Rain causes havoc at practice session for Japanese Grand Prix

STORMS have wreaked havoc at the Japanese Grand Prix. The good news is that Red Bulls know how to make a spash in the wet weather.

SUZUKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP looks on in the garage during practice for the Formula One Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on September 25, 2015 in Suzuka. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

RAIN created havoc in Friday’s first free practice at the Japanese Grand Prix where world champion Lewis Hamilton was one of only 12 drivers to complete a timed lap.

The Briton, who suffered his first race retirement in over a year in Singapore last week, clocked the fifth fastest lap of one minute, 1:50.722 seconds, a shade slower than Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Rosberg timed 1:50.077 and fellow German Vettel — who won in Singapore — 1:50.519.

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr topped the timesheets in 1:49.434, the Spaniard half a second clear of Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat in a hair-raising morning session.

With memories of Frenchman Jules Bianchi’s fatal crash at a wet Suzuka last year set to make Sunday’s race an emotional one, drivers were anxious to avoid taking any risks in the treacherous conditions.

Hamilton, who leads the title race by 41 points with six races left, ventured back out to set his first timed lap with 12 minutes to go after several of his rivals complained about aqua-planing over their team radios.

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes is almost lost in the mist as rain fell heavily in Japan.

With spray from a soaking track making the going dicey in heavy rain, cars limped around on wet tyres until the weather offered a brief window for a mad dash to set times on intermediates towards the end of the session.

Vettel struggled to correct a heart-stopping slide through the quick right-hander between the hairpin and Spoon, while Rosberg also survived a couple of scares, braking late into the chicane and sliding onto the run-off.

Felipe Massa expressed his reservations after his Williams slid into the gravel approaching the hairpin, while Kvyat’s seemingly reasonable query about his brakes not working was met by a terse: “Try to be more positive!”

Sebastian Vettel was one of just 12 drivers to complete a timed lap in practice.

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas summed up the gloom when asked by his Williams team: “Let me know if you want to continue if it’s safe.”

Bottas shot back: “No, it’s terrible” — to which the team Finn replied, “copy, box,” to call him into the pits.

Troubled Lotus, who remain locked out of their paddock hospitality unit over payment issues, were taking no chances with Frenchman Romain Grosjean’s car, allowing replacement Jolyon Palmer very limited time for installation.

SECOND PRACTICE UPDATE

Daniil Kvyat’s Red Bull was slick in the wet.

MERCEDES pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg showed flashes of pace in Friday’s second free practice in Japan before heavy rain effectively washed out much of the afternoon session.

Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat topped the timesheets at a soaking Suzuka, clocking one minute, 48.277 seconds with Rosberg 0.023 back and reigning world champion Hamilton a further half-a-second slower.

Rain had created havoc in the morning practice, when only 12 drivers completed a timed lap as they struggled to keep control of their aqua-planing cars.

Mercedes, looking to fix a mysterious loss of pace in Singapore last weekend, shot out to the quickest times in the second session, before Kvyat backed up an impressive early display by edging ahead of Rosberg.

But just as things began hotting up, the rain returned to send the cars back to their garages and when Hamilton finally emerged on wet tyres, he was warned over the radio “be mindful of the rivers,” so soggy were the conditions.

Daniel Ricciardo clocked the fourth fastest time behind Hamilton with Singapore winner Sebastian Vettel steering his Ferrari to the fifth-quickest time.

Vettel put in a shift despite the atrocious weather, completing 19 laps, correcting a heart-stopping slide through the quick right-hander between the hairpin and Spoon as he ran fourth in the morning.

Rosberg also survived a couple of early scares in a hair-raising first practice, braking late into the chicane and sliding onto the run-off.

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz was quickest in the first session in a time of 1:49.434, half-a-second clear of Kvyat, but the Spaniard struggled in the afternoon, complaining of “strange noises” coming from his engine.

With memories of Frenchman Jules Bianchi’s fatal crash at a wet Suzuka last year certain to make Sunday’s race an emotional one, drivers were anxious to avoid taking any risks in the treacherous conditions.

Hamilton, who suffered his first retirement in over a year last week, will be frustrated Friday turned into little more than an exercise in data analysis but the Briton still leads the championship by 41 points with six races left.

Jenson Button, whose Formula One future is in doubt after talks over a contract extension with McLaren appeared to have stalled, complained of “massive understeer” and finished 12th, over three-and-a-half seconds adrift.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso went out after McLaren switched his engine, Honda having discovered a problem after the morning practice.

The double world champion cut a forlorn figure staring out into the gloom for the first 40 minutes, and eventually finished 17th.