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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
SAO PAULO — Qualifying for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix has been rescheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. local time on Sunday due to heavy rain at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.
A thunderstorm hit the circuit less than an hour before the scheduled start time at 3 p.m., with persistent rain thereafter.
After confirming the session would be delayed, the FIA conducted track inspections at 15-minute intervals before confirming the postponement at 4:45 p.m. local time.
“Following the conditions in São Paulo today the decision was taken not to proceed with qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading light,” the FIA said in a statement.
“Safety is always the paramount consideration in such circumstances and while as much time as possible was given to allow conditions to improve they sadly did not. We have huge appreciation for all the fans that stayed at the circuit in hope of seeing cars on track today.
“Therefore the decision has been taken, after consultation with the stewards, to schedule qualifying for 07:30 local time on Sunday morning ahead of the grand prix at 12:30 local. This will ensure we maximise the chances or providing the fans with 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, circuit staff and media and hope to give everyone an exciting event on Sunday.”
The last time a qualifying session was delayed until the day of the race was at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix when Typhoon Hagibis made landfall on qualifying day.
Saturday’s sprint race took place in dry conditions on Saturday morning, with Lando Norris securing victory after teammate Oscar Piastri was instructed by McLaren to give up the lead.
Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix is set to be a key moment in the title battle between Max Verstappen and Norris, with the Red Bull driver leading the McLaren driver by 44 points after Saturday’s sprint race.
Verstappen will take a five-place grid penalty from wherever he qualifies for Sunday’s race after his Red Bull was fitted another engine beyond his quota for the season on Friday.