Heavy clouds had built up over the Marina Bay track shortly after the end of the W Series support race and the skies began to darken as the F1 field completed the drivers’ parade aboard a fleet of classic cars.
Spots of rain began falling in the paddock an hour and 20 minutes before the 8pm start time, with team radar systems showing an intense rainstorm was expected to hit at 6.55pm.
It duly did so and quickly turned into a severe thunderstorm, with the end of the track’s pit straight no longer visible on circuit TV cameras.
At 7.02 local time, the F1 timing boards displayed the following message from the FIA, which officially delayed the race start.
“Pitlane open and whole start procedure delayed,” the message read. “Update in 20 minutes, minimum of 10 minutes notice will be given.”
More to follow
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