PASTOR Maldonado admitted there was no point in taking any risks during yesterday’s rain affected practice sessions at the Japanese GP.
The Enstone-based Lotus driver set the tenth fastest lap in second free practice at Suzuka, completing only seven laps after not setting a time the first session.
Maldonado was 3.280secs adrift of Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat, who set the pace.
The Venezuelan said: “A wet Suzuka circuit is a fun place to be, but there’s no point risking the car when there’s not much to be learnt so most of the sessions were spent in the garage.
“We think the rest of the weekend will be dry, but the car felt pretty stable if we do see rain again.”
Teammate Romain Grosjean was 15th in the second session.
The Grove-based Williams team also did very little running.
Felipe Massa was eighth and 16th, while Valtteri Bottas sat out the second session after setting the tenth fastest lap earlier in the day.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here