Storms and heavy rain are expected in Brazil with race organisers looking to cancel significant sessions of the Brazilian Grand Prix including the race itself. Severe weather could disrupt the Formula São Paulo Grand Prix weekend, with forecasts warning of storms and intense rainfall at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo on Saturday. Depending on the severity of the incoming system, the weather could have a major impact on both the sprint race and qualifying sessions, and even the Grand Prix itself on Sunday could be severely impacted.
Weather warnings have been issued
The Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology has issued an orange alert for storms across the São Paulo region. The warning includes predictions of heavy rain, strong winds and potential lightning, particularly during the morning. An FIA spokesperson confirmed that the storm is expected to peak between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time, with gusts potentially reaching 75 km/h.
Interlagos has a long-standing reputation for unpredictable weather. Sudden downpours have often influenced results and caused delays at previous races, including last year’s event, when heavy rain affected sessions throughout the weekend.
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Safety and procedural measures
Should the storm arrive as predicted, the FIA will instruct all Formula 1 teams to secure their garages outside of official session times to minimise potential damage. Once the bad weather sets in, race control will assess conditions before deciding whether to continue with the sessions.
Track officials are also preparing for potential flooding in the paddock and pit lane areas, as the drainage system at Interlagos has been a cause for concern during previous heavy rainfall. The FIA will closely monitor radar data and coordinate with local authorities to manage the evolving situation.
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Possible schedule disruption
The sprint race is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. local time. If conditions are unsafe for racing, the event could be delayed or postponed. However, there is only a narrow window for rescheduling before qualifying, which is due to start at 2 p.m. local time.
According to Formula 1’s sporting regulations, qualifying cannot begin until at least three hours after the sprint concludes. This restricts the ability to move either session, given that sunset in São Paulo occurs around 6:30 p.m. local time. Any significant delay could necessitate changes to Sunday’s timetable, akin to the 2024 race weekend when severe weather disrupted Saturday’s schedule and qualifying was shifted to Sunday morning.
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Forecast for the remainder of the weekend
For now, meteorologists expect the storms to weaken by Saturday evening, with much calmer conditions forecast for Sunday’s main Grand Prix. Currently, the probability of rain during the race itself remains low, suggesting that drivers may face dry conditions for the main event with the current forecasts. However, this is subject to change as the weekend unfolds, especially given how unpredictable tropical cyclones are by nature. Further, with the increased time schedule pressure involved in a sprint race weekend, any remaining stormy weather going into Sunday could well see the entire race weekend severely disrupted or even cancelled altogether.
If tomorrows sprint race goes ahead, it will consist of 24 laps around the 4.3-kilometre Interlagos circuit. For World Championship points to be awarded, at least half of those laps must be completed and two or more laps must be run under green flag conditions without the safety car. The sprint format does not include the awarding of half points, so a race shortened below the required distance would yield no championship results.
With the championship entering its final stages, weather could once again be a decisive factor in São Paulo, as it has been many times before. All eyes will be on the skies over Interlagos as Formula 1 prepares for another potentially chaotic weekend in Brazil.
MORE F1 NEWS – Leclerc SLAMS his Ferrari team “not good enough”
Charles Leclerc claimed his seventh podium for Ferrari this season last time out in Mexico, but his second place may have been saved by a late Virtual Safety Car. Max Verstappen on an alternative tyre strategy had closed a twelve second gap after his pit stop to the Ferrari driver and was battling with Leclerc as Carlos Sainz car came to a halt in the stadium section.
Ferrari are in a tight battle for second place in the constructor’s championship, just a point ahead of Mercedes and ten ahead of Max Verstappen and Red Bull. With Lewis Hamilton scoring just 146 points this year, Leclerc’s 210 have not been enough to see of their main two rivals.
Yet Leclerc is dismissive of the importance of finishing second or lower, given the massive points differential to McLaren who won the team trophy with six race weekends remaining.
Ferrari “not good enough”
“It’s not good enough, no,” said the Monegasque driver. “I think when you drive for such a team, the only thing that is good enough is to win. But it’s also true to say that we are against a very, very strong competition and also teams that have a lot of history in the sport and that are very special in their own way. So, it’s not easy.
“But I think, as Ferrari, when you work for such an incredible brand, it’s not good enough and you’ve got to target winning.”
Hopes were high for Ferrari coming into 2025 given across the final six races they had closed a 74 point gap to the leaders to just fourteen come the curtain falling in Abu Dhabi. Yet a strange decision to build an “all new car,” as team boss Fred Vasseur described the SF-25, in the final year of this set of technical regulations has the the team nowhere again in terms of a title fight.
Ferrari have now surpassed their previous longest drought without a constructors’ title which was sixteen long seasons between 1984-1999. It was 2008 when the championship last went to the Maranello based team, with drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Thiago Treze is a Brazilian motorsport writer at TJ13 with a background in sports journalism and broadcast media, alongside an academic foundation in engineering with a focus on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This combination of technical knowledge and editorial experience allows Thiago to approach Formula 1 from both a performance and narrative perspective.
At TJ13, Treze covers driver performance, career developments, and key storylines across the Formula 1 grid, while also analysing the technical factors that influence competitiveness. This includes aerodynamic development trends, simulation-driven design approaches, and the engineering decisions that shape race weekend outcomes.
His reporting bridges the gap between human performance and machine development, helping readers understand how driver execution and technical innovation interact in modern Formula 1. Coverage often connects on-track events with the underlying engineering philosophies that define each team’s approach.
With a global perspective shaped by both journalism and technical study, Thiago also focuses on Formula 1’s international reach and the different ways the sport is experienced across regions.
Treze has a particular interest in how Computational Fluid Dynamics and aerodynamic modelling contribute to car performance, offering accessible explanations of complex technical concepts within Formula 1.
