News Summary
- Race control stopped Q1 after just 2 minutes and 23 seconds. Nearly an hour later, the rain had intensified and qualifying was still suspended.
- Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer flagged standing water at Turns 2 and 3 and between Turns 4 and 5. Conditions worsened between inspections.
- São Paulo’s Civil Defence sent a storm and lightning alert to mobile phones around Interlagos. A 15:50 local forecast showed rain and thunderstorms for at least another two hours.
São Paulo Grand Prix qualifying remained suspended at around 16:00 local time on Saturday, nearly an hour after torrential rain stopped Q1 at Interlagos. The FIA sent the Safety Car out to inspect the circuit, but the rain intensified during the stoppage and standing water remained a concern.
The downpour arrived in the final minute before the scheduled start of qualifying at 15:00. Four cars pulled out of the pit-lane queue so their crews could swap intermediates for full wets. Drivers who went out on intermediates reported aquaplaning even at reduced speed. Race control showed the red flag after just 2 minutes and 23 seconds.
When Isack Hadjar got back to the pits, the Red Bull driver was so wet that he told his team he needed a “new suit”.
Safety Car finds standing water at Turns 2 through 5
Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer identified the opening sector as the main concern. “Turn 2, 3 and the area from Turn 4 to Turn 5 are the current issues where standing water could cause aquaplaning.”
A subsequent update described conditions getting worse between inspections. “The feedback is not positive, conditions have worsened since his last outing.” Marshals were also working to clear water from the track during the stoppage.
Civil Defence issues storm and lightning alert
São Paulo’s Civil Defence sent an emergency alert to mobile phones around Interlagos warning of storms and lightning. Thunderstorms had been forecast around Saturday’s qualifying window. At 15:50 local time, AccuWeather’s track forecast showed rain and thunderstorms for at least 120 more minutes, taking that forecast window to 17:50.
Sunset in São Paulo is at 18:23 local time, adding pressure to the schedule as race control waits for conditions to improve. Earlier in the day, Max Verstappen had led final practice on soft tyres. By 16:00, race control had yet to confirm a restart time for Q1.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix in Formula 1 live from Interlagos.
