F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Saturday Qualifying Cancelled After Rain

Alex Harrington | Nov 2, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Lewis Hamilton (44) of Team Great Britain smiles to the crowd during a fan forum before the Sprint Race in the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The F1 Brazilian Grand Prix's Saturday qualifying session has been cancelled due to heavy rainfall, which made safe driving conditions unfeasible. The session was slated to take place at the iconic Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known as Interlagos circuit, in São Paulo, Brazil. The initial schedule had the session beginning at 18:00 local time on Saturday, November 2, 2024. However, persistent rain led to several postponements until the FIA and Formula 1 concluded that the conditions were simply too dangerous.

Interlagos, known for its unpredictable weather and thrilling races, was once again at the mercy of nature. The track's notorious reputation for sudden weather changes played out as continuous rain left the track perilously wet. Efforts to hold the session were thwarted as assessments throughout the afternoon showed no improvement in track conditions as the rain kept coming. With daylight dwindling, the decision by the FIA to cancel the session was unavoidable.

Ideally, when weather permits, the qualifying could be rescheduled to Sunday morning before the main race. If this isn't possible, then it's likely the Grand Prix will start in the order of FP1 results, but this is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing.

As the situation unfolds, the FIA is expected to reassess weather forecasts and make effective scheduling amendments for the rest of the race weekend.

The FIA have released the following statement:

"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."