McLaren's Oscar Piastri was the fastest and Red Bull's debutant Yuki Tsunoda had the 18th fastest time. But it was the incidents that caused four red flags that dominated the practice session.
Alpine's Jack Doohan went off the track and crashed into the barrier at full speed.
The car was severely damaged and a wheel flew off. However, the Australian was able to climb out of the car unharmed.
Also, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso went off the track and the car was buried deep in the gravel, so it had to be lifted away.
The practice session was also stopped twice when sparks from the cars caused small grass fires.
On Sunday, the Japanese GP at the Suzuka circuit will be decided, the third race of the World Championship series in Formula 1.
