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F1 LIVE | Follow qualifying for the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1 descended into chaos with a postponed qualifying session on Saturday due to heavy rain. Therefore, they will attempt to complete qualifying on Sunday morning, prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix. Once again, Lando Norris will be hoping to get the better of his World Championship rival Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver will have to take a five-place grid penalty for an engine change. Ferrari and Mercedes will also try to spoil the party at the front of the grid.
F1 LIVE | Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix
Why is qualifying on a Sunday?
The FIA released a statement explaining the decision. "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 FIA said.
That's not the only change to the schedule. Due to the weather forecast, a change to the start time of the Brazilian Grand Prix has also been made.
"Following the conditions in São Paulo today the decision was taken not to proceed with Qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading light. Safety is always the paramount consideration in such circumstances and while as much time as possible was given to allow conditions to improve they sadly did not. We have huge appreciation for all the fans that stayed at the circuit in hope of seeing cars on track today," the FIA and Formula 1 said in a statement.
"Therefore the decision has been taken, after consultation with the stewards, to schedule Qualifying for 07:30 local time on Sunday morning ahead of the Grand Prix at 12:30 local. This will ensure we maximise the chances or providing the fans with a day of racing action and both the FIA and Formula 1 believe this time change is necessary and the right thing to do for all our passionate fans," the statement concluded. The next problem is the weather forecast in Brazil. It is due to rain all day, so finding a window where cars can go out on track and complete both sessions could prove to be difficult.
What has happened so far this weekend?
Lando Norris finished fastest in the first and only free practice session, but Max Verstappen was set to go faster before pulling out in the third sector. The Red Bull Racing driver thus kept his powder dry on the soft tyre and finished 14th fastest. Norris finished one-tenth faster than second-placed George Russell, with Oliver Bearman finishing third fastest. The young British driver has replaced Kevin Magnussen at Haas this weekend after the Danish driver was sick.
Oscar Piastri topped sprint qualifying at Interlagos and will start from pole position in the Sprint event. Lando Norris joined the Australian on the front row of the grid, while Charles Leclerc rounded off the top 3. Except for the two McLaren drivers, everybody had only a single shot in SQ3 at Interlagos. Norris could not win the session, but started ahead of his title rival Verstappen on Saturday, as the Dutchman finished in P4. Carlos Sainz finished in P5, ahead of George Russell.
After McLaren's team orders, Lando Norris won the Sprint in Brazil ahead of Piastri and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman however was given a five-second penalty for VSC infringement, and therefore, got relegated to P4 behind Charles Leclerc. Currently, the gap between the two drivers stands at 44 points.