Drivers: Superleague right to red flag

Only one quarter-final, between Yelmer Buurman (Anderlecht) and Antonio Pizzonia (Corinthians) had been completed, and the second was about to begin, when organisers threw red flags to stop the procedure. Buurman, who was beaten in the first quarter, aquaplaned into the gravel at the Old Hairpin on his in-lap.

Roma's Jonathan Kennard, who was on track for the second quarter final against Davide Rigon (Olympiakos), said: "It was totally the right thing to do. It was as bad as the rain at the Malaysian GP earlier this year!

"The regulations say you have to keep close to the car in front, but even on the out-lap I was on the radio saying, 'I've got to drop back, I can't see a thing!' I was in fourth gear, barely touching the throttle, and I was getting wheelspin."

Buurman thought the session should not have started at all.

"It was ridiculous," he said. "I was on the radio, telling them it was undriveable. They could see the pictures from my on-board camera, but it went ahead. I was wheelspinning all down the straights."

Of his in-lap off into the gravel, Buurman said: "There was a river running across the track just before the Old Hairpin. It pushed me to the outside, and I kind of floated into the gravel from there."