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.
Qualifying gets under way at 6pm GMT, 3pm local time.
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Good afternoon and welcome to Interlagos for qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
We'd like to give you some positive news to start with but alas, we can't. The heavens have opened and the likelihood that qualifying will get under way on time is minimal, with thunder and lightning now joining the party!
Highlighting the weather in Brazil, on the ground for us is Filip Cleeren with this update.
So far there is no indication on the FIA screens that there will be a delay to the session, but given the amount of rainfall and the fact that the medical helicopter likely can't take off in these conditions, it is a likely outcome.
As we say that, there is the official confirmation. "The start of qualifying will be delayed. Further update at 15:00 [local time]".
Bringing you up to date on things that have happened since the sprint race, Verstappen has been handed a five-second penalty for a VSC infringement. That dropped him from third to fourth.
The most helpful update of all on the FIA timing screen now - Risk of rain for F1 qualifying session is 100%.
You do wonder why some messages are posted!
Given the lightning, camera operators aren't even trackside at this point due to safety reasons.
If you wanted some good news, this is not the place to be, as rain is also forecast for tomorrow, meaning qualifying and the race could also be at risk.
The big problem here as well as the rain is the lack of light, with sunset around two hours after the originally planned start time.
That's not a lot of wriggle room.
So what happens if qualifying does begin but is not completed? If Q1 is run but nothing more, the grid will be set entirely by that outcome.
Our team on the ground are working out the protocol for if qualifying does not take place at all.
The next update will be in half an hour, 3:30pm local time, 6:30pm GMT.
Talking to Sky Sports, Williams team principal James Vowles has described a wet qualifying for Franco Colapinto as a "baptism of fire," given he has not yet experienced driving an F1 car in wet conditions.
You can see the problem...
Wet weather
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
So, the Brazilian Grand Prix filler competition begins. Ordinarily, I'd drop a couple of comments on the latest Ipswich game here to pad things out, but the less said about that at the moment, the better.
Hamilton showing what you should do in the rain; go out and get content for the 'gram.
12 minutes until the all-important time when we'll get the next delay - I mean - update from the FIA.
As things stand, there is less than two hours of daylight remaining, so we really are approaching crunch time for either running qualifying or coming back tomorrow morning.
The temperature is beginning to creep back up again, now reaching 24.2C. But humidity remains at 95% and rain continues to fall.
The medical car is currently on the track, taking a look at conditions before the next update is issued.
Here comes the next update...
Good news! "The estimated start time of qualifying will be 16:00 (local time)". That's 19:00 GMT!
The team on the ground in Brazil are reporting back that conditions appear to have improved somewhat, but that there are still significant puddles on the track.
Despite this positive change in conditions, the rain continues to fall and 'puddles' appears to be an understatement, as the safety and medical cars paddle around the lake, sorry, track.
"This [the conditions] is as good as it's going to get. If we don't get on with it, we're going to miss the window," says Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
But it appears the FIA hasn't listened to Horner, with the new estimated start time 16:15 local time, 19:15 GMT.
The safety car is heading back out with the race director in tow. Conditions have, sadly, deteriorated once more.
On a positive note, the thunder and lightning have now cleared.
Sweepers are on track trying to clear the worst of the standing water on the start straight. But with how heavy the rain is, it looks hugely unlikely that this will happen at the advertised time.
"It's still tipping down. It's not the deluge we had half and hour ago, but it's still heavy rain," Damon Hill tells Sky Sports.
There's around an hour left of daylight in Brazil, but the lights on the safety car show how dark things have got already.
Hang on...the official F1 theme has begun to blare out. Could we be in for some action or is this some kind of cruel trick?
With teams needing notice before the session begins, it's likely we'll have a further update in the very near future.
The last we've heard is still an estimated start time of 16:15 local time, 19:15 GMT.
There's the expected update - a new estimated time to start qualifying of 16:30 local time, 19:30 GMT.
A further problem that is becoming evident from the TV footage is the amount of water running from the crowd banks onto the track. There's no way of stalling that flow.
A developing story during the 'water break', and it's to do with water - appropriately. A new controversy to add to the pile for 2024.
It's still raining and the delays have come almost every 15 minutes. By that timing, the next one should be imminent...
There's the update - 16:45 local time estimated start to qualifying, 19:45 GMT.
Fans in the grandstands are now waving their phones about with lights on. It's very gloomy and conditions are getting far worse!
Watching the onboard from the safety car which has headed out again, visibility is poor, and there is significant standing water. The odds of this session taking place don't look brilliant.
By: Autosport Staff
