Organizers of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix are taking precautions due to forecast storms at Interlagos ahead of Saturday’s sprint.
A cyclone off the coast of Brazil is bringing the threat of thunderstorms to the state of Sao Paulo, with the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) warning of heavy rainfall, strong winds and hail. On Friday evening, push notifications from Brazil’s Civil Defense were received via mobile phones in the region, instructing the public to avoid open areas and seek shelter if necessary. The warning was in force from 3pm local time on Friday until the end of Saturday, with the FIA told that the greatest risk of the first major storm on Saturday is between 6am and 9am.
In preparation, certain parts of the circuit are being secured to soften the impact of the strong winds, which are expected to be between 60 and 60 km/h.
No changes have been made to the schedule due to the uncertainty of the actual conditions that will impact Interlagos. The sprint currently starts at 11am local time, while qualifying takes place on Saturday at 3pm.
Last year, heavy rain and thunderstorms caused qualifying to be postponed until early Sunday morning. The race itself was brought forward by 90 minutes to try to avoid the worst of the weather and allow fans to enter and exit the circuit safely.
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