The heavy rain that fell in the capital of São Paulo on Saturday afternoon (2) forced F1 to postpone classification for the São Paulo GP, scheduled for this Sunday (3). Initially scheduled to start at 3pm, training had successive delays until the race management decided to reschedule it for the day of the race, which had its time brought forward from 2pm (Brasília time) to 12:30pm — classification will be at 7:30am.
Despite the decrease in the level of rain, the route was filled with water and, in addition, as the hour progressed, natural light also decreased. For these reasons, it was not possible to hold the event.
In a statement, the FIA (International Automobile Federation) highlighted that the decision was taken “due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain”.
“As much as we all want to see competition on the track, the safety of drivers, team members, volunteers, officials and fans is our top priority,” the statement added.
The entire region of the city of São Paulo went into a state of alert this Saturday afternoon for flooding due to heavy rain, according to the CGE (Emergency Management Center).
According to the warning, the capital is affected by areas of instability formed by hot and humid air, which are causing rain showers with moderate to heavy intensity between the west, south, marginal Pinheiros and center zones.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali thanked fans for their patience at Interlagos and said that the FIA (International Automobile Federation) is working to define this Sunday’s schedule.
“First of all, Brazil’s fans are incredible. We can’t control the weather. It’s a shame it was very wet and so is the natural light, without it it’s impossible,” said the Italian.
While he was giving an interview to the category’s official broadcaster, Englishman Lewis Hamilton, from Mercedes, passed by the leader and made a joking provocation.
“This is ridiculous, we should go to the track, I want to go to the track!” Hamilton said to Domenicali, with both of them laughing. “If you gave us better tires, we could have done it. I’m putting you on the spot.”
Also this Saturday, earlier, the circuit was the stage for the sprint race, won by Lando Norris, who managed to close the gap to Max Verstappen, who was punished in five seconds for violating one of the safety car rules.
Oscar Piastri, who led much of the race and gave up his position to his McLaren teammate, came in second place. Verstappen’s penalty meant that Charles Leclerc inherited the podium.
The São Paulo stage is the penultimate sprint race of the year. After the dispute in Interlagos, only the Qatar GP will have this type of race in 2024. It is worth remembering that the top eight in the sprint score points. The winner of the race will receive eight points, while the eighth will receive one.
