Chinese GP practice sessions wiped out by rain, fog
Chinese GP practice sessions wiped out by rain, fog:- When Lewis Hamilton finally emerged from the garages on a rainy, foggy Friday at the Chinese Grand Prix, it wasn't to take his Mercedes car out for a practice lap on the Shanghai International Circuit, it was to sign hats to throw into the crowd.
Hamilton and the other Formula One drivers had very little time on the track after poor visibility wiped out much of the day's two practice sessions.
With the circuit's medical helicopter unable to land at nearby hospitals or airports in case of an accident, F1 canceled the afternoon session completely and only gave drivers the green light for about 20 minutes in the morning.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen had the fastest lap time of the abbreviated morning session at 1 minute, 50.491 seconds. Both Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and Hamilton failed to set a lap time on the day.
After the second session was called off, Hamilton walked onto the track to take pictures of the hardy fans who had remained in the stands hoping for the weather to clear. He then signed hats and threw them into the cheering crowd.
The slick conditions caused plenty of sliding for the brief time the drivers were on the track in the morning, with Haas racers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean spinning at Turn 9 and Renault's Niko Hulkenberg ending up in the gravel after spinning on Turn 3.
The forecast for Saturday's qualifying was expected to be clear, but the rain could return for Sunday's race.
Source:- https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/formula1/2017/04/07/chinese-gp-practice-session-curtailed-by-rainy-conditions/100157760/
