However the Brazilian may owe some thanks to the local weather after a change in conditions saw the Suzuka circuit rendered useless.

Midway through the hour-long run dark clouds rolled in and showers fell meaning the drivers’ ability to set quick times was gone.

The track was never officially wet with the showers only light but it was nonetheless enough to discourage serious running.

Ending the shortened afternoon in second was Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher with a 1:31.716.

The German finished one tenth quicker than morning pacesetter and McLaren reserve Pedro de la Rosa (1:31.821).

Fourth was Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello (1:32.267), followed by McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen (1:32.849) and Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher (1:32.917).

The lack of running proved a double blow for the fifth-placed Raikkonen whose morning was also cut short.

McLaren were forced to change the engine in the Finn’s MP4-20 after an early Mercedes-Benz failure, his fourth of the season.

There were better times for Jordan where Sakon Yamamoto (1:34.829) again impressed.

The Japanese rookie finished a credible 17th fastest and comfortably quicker than teammates Tiago Monteiro (1:35.388) and Narain Karthikeyan (1:38.034).

Yamamoto’s performance was somewhat surprising after many questioned both his ability and one-off Jordan drive.