São Paulo GP qualifying red-flagged by heavy rain

FIA race director Rui Marques stopped qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix within three minutes of the session starting, after a torrential downpour swept over Interlagos. Most drivers had been waiting in the pit lane on intermediate tyres, and several had moved onto extreme-wet tyres for their out lap before the rain intensified.

Qualifying was halted after two minutes and 23 seconds. The FIA said at 15:09 local time, nine minutes after the session began, that it expected the rain to continue for about 10 minutes. A spokesperson added that once conditions improved, the medical car would be sent out to assess the level of standing water on track.