Vettel sparkles before washout

SUZUKA: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the pace on Friday for the Japanese Grand Prix with a blisteringdriveinthemorning’sfree practicebeforeraincausedhavoc in the afternoon.

Lewis Hamilton splashed gingerly to the fastest time of a soaking second session after an absorbing morning run-out in Suzuka.

Delayed by 50 minutes as rain lashed down, the afternoon looked like being a complete washout as team engineers amused themselves by floating paperboatsalongariverofwater gushing down the pit lane.

Whenthecarsdidfinallycreep out, puddles made the going treacherousbutLewissteeredhis Mercedes to the quickest time of one minute, 48.719 seconds.

Vetteltoppedthetimesheetsin a morning session which was temporarily disrupted after CarlosSainzsmashedhisToroRosso into a wall.

Vettel’s time of 1:29.166 was almost 20 seconds quicker than Hamilton’swetrun,theGerman edging out the Formula One championship leader and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

“The results were not the best thelastcoupleofracesbutIthink we are strong so we have all reason to be confident,” said Vettel, who finished fourth in Malaysia lastweekendfromthebackofthe grid.

“I’msureonSundaywewillbe able to show what we can do.”

None of Hamilton’s title rivals posted times in the afternoon when Lance Stroll had a lucky escape after his Williams aquaplaned off coming into turn one, forcingtheCanadiantotakeevasive action to avoid hitting a barrier.