F1 Brazilian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race

Colapinto came in just before that VSC, so will lose out a fair bit in the lower midfield battle. Hulkenberg meanwhile has got going again.

Ocon passes Tsunoda for third as visibility drops to near zero! 

Lap times are dropping significantly and Norris is now on the gearbox of Russell. 

Despite his fresher tyres, Leclerc hasn't been able to make any impression on the drivers he's emerged behind, Bearman and Hamilton.

Norris is almost begging McLaren to allow him to pit from second as the spray increases, but her's instructed to remain on the track.

Off the track goes Lawson at Turn 2. He drops from sixth to ninth. 

Mercedes are under investigation for altering tyre pressures on the grid following the aborted start. "On the grid and when the race start was aborted, between the 10 minutes and the 5 minutes signal, on car numbers 63 and 44, the tyre pressures were adjusted (pressure released) with wheels already fitted to the car."

Now Colapinto loses two spots to Bearman and Hamilton; so the Haas shuffles up to P12. The rain is definitely getting worse.

Sainz now has lost two places to Bearman and Hamilton after running very, very wide at Turn 4. Albeit not so far as the wall struck by Stroll on the warm-up lap. So we're back to where we were in the early laps with Colapinto fending off Bearman. 

Look to the horizon and it's doomsday incoming. The light is already fading and it's only a matter of time before the torrential rain hits. 

Verstappen lunges twice more on lap 22 but there's no luck. 

Sainz will of course be driving Colapinto's Williams next year, but he would probably rather not be studying its rear suspension geometry through a rain-spattered visor.

Verstappen pulls to the outside of Turn 1 but Leclerc pins him to the outside of the track and retains fifth. Ocon has scampered off into the distance as a result. 

Will Sainz be any more effective at picking off Colapinto? The Williams seems rapid in a straight line. Hamilton meanwhile is complaining that his Mercedes is "not driveable" with bouncing and locking up his chief complaints.

Verstappen is now 11.8s off the lead as he struggles to make inroads on Leclerc and Ocon. With Tsunoda in third, it cannot be overstated how good of a job the RB and Alpine drivers are doing. 

Replays show a big lock-up for Hamilton once more at Juncao. Although he kept it on the road this time, Sainz picked him off at the exit, while Bearman made the move into Turn 4.

"Slicktermediate," we like that term. Norris is informed of the incoming rain and the state that his tyre will be in when that moment arrives. 

Hamilton has lost more places, with Sainz and Bearman also demoting the Mercedes driver.

Norris is closing up to Russell now. The gap is 0.6s and he appears to be making a push before potential pit stops. 

"It's getting slippery with these worn tyres in the wet here," reports Hulkenberg. He continues to sit 11th, in a bit of no-man's land with a gap to Alonso ahead and a chasm to Colapinto behind.

So, heavy rain incoming. We have about 15 minutes before that is expected to hit. It could be as bad or worse than the weather that halted qualifying yesterday, so buckle in for the long haul...

"Bigger rain expected in 15 minutes," Alonso is informed. 

We now have a trio of cars in close proximity, with Ocon leading Leclerc and Verstappen. 

We've had a change for ninth spot as Gasly passes Alonso.

"I'm so slow on the straight," says Norris of his passing problems. 

Looking back to the front, Russell is still managing the gap to Norris at around one second. Without DRS, it appears that, unless your name is Verstappen, overtaking is a significant issue. 

Having capitalised on Hamilton's off, Colapinto has been stubbornly keeping the Mercedes man behind him - with Sainz making the fight for 12th a three-car affair.

Perez comes very close to making contact with Bearman at Turn 5, the left-hand kink, after the Haas driver ran deep into Turn 4. Making his third F1 start, the Briton was not giving that up easily and slammed the door shut in the Red Bull driver's face, forcing him into hastily backing out.

Next up for Verstappen is Leclerc. The gap is currently 0.8s. 

Piastri, still in eighth and unable to pass Lawson, is told by his engineer that this level of rain is now expected until lap 30.

Bottas had been managing to hold up Sainz, Bearman and Perez but has been shuffled back to P17 ahead only of team-mate Zhou.

This means that the drivers will not be able to serve any potential penalties during the race.