Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix was postponed as rainy weather hit Interlagos

Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix has been officially postponed after heavy rain hit Interlagos on Saturday afternoon.

The track and paddock areas were hit by heavy thundershowers in Sao Paulo, initially delaying the session before the FIA ​​took the decision to postpone the session for safety reasons – with a new date to be agreed.

Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix was postponed after heavy rain

The sprint took place in dry conditions on Saturday, but the weather deteriorated so badly at Interlagos that later qualifying was delayed.

Although initially delayed by an hour, conditions did not improve sufficiently to allow drivers to safely participate in qualifying on Saturday.

With there now being insufficient daylight to complete the session as planned, the FIA ​​has confirmed that qualifying will be officially postponed. Note that this does not mean the session is cancelled, but leaves open the possibility of a Sunday session before the race, with official plans yet to be confirmed.

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Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had expressed concern when the weather struck Heaven Italy: “I think we have to get up pretty early for qualifying tomorrow morning.

“It's raining heavily and I don't know what the asphalt looks like. If it rains really hard, but we already have a few lakes in some corners, it will be difficult.”

In the previous action, Lando Norris had taken the sprint victory ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, with Max Verstappen receiving a five-second penalty for speeding under Virtual Safety Car conditions before the restart on the final lap, causing him to fell back to fourth place.

Once qualifying takes place, championship leader Verstappen will start the race with a five-place grid penalty after taking a new engine beyond his quota for the season at Interlagos.

Read more: Explained: Why Max Verstappen can beat McLaren in Brazil despite a starting penalty