- Lewis Hamilton said with a smile that it was “ridiculous” to postpone qualifying
- Lately there has been a broader debate about the quality of rain tires.
- Qualifying for the Brazilian GP will begin at 10:30am UK time on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton claimed qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix should have taken place on schedule after it rained.
The Mercedes star interrupted F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali mid-interview to demand better rain tires and jokingly said it was “ridiculous” they weren’t on the track.
Qualifying will take place at 10.30am UK time, after it was postponed due to torrential rain and lightning in Sao Paulo, with the race starting at 3.30pm.
Great efforts were made to get the track in usable condition, but it was becoming dark and the FIA confirmed that qualifying at Interlagos was postponed.
You should have sent us! This is ridiculous, we should get out! I want to go out!’ Hamilton intervened as Domenicali spoke live to F1TV.
Lewis Hamilton interrupted F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to question the call to delay qualifying.
The Mercedes star demanded ‘better rain tires or blankets’ in a friendly meeting
Qualification for the Brazilian Grand Prix was postponed due to adverse weather conditions
Staff and teams were left sweeping away the rain to try to get the track ready for competition.
‘If you give us better tires or rain blankets, we could race with this!
‘I’m putting you on the spot!’
Domenicali responded ‘me too’ to the star’s exhortations and both laughed and hugged in a friendly meeting.
However, rain tire quality has been a point of contention, particularly that of heavy tread rain tires, one of two compounds available along with light tread intermediates.
The FIA has also attempted to ban thermal blankets for wet tyres, although that plan has been criticized by drivers and postponed until at least next season.
Lando Norris reduced Max Verstappen’s lead at the top of the standings by three points after his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri gave him victory in the sprint race.
He is now just 44 points behind the Dutch star with three race weekends left after this one.
Domenicali said: ‘We can’t control the weather, as you know, and it’s a shame, but the conditions are not safe to drive, simple as that.
Lando Norris could reduce the gap with Max Verstappen to 26 points, with three race weekends left after the Brazilian GP.
The qualifying session was postponed several times during the day until it was suspended.
‘And there is also a problem (with the lack of) light that will soon arrive on the track. Unfortunately, that is the situation we have to manage.”
When asked if qualifying will take place in the morning, he said: “That’s the plan.” Now the FIA is doing the final check on what could be the right times to organize the quality and follow the plan and complete the day because it is a big event.
‘We need to make sure we can maximize everything in all conditions which, of course, may be acceptable.
“We just have to thank the fans, but they will understand that racing in these conditions is impossible.”
