Hamilton tops FP2 as rain hits Suzuka
Lewis Hamilton topped a washed out the second free practice session at Suzuka that saw very little running at all. Force Inda and Williams were the only two other teams which sent their drivers out for a timed lap, while others only completed reconnaissance laps, or none at all.
The session was initially delayed by 45 minutes due to the bad conditions, but when the session eventually got going, none of the drivers were eager to go out.
Eventually, it was Kimi Raikkonen who ventured out on track first. He returned after a single lap, not to be seen again in the remainder of the session.
Six drivers opted not to go out, but Carlos Sainz was surprisingly not among them. Toro Rosso had managed to repair all the damage from his FP1 crash rapidly, allowing the Spaniard to complete 2 installation laps.
The rain is expected to last into tomorrow, with the prospect of both FP3 and qualifying being held in wet or mixed conditions.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:48.719 | - | 4 |
| 2 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India Mercedes | 1:49.518 | +0.799s | 3 |
| 3 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 1:51.345 | +2.626s | 3 |
| 4 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 1:52.146 | +3.427s | 3 |
| 5 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Williams Mercedes | 1:52.343 | +3.624s | 4 |
| 6 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | - | - | 1 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | - | - | 1 |
| 8 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | - | - | 1 |
| 9 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | - | - | 3 |
| 10 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | - | - | 1 |
| 11 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | - | - | 2 |
| 12 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber Ferrari | - | - | 2 |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | - | - | 1 |
| 14 | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren Honda | - | - | 1 |
