F1 Brazilian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying
Minute-by-minute updates of qualifying for the 2024 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix
McLaren team orders saw Lando Norris lead team-mate Oscar Piastri home for a one-two in the Brazilian sprint race earlier on Saturday.
Max Verstappen was third after besting Charles Leclerc in a lengthy battle, but dropped back to fourth following a post-race penalty for a virtual safety car infringement.
Rain arrived in time for what was supposed to be qualifying but to such an extent that the session was delayed, so we have qualifying and the race on the same day - the latter pulled forward to avoid further forecasted inclement weather.
The delayed qualifying session gets under way at 10:30am GMT, 07:30am local time.
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Q1 will resume at 10:47GMT. Despite that being three minutes away, drivers instantly piled out of the garage on wet tyres. Bottas has also switched back to full wets.
But even after that incident, Piastri is suggesting that he needs to switch to intermediates 'just to survive' with the current track conditions.
Given the tight turnaround for the grand prix which is scheduled to start in just over four hours, Williams will have a race against time to get that car ready to race.
Replays show that Colapinto got a slight slide on at Turn 2 and then was caught out by a moment of wheelspin at Turn 3 which sent him on a one-way trip to the barriers.
Colapinto was currently ninth fastest and looked strong while his Williams team-mate Albon is in the drop zone in 16th.
The medical car has been deployed, indicating it was a heavy hit, but he has radioed in to say that he is ok.
Colapinto has gone off at the Curva do Sol - Turn 3.
Red flag!
But Bottas is struggling to find time at this point, with visibility incredibly poor down the start straight.
Possibly explaining why Sauber has gambled in putting Bottas on the intermediate tyres, is that there is more rain on the way. This could be the best window of Q1.
Times are coming down but Ocon continues to lead the way with a 1m29.916s. Alonso follows with Tsunoda, Perez and Verstappen completing the top five.
This is bold, Bottas has pitted to fit intermediate tyres. A gamble, but the team has little to lose given its woeful performance so far this season.
Zhou also makes the same error, snatching the front left brake as he struggles to get temperatures up.
Another very brief yellow as Tsunoda makes the same error as his RB team-mate at Juncao.
The first cautious times are coming in, as Ocon sets the early pace with a 1m30.096s.
Green again as Lawson manages to recover from the Juncao grass.
Yellow flag in sector three as Lawson looks to have dropped his RB onto the grass.
Teams will have fuelled for the entire sessions, and a reminder, drivers have only two sets of the full wet tyre for the weekend.
The spray is huge but that should always be expected at the start of a wet session. It will ease as, or if, conditions improve.
No surprise, as full wet tyres are on every car.
Albon leads the pack out, with Norris and Gasly the next in the queue.
Here we go! Q1 is under way!
One minute before a glorious green flag will be shown!
A sign of how important getting a banker lap is, the drivers are queuing at the end of the pitlane.
Here we go with the F1 theme, signalling, we hope, the start of the proper action of the day!
Whereas the top order normally doesn't matter in Q1 or Q2, should conditions worsen, it is likely that the final completed session would set the grid order, so watch for all 20 drivers going all out on every lap.
This banker time would - for the top 15 at least - protect from a potential yellow or red flag intervention later in the session, or from the conditions worsening.
But why could it be crazy? Well, there is a 50/50 chance that the conditions at the start of Q1 could be either the best or the worst of the session.
This makes it crucial for all 20 drivers to get out there and set a banker time.
With the rain easing and conditions far more favourable than yesterday, all indications are that we will start Q1 in eight minutes, at half past the hour.
Drivers are getting into their cars and this could be a very chaotic opening few minutes.
Following the delays yesterday, Hamilton interrupted F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in an interview, stating the running would have been possible with better wet tyres.
Pirelli, however, disagrees.
Track temperature is 22C with the air temperature slightly cooler at 19.8C. Humidity, as was the case on Saturday, is 95%.
Helpfully, if the water falling from the sky wasn't enough of a hint, the FIA timing screen informs us that the "risk of rain for F1 qualifying session is 100%".
Good morning and welcome to qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Take two after last night's rain delays, and it's raining once more at Interlagos!
By: Sam Hall
