Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix will not start at the scheduled time. The cause: extreme weather conditions in Sao Paulo making the track impassable.
After a Sprint race won by Lando Norris and a resounding double for McLaren F1, attention now turns to the starting grid for Sunday's race. However, an unexpected change in weather occurred in Sao Paulo, where high temperatures of 28 degrees were replaced by heavy rain.
McLaren and the competition
The McLaren drivers were initially favored by the predictions to take pole position. However, they will have to navigate carefully under these new climatic conditions. The Ferrari and Mercedes teams could also take advantage of the situation to slip into the top of the standings, making qualification even more uncertain.
Max Verstappen, who is among the contenders for pole, finds himself in a delicate position. Due to a five-place penalty following an engine change, the Red Bull driver will not be able to claim pole position, regardless of his qualifying time. This handicap further complicates the situation for the three-time Dutch world champion.
Track challenges in the rain
With the asphalt just resurfaced, managing the rain represents a real challenge for the drivers in Sao Paulo. Water on the track tends to bring up residual oil, which can make driving particularly treacherous. It is hoped that the cleaning efforts carried out on the bitumen will have mitigated this harmful effect.
Due to weather conditions, the qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix has already been delayed. As the Interlagos runway is currently impassable,
a new update is expected around 7:45 p.m., French time.
The teams and drivers remain waiting for activities to resume on the circuit, hoping that conditions will improve in order to be able to establish the starting grid for the race scheduled for this Sunday.
