Qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix has been postponed. It remains to be confirmed what time the session will take place. The race is slated to start Sunday at 2 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. UK).
The decision came after numerous delays as rain soaked the Autódromo José Carlos Pace (commonly known as Interlagos). At around 4:15 p.m. local time, the FIA reported that the rain was intensifying, and visibility was worsening. The window for qualifying to happen was rapidly closing, with the sun expected to set at 6:21 p.m. local time. The final call came nearly two hours after qualifying initially was supposed to start.
Sunday’s weather isn’t expected to be dry, either. The current forecast has a chance of rain both in the morning and afternoon. If qualifying cannot take place at all, the grid will be set by the stewards.
The track was resurfaced ahead of this weekend, creating plenty of unknowns for the drivers and teams. When asked about his confidence for the weekend after winning the sprint race, McLaren driver Lando Norris said, “If it rains, it’s anybody’s chance.”
This is not the first time qualifying has been moved to Sunday. More recently, F1 moved qualifying to Sunday as Japan braced for Super Typhoon Hagibis in 2019. A few years later, in 2021, rain threatened to move qualifying for the Russian GP, but it eventually let up. During the 2015 U.S. Grand Prix weekend, Austin was soaked by a heavy rain.
Though qualifying took place on Sunday, Q3 was canceled all together because of the rain persisting. Q2’s results created the starting grid for that race.
This is a developing story.
Top photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
