Lewis Hamilton finished third in FP2 behind his teammate Nico Rosberg in second and a fast Daniil Kvyat in his Red Bull topping the time sheet. But what did Lewis Hamilton learn in the two session around the Suzuka circuit today, “Have you heard of the phrase diddly squat? That’s exactly what it is today,” Hamilton told reporters, as rain washed out any significant action during the two free practice session.

With the rain of today said to be the anomaly over the weekend of the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton was keen to admit that there was little use in the team using up mileage on the car, in conditions that will provide little insight into the track come qualifying and the race on Sunday. “Every time you get in the car you learn something but today’s not been particularly fun and there’s not been much to learn. We learned it all in the last race here when it was raining, so not learning much.” said Hamilton.

Hamilton did end the day third fastest but spent his practice sessions focusing on practice starts and re-familiarising himself with the circuit. “You don’t want to take too many risks, damaging a car or a gearbox, so today we were just practicing starts and getting a few laps. The balance is going to be so much different so it’s irrelevant what we do today because they say it’s going to be dry. It’s a shame for the fans as a lot of people turned up today.”