The Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, also known as Interlagos, has undergone significant schedule changes due to extreme weather conditions impacting qualifying.
The qualifying session, initially slated for 3:00 PM local time on Saturday, faced delays due to torrential rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. The session was ultimately postponed as the track was deemed unsafe due to water accumulation, poor visibility, and diminishing daylight. A joint statement from Formula 1 and the FIA underscored the importance of safety. The statement explained:
“The Qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix is postponed.
“The decision was taken due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain we have experienced in the past few hours. There is a lot of standing water on parts of the circuit which renders conditions unsafe.
“As much as we would all like to see competition on track, the safety of drivers, team members, volunteers, officials and spectators is our main priority.
“A decision on a start time for Qualifying tomorrow morning will be taken as soon as possible.”
In light of these conditions, the FIA and Formula 1 have rescheduled the qualifying round for 7:30 AM local time on Sunday, with the Grand Prix set to follow at 12:30 PM.
The FIA released the following update:
“*QUALIFYING UPDATE*
“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. 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.”
*QUALIFYING & RACE UPDATE*
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. Safety is always the paramount consideration in such circumstances and while as…
— FIA (@fia) November 2, 2024
Notably, weather forecasts for Sunday also indicate a potential challenge, with light rain expected throughout the day, especially around lunchtime.
U.S. viewers will be able to watch the Brazilian GP on ESPN, which provides the Sky F1 feed, with streaming available via fuboTV and F1 TV. In the UK, coverage will be available on Sky Sports F1 or streamed through NowTV.
