Rain and smog played spoilsport on Friday as the second practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix was called off due to poor visibility that prevented the medical helicopter from operating.

The cars cannot run on the race track if the designated medical helicopter cannot fulfill its duties. Owing to the lack of visibility and smog, the medical helicopter was unable to land at the designated hospital. This meant that the safety requirements for the race were not fulfilled and practice had to be cancelled.

The conditions also affected the first practice session, where Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was the fastest on a damp track. Verstappen said, “The car felt pretty good. Difficult to say [where we are] because Mercedes and Ferrari haven’t run so we don’t know their pace. But from our side it felt good and from the driver’s side if the feeling is OK the speed is normally pretty good.”

Valtteri Bottas, who was the ninth quickest, was the only driver of the top two teams to set a lap time all day. Teammate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen managed only a total of five laps between them.

The forecast for Saturday predicts dry weather and occasional sunshine with temperatures of 20C. However, on race day, rain seems to be on offer with a heavy downpour expected overnight on Saturday. If conditions on Sunday are similar to Friday, the race could be delayed until organisers could guarantee a suitable medical evacuation method.