A downpour at the Interlagos circuit has led the FIA to postpone the start of the qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The session was originally due to begin at 3pm local time. However it had not begun over an hour later due to heavy and persistent rain at the Interlagos circuit.
The first three sessions of the weekend were held in dry conditions, including the sprint race which started at 11am on Saturday morning. But around an hour before qualifying was due to begin a thunderstorm hit the track, bringing a sustained downpour with it.
After confirming the session would not begin on time, the FIA originally stated it would aim for a revised starting time of 4pm. But although the worst of the conditions eased, sustained rainfall continued at the track and large puddles remained at points around the circuit.
Race director Niels Wittich has toured the track in the Safety Car with sporting director Tim Malyon and driver Bernd Maylander. Following his last inspection at around 4pm Wittich said the track was not ready “at the moment.”
“We have to wait a few minutes to see if the conditions [improve] a little bit,” he told Sky.
Race control repeatedly pushed back the intended starting time in 15-minute increments from 4pm to 5pm. Finally, with light fading, and sunset due to fall at 6:21pm local time in Sao Paulo, they resigned themselves to the inevitable and abandoned efforts to schedule the session today.
The FIA is yet to announce when it will schedule tomorrow’s session. The earliest support race is due to begin at 11:45am local time, but this is likely to be rearranged to accommodate F1. However the weather forecast for Sunday indicates a strong likelihood of further sustained rainfall.
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2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
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