Lewis Hamilton Catches F1 CEO Off Guard With Call For Wet Tire Change - 'This Is Ridiculous'

Lewis Hamilton caught F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali off guard after canceling the wet qualifying session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton walks the track ahead of the drivers' parade at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez-Imagn Images / Aaron E. Martinez/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Following the news that the Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying session was cancelled due to the extreme weather, Lewis Hamilton caught F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali off guard whilst live on air. The seven-time champion claimed that the drivers "should have been let out" and if they had better wet tires it would have been possible.

The Mercedes driver commented during the hilarious moment:

"You should have sent us out! This is ridiculous. I want to get out," he said whilst laughing.

"If you give is better wet tires and blankets we would be able to run on this. I'm putting you on the spot."

Lewis Hamilton to Stefano Domenicali on F1 TV:

"You should’ve sent us out, this is ridiculous, we should go out!"

"I wanna go out! If you give us better wet tyres or blankets we'd be able to run in this!"#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/LwhJpUb0Vd

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) November 2, 2024

As the track became increasingly waterlogged, it became clear that the Qualifying session was highly unlikely to happen today. It has since been postponed until Sunday morning, however, a specific time has not been confirmed yet. Domenicali commented during the broadcast:

"First of all, let me reiterate the fact these fans are incredible. We cannot control the weather. It's a pity but the conditions are not safe to drive.

"There's a problem of light that will very soon that will hit the track and that's unfortunately the situation we have to manage.

"Yes. That's the plan [to have Qualifying tomorrow] and the FIA will check on what is the right timings and to follow up the plan to complete the day.

"It's a great event and we need to make sure we can maximise everything in conditions that are acceptable."

The FIA has released the following statement formally postponing the Qualifying session:

"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."

The Qualifying for the São 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…

— FIA (@fia) November 2, 2024

The rescheduling of this session comes amid an intense championship battle. McLaren driver Lando Norris narrowed the gap between himself and championship leader Max Verstappen to 45 points following his sprint race victory. Verstappen faced additional difficulties, having received a five-second penalty for an earlier incident, thus complicating Red Bull's strategy further.