Hamilton tops FP2 with solitary lap

Lewis Hamilton again displayed his mastery of the Circuit of the Americas as the second practice session for the United States Grand Prix was almost entirely washed out by rain, although all eyes were on Ferrari regardless as stewards determined how to punish Sebastian Vettel for speeding under red flags in Friday's earlier session.

Serious running was left until the final 15 minutes of FP2, which did not see a car on track until after the halfway stage – Brendon Hartley the man to break the boredom, swiftly followed by Stoffel Vandoorne – both drivers had not taken part in FP1 and might have risked being blocked from entering the race with inclement weather set to affect Saturday too.

There was karaoke in the Red Bull garage, Lando Norris used a drill to assist with a tea round at McLaren, while other ways were found to pass the time.

As the rain eventually faded, a burst of late running ended with a surprise name on top of the timesheets – Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly – until Hamilton emerged for a late run, despite admitting he would "learn nothing" over team radio.

Hamilton clocked 1:48.716 – over a second down on his best time in FP1, but still a second ahead of second-placed Gasly, with Vettel's running only good enough for 10th.

Attention was drawn away from the track, however, with news before the session that Vettel had been summoned to stewards for speeding under red flags in FP1.

A sanction was not confirmed during the session, but a three-place grid drop seems certain for the German – Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon having picked up identical penalties for the same infraction earlier in the season.