F1 qualifying postponed until Sunday
Rain flooded Suzuka earlier today (Saturday). After speculating about the track, the stewards decided that qualifying would be postponed until further notice.
The qualifying session was set to take place half an hour later at first but then after evaluating the track after a half an hour delay, Alexander Wurz, the FIA steward for track speculation stated that the track is still not safe enough for the Formula
1 cars and it would be a huge risk for the cars and drivers.
The stewards announced that qualifying would begin after another hour as they constantly kept evaluating the track in the safety car. Things were not looking good, as the track was flooded in many areas more than it is usually. After over an hour of investigation,
the stewards finally had to give a verdict that qualifying cannot take place in these conditions, as it was still too dangerous.
This was one of the heaviest rains Formula 1 has ever witnessed in an Asian grand prix. The Japanese grand prix is usually dry but this time, the final races at the Asian circuits are expected to be wet due to the unstable weather conditions in the continent.
It was mainly because there was a lot of wind and that is not safe for the cars. This would affect the drivers drastically as they now have to compete in the race a couple of hours after the qualifying session this Sunday.
It would be an exhausting and difficult race for the drivers due to the unstable conditions. It would be interesting to see what the teams have to say about this, as this is not how it is supposed to be. The drivers are never prepared for such circumstances.
One can say that the stewards should have come up with some sort of plan in order to ensure the safety of the drivers today as these conditions were already expected. The top three teams will have a difficult time racing this weekend and it is clear that
it is any man’s race now. The practice sessions went into a waste as the drivers tested their cars in dry conditions.
It is going to be a risky race for the top five however, that will make the race tomorrow even more interesting and that is exactly what the FIA needs currently. The race is going to be very dramatic and unpredictable. This Sunday is going to be off the
hook with a qualifying session and a race back-to-back. It will be every Formula 1 fan’s dream come true.
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