After McLaren’s double victory in the F1 sprint, followed by a subsequent penalty for Max Verstappen (Red Bull), qualifying for the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix could not take place as planned. Due to heavy rain in Interlagos near Sao Paulo, the session had to be postponed to Sunday morning, and the start of the race has also been postponed!
An FIA statement said: “The decision was made due to the poor visibility caused by the heavy rain of the last few hours. There is a lot of water on parts of the circuit, making the conditions unsafe.”
“As much as we all want the competition to take place on track, the safety of drivers, team members, volunteers, officials and spectators is our top priority. A decision on the start time for tomorrow’s qualifying will be made as soon as possible .”
This is now clear: The qualifying starts at 7:30 a.m. local time, i.e. at 11:30 a.m. CET – and the race, which was actually scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. CET), will now take place at 12:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. CET).
The reason for bringing the start of the race forward is that there is a higher chance of heavy rain later in the afternoon and Formula 1 officials want to “maximize the chances of giving fans a day of racing action.” This adjustment to the schedule is necessary for this.
The qualifying, which was actually scheduled for 3:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. CET), had to be postponed several times, and the medical and safety cars kept doing their inspection laps. For a moment it looked as if it could start at 4:15 p.m. – but then the rain increased again and the postponement continued every quarter of an hour.
Formula 1 boss declares cancellation
Because the sun sets in Sao Paulo at 6:21 p.m., race director Niels Wittich and his team waited as long as possible. But when it became clear that a start at 5:00 p.m. would not be possible, the qualifying at 4:45 p.m. was finally canceled, at least for Saturday.
“We have no control over the weather,” says Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. “Unfortunately, the conditions are not safe and it will soon be dark. The FIA is checking what the right time would be for qualifying on Sunday morning. We want to give the fans the best possible spectacle. But you can’t drive under these conditions.”
If qualifying cannot take place on Sunday either, according to Article 39.4.b of the FIA’s Sporting Formula 1 Regulations, the order of the first free practice session on Friday morning would most likely be used as the starting grid. That would mean pole position for Lando Norris (McLaren), ahead of George Russell (Mercedes) and Oliver Bearman (Haas).
Verstappen was 15th in the first training session, but would even be last in a possible starting grid. His combustion engine and exhaust system had to be changed before this weekend, which meant he was moved back five positions.
Article 39.4.b actually describes criteria for the starting order for drivers who did not achieve a lap time in qualifying. Theoretically, the article could just as easily be used if no driver set a time in qualifying.
Source: www.sport.de
