With Webber unable to take part in qualifying, only four drivers would be eliminated in the first session.
An early spin into the barriers by Sébastien Buemi looked as if that number would become three, but his team repaired the car in time for him to do a single fast lap.
The early pace-setter was Sebastian Vettel, who exchanged blows with the Toyota of Trulli before ultimately coming out on top by the end of the session.
Meanwhile, Jaime Alguersuari made the second part of qualifying for the first time in his short career, with Giancarlo Fisichella, Kazuki Nakajima, Romain Grosjean and Vitantonio Liuzzi joining Webber in an early exit from qualifying.

The second session was dominated by two accidents that both resulted in red flags.
The first was Jaime Alguersuari, who speared off at the Degner Curve, the same place as Webber in the earlier practice session and the scene of Buemi's off-track excursion in the first segment of qualifying.
The second accident was more serious, with Timo Glock crashing heavily at the final corner.
The session was stopped for some time as medics attended to him and his car was removed.
The session resumed with eight minutes remaining and saw a final push by the Brawn drivers to make it into the top ten shootout.
The final moments were marked by another off by Buemi at Spoon, which left debris on the circuit as he limped back to the pits.
Glock was flown by helicopter to hospital during Q3 with a wound on his left leg, and back pain.
The times set by the Brawn drivers were threatened should someone protest following an incident where they set their best – and only – times during a yellow flag period.

Heikki Kovalainen joined the growing list of drivers who crashed at the Degner Curve early in the third part of qualifying, though the damage was minimal and the circuit quickly cleared.
The damage to Sébastien Buemi's car after his earlier off was deemed too great to be able to repair in time, and like Kovalainen, he failed to set a time, meaning that Q3 would be contested by eight drivers.
When the track had re-opened after Kovalainen's accident, there were just five minutes remaining on the clock.
Sebastian Vettel once again topped the timing sheets, putting him in a strong position to keep his title campaign alive, while rival championship contenders Barrichello and Button could only manage fifth and seventh respectively.
Jarno Trulli qualified the sole remaining Toyota in second in his team's home race, with reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton in third.

After qualifying, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso and Adrian Sutil were all called before the stewards on charges of speeding during the yellow-flag caused by Sébastien Buemi's off in the final moments of Q2.
Buemi himself was later summoned on the charge of driving a damaged car.
All of the drivers except for Heidfeld and Kubica were given five-place grid penalties.
With Webber unable to take part in qualifying, only four drivers would be eliminated in the first session. An early spin into the barriers by Sébastien Buemi looked as if that number would become three, but his team repaired the car in time for him to do a single fast lap. The early pace-setter was Sebastian Vettel, who exchanged blows with the Toyota of Trulli before ultimately coming out on top by the end of the session. Meanwhile, Jaime Alguersuari made the second part of qualifying for the first time in his short career, with Giancarlo Fisichella, Kazuki Nakajima, Romain Grosjean and Vitantonio Liuzzi joining Webber in an early exit from qualifying.
The second session was dominated by two accidents that both resulted in red flags. The first was Jaime Alguersuari, who speared off at the Degner Curve, the same place as Webber in the earlier practice session and the scene of Buemi's off-track excursion in the first segment of qualifying. The second accident was more serious, with Timo Glock crashing heavily at the final corner. The session was stopped for some time as medics attended to him and his car was removed. The session resumed with eight minutes remaining and saw a final push by the Brawn drivers to make it into the top ten shootout. The final moments were marked by another off by Buemi at Spoon, which left debris on the circuit as he limped back to the pits. Glock was flown by helicopter to hospital during Q3 with a wound on his left leg, and back pain. The times set by the Brawn drivers were threatened should someone protest following an incident where they set their best – and only – times during a yellow flag period.
Heikki Kovalainen joined the growing list of drivers who crashed at the Degner Curve early in the third part of qualifying, though the damage was minimal and the circuit quickly cleared. The damage to Sébastien Buemi's car after his earlier off was deemed too great to be able to repair in time, and like Kovalainen, he failed to set a time, meaning that Q3 would be contested by eight drivers. When the track had re-opened after Kovalainen's accident, there were just five minutes remaining on the clock. Sebastian Vettel once again topped the timing sheets, putting him in a strong position to keep his title campaign alive, while rival championship contenders Barrichello and Button could only manage fifth and seventh respectively. Jarno Trulli qualified the sole remaining Toyota in second in his team's home race, with reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton in third.
After qualifying, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso and Adrian Sutil were all called before the stewards on charges of speeding during the yellow-flag caused by Sébastien Buemi's off in the final moments of Q2. Buemi himself was later summoned on the charge of driving a damaged car. All of the drivers except for Heidfeld and Kubica were given five-place grid penalties.
2009 Japanese Grand Prix