Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying was postponed until Sunday after heavy rain and thunderstorms prevented the session from taking place as scheduled on Saturday.
Lando Norris completed a Sprint victory earlier on Saturday to reduce Max Verstappen’s world championship lead to 44 points, but a downpour – along with thunder and lightning – prevented any further track action from taking place at Interlagos.
The session was pushed back several times from its originally scheduled start of 6pm, but almost two hours after it was meant to begin, race director Niels Wittich officially called it off.
An FIA statement said: “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.”
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The stakes are extremely high given there are – including this weekend – only four rounds remaining in what has become an engrossing title battle between Red Bull’s Verstappen and McLaren’s Norris.
There is the potential for further delays on Sunday with more rain forecast at the famous circuit, which has seen its unpredictable local weather system contribute to some of the most memorable moments in Formula 1 history.
There is no provision in the sport’s current regulations that dictate how the grid would be set in the event further rain prevented qualifying from taking place on Sunday, but the race was able to go ahead.
The FIA confirmed to Sky Sports News that the decision would be made by the stewards if necessary, but said their preferred option remains to run qualifying on Sunday morning.
In the event the classification from the only practice session of the weekend was used, Norris was fastest while Verstappen was 15th.
Another possibility would be to use the order set by Sprint Qualifying, which saw Norris finish second to team-mate Oscar Piastri, and Verstappen in fourth.
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Regardless of how his qualifying position is established, Verstappen will receive a five-place grid penalty for the race, as a result of taking a new engine at the start of the weekend.
It’s the first time since the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix that a qualifying session has been pushed back to Sunday. The Suzuka event suffered the same fate in 2004 and 2010.
Qualifying was also pushed back at the 2015 United States Grand Prix, while weather meant qualifying at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix was cut short.
Sky Sports F1’s live Sao Paulo GP schedule
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Sunday November 3
TBC: SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up
5pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
7pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo GP reaction
8pm: Ted’s Notebook
Formula 1’s Americas triple header concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
Source : Sky Sports
