The start of the Sao Paulo GP was moved earlier as qualifying was confirmed on Sunday amid rain chaos at Interlagos | F1 news
The start of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix has been moved 90 minutes earlier – with qualifying also taking place on Sunday morning – as bad weather wreaked havoc on the event schedule.
Qualifying was postponed until Sunday after heavy rain and thunderstorms prevented Saturday’s session from taking place as planned.
While drawing up a new schedule for Sunday – with qualifying confirmed at 10.30am – the sport’s bosses then also decided to push the race start back by 90 minutes to 3.30pm, amid fears over the forecast of more afternoon rain .
Lando Norris scored a sprint victory earlier on Saturday to cut Max Verstappen’s lead in the world championship to 44 points, but a downpour – along with thunder and lightning – prevented further action on the track at Interlagos.
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Lewis Hamilton joked with Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali that the drivers should have gone out for qualifying in Brazil, with the session postponed due to heavy rain.
Qualifying was postponed several times from its originally scheduled start of Saturday at 6:00 PM, but almost two hours after qualifying was supposed to start, qualifying was officially called off.
A joint statement from Formula 1 and the FIA said: “Following the conditions in Sao Paulo today, the decision was made not to proceed with qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading light.
“Safety is always paramount in such circumstances and although as much time as possible was given to improve conditions, unfortunately that did not happen. We greatly appreciate all the fans who stayed at the track hoping to see cars on track today. .
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Lewis Hamilton joked with Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali that the drivers should have gone out for qualifying in Brazil, with the session postponed due to heavy rain.
Therefore, after consultation with the stewards, the decision has been made to schedule qualifying on Sunday morning at 7.30am local time (10.30am UK), prior to the Grand Prix at 12.30pm local time (3.30pm UK).
“This will ensure that we maximize the opportunities of offering fans a day of racing action and both the FIA and Formula 1 believe this time change is necessary and the right thing to do for all our passionate fans.
“We thank everyone for their patience today, including the fans, drivers, teams, marshals, track staff and media, and hope to provide everyone with an exciting event on Sunday.”
The stakes are extremely high as – including this weekend – there are only four rounds left in what has become an enthralling title battle between Red Bull’s Verstappen and McLaren’s Norris.
Although the new revised schedule seeks to avoid such a situation, there remains a chance of further delays on Sunday at the famous circuit, where the unpredictable local weather system has contributed to some of the most memorable moments in Formula 1 history .
There is no provision in the sport’s current regulations dictating how the grid would be set up in the event that further rain prevented qualifying on Sunday, but the race was able to go ahead.
The FIA has confirmed this Sky Sports News that the decision would be made by the stewards if necessary, but said their preference remains for Sunday morning qualifying.
In the event that the classification from the weekend’s only practice session was used, Norris was fastest while Verstappen was 15th.
Another option would be to use the order of the Sprint Qualifying, in which Norris finished second behind teammate Oscar Piastri and Verstappen fourth.
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During the rain delay in qualifying, Ted Kravitz entered the Mercedes paddock in an attempt to call team boss Toto Wolff, who was absent from Interlagos!
Regardless of how his qualifying position is determined, Verstappen will receive a five-place grid penalty for the race, as a result of taking a new engine at the start of the weekend.
It is the first time since the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix that a qualifying session has been postponed to Sunday. The Suzuka event suffered the same fate in 2004 and 2010.
Qualifying was also postponed at the 2015 United States Grand Prix, while weather forced qualifying for the 2013 Australian Grand Prix to be abandoned.
Sky Sports F1’s live Sao Paulo GP schedule
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Take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments that took place at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix
Sunday November 3
10am Sao Paulo Qualification build-up
10.30am: SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX QUALIFICATION
2 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: build-up to the Sao Paulo GP
3.30 pm: THE GRAND PRIZE OF SAO PAULO
5.30pm: Checkered flag: GP response from Sao Paulo
6:30 PM: Ted’s notebook
Formula 1’s triple header in America concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with each session broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – No contract, cancel anytime
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