One hour and 23 minutes. That was the rain delay that threatened to push Formula 1 qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix into a repeat of 2024, squeezed onto Sunday morning. A break in the clouds saved the session, and the circuit dried just enough for safety car specialist Bernd Maylander to approve the conditions. A handful of drivers complained about visibility, but they soon focused on getting around the track.
That meant running the full-wet tyre, the "x-wet" in F1 terms. Often derided as a tyre only fit for trundling behind the safety car, the blue-walled Pirelli held up well in the standing water. Aquaplaning was widespread, but water dispersal as the rain held off soon brought the track to a more driveable state. The trade-off is spray: Pirelli estimates around 85 litres of water per second is thrown up, which drastically cuts visibility. Without that dispersal, however, the circuit would stay wetter for longer.
Drivers also struggled to pick braking points, since poor visibility forces them to find a reference in their immediate field of view, and stopping distances are considerably longer. Race control's cautious approach to wet conditions made the decision to reopen the session a welcome surprise. Carlos Sainz called it a "punchy" call from the FIA, admitting the cars were aquaplaning in sixth and seventh gear down the straights.
Liam Lawson agreed the session was "extremely sketchy," but said he preferred being on track to sitting in the garage. Fernando Alonso noted that the wet conditions gave less-fancied teams a chance, as power unit differences were muted, though he admitted engine drivability remained an issue.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing