Downpour spoils final Suzuka practice
Torrential rain made for an almost complete washout of the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix, with just two cars managing to complete timed laps
On a circuit covered with deep running water and conditions steadily worsening, only Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari and Virgin's Timo Glock were brave enough to stay out long enough to register on the timing screens, with Alguersuari managing a 1m55.902s and Glock a 2m07.497s.
Several other drivers attempted exploratory laps but all immediately returned to the pits, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton reporting back to his team that the conditions were "unbelievable" and describing "massive rivers" across the track during his final trip out of the pits in the closing minutes.
With the rain expected to continue to worsen, there is increasing likelihood that qualifying will be delayed on safety grounds.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps 1. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m55.902s 9 2. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 2m07.497s + 11.595s 6 3. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1 4. Sakon Yamamoto Hispania-Cosworth 1 5. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1 6. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 4 7. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1 8. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1 9. Nico Hülkenberg Williams-Cosworth 2 10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1 11. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1 12. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1 13. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1 14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1 15. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1 16. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1 17. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1 18. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1 19. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 3 20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1 21. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1 22. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1 23. Robert Kubica Renault 2 24. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 3 All timing unofficial
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