Sao Paulo GP start moved earlier as Sunday Qualifying confirmed amid rain chaos at Interlagos

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix start has been moved 90 minutes earlier – with Qualifying also taking place on Sunday morning – as bad weather wreaked havoc with the event’s schedule.

Qualifying was postponed until Sunday after heavy rain and thunderstorms prevented the session from taking place as scheduled on Saturday.

When creating a new schedule for Sunday – with Qualifying confirmed for 10.30am – the sport’s bosses then also decided to move the start of the race forward by 90 minutes to 3.30pm, amid fears over the forecast of more afternoon rain.

Lando Norris completed a Sprint victory earlier on Saturday to reduce Max Verstappen’s world championship lead to 44 points, but a downpour – along with thunder and lightning – prevented any further track action from taking place at Interlagos.

Qualifying was pushed back several times from its originally scheduled start of 6pm on Saturday, but almost two hours after it was meant to begin, race director Niels Wittich officially called it off.

A joint statement from Formula 1 and the FIA said: “Following the conditions in Sao 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.

“Therefore the decision has been taken, after consultation with the stewards, to schedule Qualifying for 07:30 local time (10.30am UK) on Sunday morning ahead of the Grand Prix at 12:30 local (3.30pm UK).

“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.

“We thank everyone for their patience today including the fans, drivers, teams, marshals, circuit staff and media and hope to give everyone an exciting event on Sunday.”

The stakes are extremely high given there are – including this weekend – only four rounds remaining in what has become an engrossing title battle between Red Bull’s Verstappen and McLaren’s Norris.

While the new amended scheduled seeks to avoid such a situation, there remains a potential for further delays on Sunday at the famous circuit, which has seen its unpredictable local weather system contribute to some of the most memorable moments in Formula 1 history.

There is no provision in the sport’s current regulations that dictate how the grid would be set in the event further rain prevented qualifying from taking place on Sunday, but the race was able to go ahead.

The FIA confirmed to Sky Sports News that the decision would be made by the stewards if necessary, but said their preferred option remains to run qualifying on Sunday morning.

In the event the classification from the only practice session of the weekend was used, Norris was fastest while Verstappen was 15th.

Another possibility would be to use the order set by Sprint Qualifying, which saw Norris finish second to team-mate Oscar Piastri, and Verstappen in fourth.

Regardless of how his qualifying position is established, Verstappen will receive a five-place grid penalty for the race, as a result of taking a new engine at the start of the weekend.

It’s the first time since the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix that a qualifying session has been pushed back to Sunday. The Suzuka event suffered the same fate in 2004 and 2010.

Qualifying was also pushed back at the 2015 United States Grand Prix, while weather meant qualifying at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix was cut short.

Sky Sports F1’s live Sao Paulo GP schedule

Sunday November 3

10am Sao Paulo Qualifying build-up
10.30am: SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
2pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Sao Paulo GP build-up
3.30pm: THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
5.30pm: Chequered Flag: Sao Paulo GP reaction
6.30pm: Ted’s Notebook

Formula 1’s Americas triple header concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime