The schedule for the São Paulo Grand Prix is undergoing significant changes: due to expected severe weather, the race will now start at 14:30 UTC. This is an hour and a half earlier than originally planned. The FIA announced the decision late Saturday evening, hoping to prevent the race in Brazil from being literally and figuratively washed out on Sunday. This already happened with the qualification on Saturday evening. That session is now scheduled for 09:30 UTC.
As a result of the changes, drivers and teams will have to start early on Sunday. In Brazil, it’s four hours behind the Netherlands, which means that the qualification in São Paulo will start at half past seven in the morning. By the time the race starts, it will be half past twelve in the afternoon locally. The race was initially scheduled for two o’clock, but the FIA has now changed this at the last minute.
The reason for this is the predicted weather forecast, which promises little good later on Sunday afternoon. To avoid problems, the decision was made to bring the race forward. There must be a time span of four hours between qualification and race, which is why the former is scheduled extremely early on Sunday morning.
The session was supposed to take place on Saturday, but was repeatedly postponed and eventually rescheduled. According to Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali, it was “not safe enough to go on the track.” Max Verstappen can only hope that the qualification will go ahead on Sunday morning in Brazil. If the session is cancelled again, he may face a major problem.
