Qualifying postponed: Previous examples

by Alex Johnston

Inclement weather has seen qualifying for this season’s São Paulo Grand Prix postponed, a first occurrence of F1 doing so on a race weekend since Japan around five years ago.

It’s the just the third time in decade F1’s ‘quali’ session has suffered this fate, highlighting just how common or, not common, this occurrence is. So, where has it happened before?

Suzuka, Japan - 2019

Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on the weekend of the Japanese Grand Prix, which saw the qualifying postponed to the Sunday morning.

📸 Heavy rain and wind battered Suzuka.

The session took place 4 hours before the race was due to start and was eventful, with Williams’ Robert Kubica and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen each causing a red flag with accidents in Q1, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg suffered a hydraulic failure in Q2, while Sebastian Vettel would go on to take final pole of his career for Ferrari.

📸 Kubica clambers out of his car.

COTA, America - 2015

Rain and flood warnings plagued the Circuit of the Americas for the US Grand Prix weekend in 2015, with the qualifying start time delayed multiple times before being rescheduled for race day. During the wait, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat took part in some pitlane dancing, an act that earned criticism from Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene, likening the act to something out of a circus.

📸 Ricciardo and Kvyat, then teammates, entertained with some ballroom action in the paddock!

When qualifying got under way, it was red flagged when Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz crashed and Sebastian Vettel narrowly made it into Q2 after contact with a barrier.

With worsening conditions and drivers spinning out or aquaplaning Q2 times were used to set the grid, giving Nico Rosberg pole position ahead of teammate and Ricciardo.

📸 Kvyat and Ricciardo chase down Hamilton.

Suzuka, Japan - 2010

Suzuka features again, and actually for what ended up being the second time in six years after a postponement in 2004.

Heavy rain struck on the Saturday with poor visibility the eventual reason the then race director, Charlie Whiting, gave for the postponement of qualifying.

📸 Heavy rain took over the Suzuka circuit.

Sebastian Vettel would eventually stick it on pole next to teammate Mark Webber and ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

📸 Japan has fallen victim to weather on multiple occasions.

📸 Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, Red Bull Content Pool.