Jenson Button, 11/2 with bookmaker to win the race, was quickest in practice for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, while runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel suffered a crash.
Vettel, who is 4/11 to be at the front of the grid at Suzuka, crashed at the second Degner corner but lost only eight minutes in second practice as his team worked through the lunch-break to mend his damaged Red Bull.
Button is the only driver who has a mathematical chance of stopping Vettel from successfully defending his crown, but it seems a forlorn hope.
The Englishman must win each of the remaining five races and hope Vettel does not secure a point if he is to win his second title in three years.