The Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend was thrown into disarray as heavy rainfall forced the postponement of qualifying to Sunday morning.
Known for unpredictable weather, the race—formerly called the Brazilian Grand Prix—has a history of rain-soaked drama and shifting outcomes. In 2022, Kevin Magnussen secured his first and only pole position amid sudden downpours during qualifying. Rain was also crucial to Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship, as his last-lap pass on Timo Glock at a drenched Interlagos secured him his first world title. The 2003 Brazilian GP saw another chaotic race, where a major crash ultimately led to Giancarlo Fisichella’s first career win days after the race had ended.
The weekend in Sao Paulo began smoothly with the Sprint Race format, and Oscar Piastri claimed pole for Saturday’s shortened race. McLaren used team orders to allow Lando Norris to take the victory before teams turned their attention to qualifying preparations. However, as storms intensified, initial delays soon gave way to a rescheduling of the session for Sunday morning.
F1 regulations lack a clear process for setting the grid in case of a qualifying cancellation, leading Damon Hill to weigh in with his thoughts on a possible solution.
The 1996 Formula 1 world champion endorsed what he called a “sensible” approach to the qualifying dilemma, noting that the stewards could technically rely on results from any of the three sessions completed so far in Sao Paulo to determine the grid if qualifying remains unfeasible.
Journalist Mark Hughes shared Hill’s perspective on social media, echoing the idea of a pragmatic approach for grid formation if weather continues to interfere: “If qualifying can’t happen tomorrow morning, then it would be much fairer to use Sprint qualifying than FP1 to form the grid. As every driver was treating it as a qualifying session.” – he wrote.
Damon Hill shared Mark Hughes’s message and pointed out that “as always a sensible suggestion from @SportmphMark.”
In such a scenario, Oscar Piastri would make history as the first F1 driver to secure his maiden pole position without completing a lap in a traditional qualifying session.
This outcome would be favorable for McLaren, with Norris joining Oscar Piastri on the front row and Max Verstappen dropping to 9th due to an engine penalty.
The Brazilian Grand Prix also looms large for Sergio Perez, as the pressure mounts on his future at Red Bull. With only three races remaining after Sao Paulo, teams are finalizing their driver line-ups for next season. Despite Perez’s contract potentially extending through 2026, rumors suggest his position could be under threat.
Sergio Perez has faced struggles in qualifying this season, missing out on the final session for the Sprint Race and suffering five Q1 eliminations. If Hill’s suggested solution is adopted, Perez could find himself with yet another uphill battle, needing a strong finish to silence speculation about his future.
Nevertheless, Sergio Perez showcased his resilience by climbing through the pack to secure a point in Saturday’s Sprint Race. He’ll be gearing up for another close fight with Liam Lawson if he’s required to start in the midfield again.
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