferrari needs to bounce back from a pair of difficult Grand Prix weekends with a strong performance in Japan — or the Formula 1 title race could well be over.

To say that the Singapore and Malaysian Grand Prix weekends had been difficult for Ferrari is nowhere near strong enough. Sebastian Vettel has fallen 34 points back in the drivers’ championship, and Ferrari is left needing a miracle to take the constructors’ crown from Mercedes.

Follow us for the latest updates and results from the Suzuka Circuit as the first practice session ahead of the 2017 Japanese Grand Prix is about to get underway, with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel of the SF70H.