Weather chaos in São Paulo: Heavy rain, Brazilian qualifying already abandoned!

Qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix is set to begin on time (7.00 pm European time = 3.00 pm local time). After the third practice session on a dry track, more and more clouds rolled in, and then it began to pour down heavily over the circuit.

This was followed by a lull in the weather – i.e. no rain – but shortly before the final practice session, it began to drizzle again. More rain is on the way, though it is not yet known when it will arrive. Further thunderstorms are also forecast for this evening in São Paulo.

After two minutes, the rain became so heavy that race control had no choice but to raise the red flag and suspend the session!

But Formula 1 is well prepared for all eventualities in such situations. The procedure in such cases is always the same: the medical car or the safety car is sent onto the track to assess the conditions. Particular attention is paid to standing water, where the GP cars could be swept off the track due to aquaplaning.

Qualifying is then gradually postponed until conditions allow driving to resume, or until the whole session has to be abandoned – either because there is too much water, because the rain won’t let up, or because daylight is running out.

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Sao Paulo: Das Rennen

FIA Formula One World Championship

08.11.2026 - 17:10

In this case (as happened at Interlagos in 2024), the GP qualifying session is simply held on Sunday morning. A bit stressful, but doable.

Formula 1: Weather caprices time and again

It happens time and again that Formula 1 cars are unable to take to the track due to the weather, forcing a change to the schedule.

On six occasions in the Formula 1 World Championship, qualifying could only take place on race day due to bad weather: in Japan in 2004, in Japan in 2010, in Australia in 2013, in the USA in 2015, in Japan in 2019 and in Brazil in 2024.

But Grand Prix races have also been repeatedly disrupted by bad weather. Here is a list, which is by no means exhaustive.

Japan 2019: Typhoon Hagibis raged across Japan; on Saturday, nothing could take place at the historic Suzuka circuit. Qualifying and the race were held on Sunday.

USA 2015: It poured with rain in Austin on Saturday. Spectators were urged on the radio and on television not to turn up at the circuit at all. Qualifying was postponed six times by the then race director, Charlie Whiting, and then rescheduled for Sunday as it was slowly getting dark. The water poured not only into the teams’ pits but also into the media centre, like a river that had lost its way …

Australia 2013: The final practice session had to be interrupted because Melbourne was a sea of water. The first qualifying segment could still go ahead, but Q2 and Q3 had to be postponed until Sunday morning.

Canada 2011: Montreal was a grey, dreary affair. The race started behind the safety car. On lap 26, the rain became so heavy that the Grand Prix had to be neutralised.

Unforgettable was the scene of a young woman standing all alone in the rain behind the pits, completely soaked. She was waiting for her driver, who had got stuck in the traffic chaos. It was pop star Rihanna.

Meanwhile, the TV reporters talked their heads off; it wasn’t until two hours later that the cars were able to resume racing. With a duration of more than four hours (the clock does not stop during a race neutralisation), the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix is the longest World Championship race in Formula 1 history.

Japan 2010: The rain was falling so heavily that the final practice session at Suzuka could not even get underway. The teams passed the time by building little boats, which they let float down the sloping pit lane. Mechanics stepped out into the rain and encouraged the fans to do the Mexican wave. The soaking-wet spectators responded with thunderous applause. Qualifying had to be held on Sunday morning.

Malaysia 2009: After 31 of 56 laps, the race came to a complete standstill: it had to be suspended. The rain fell so heavily and persistently that it began to get dark. It was then clear that the Grand Prix would not resume. For the first time in 18 years, half points were awarded.

Japan 2004: Typhoon Ma-On brought lashing rain and fierce winds to the Suzuka region. The organisers closed the gates; no one was allowed onto the circuit. Final practice and the race were scheduled to take place together on Sunday. Teams and the media were urged to stock up on food and ride out the storm in their hotels …

Many visitors from Europe thought: ‘A bit dramatic, isn’t it?’ When I timidly peered out of the window that morning and saw the first corrugated iron roofs flying past, it suddenly became clear just how serious the situation was. Small lorries were positioned in front of the teams’ pits to minimise the risk of the roller shutters being crushed. Some of the lorries had been moved by metres!

Australia 1991: So, whilst the rain in Montreal produced the longest race in World Championship history, in Australia in 1991 it produced the shortest. After just 14 of 81 laps, continuing the race was out of the question; drivers were crashing into the barriers left and right due to aquaplaning. The race could not go on.