Lewis Hamilton gives his verdict on Brazil Grand Prix qualifying being postponed as he interrupts F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to ‘put him on the spot’
- Lewis Hamilton said with a smile that it was ‘ridiculous’ to postpone qualifying
- There has been a wider debate lately about the quality of wet tires
- Qualifying for the Brazilian GP will take place on Sunday at 10.30am UK time
Lewis Hamilton claimed qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix should have gone ahead as scheduled after it rained.
The Mercedes star interrupted F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali mid-interview to demand better wet tires and jokingly said it was ‘ridiculous’ they were not on track.
Qualifying will take place at 10.30am UK time, after being postponed due to heavy rain and lightning in Sao Paulo, with the race starting at 3.30pm.
A huge effort was made to get the circuit into a usable condition, but darkness fell and the FIA confirmed that qualifying at Interlagos had been postponed.
‘You should have sent us out! This is ridiculous, we have to go outside! I want to go outside!’ Hamilton intervened as Domenicali spoke live to F1TV.
Lewis Hamilton interrupted F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to question the call to push back qualifying
The Mercedes star demanded ‘better wet tires or blankets’ in a good-natured meeting
Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions
Staff and teams had to sweep away the rain to try and get the track ready for competition
“If you give us better wet tires or blankets, we could run in these!”
“I’m putting you on the spot!”
Domenicali replied “me too” to the star’s prompting and they both laughed and hugged in a good-natured encounter.
However, the quality of wet tires is a point of contention, especially that of the heavily profiled full wets, one of two compounds available alongside the lightly profiled intermediates.
The FIA has also tried to ban wet tire heating blankets, although that plan has been criticized by drivers and postponed until at least next season.
Lando Norris reduced Max Verstappen’s lead at the top of the standings by three points after McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri handed him victory in the sprint race.
He is now just 44 points behind the Dutch star, with three race weekends to go after this.
Domenicali said: ‘We have no control over the weather, as you know, and it’s a shame, but the conditions are not safe for driving, it’s as simple as that.
Lando Norris could close the gap with Max Verstappen to 26 points, with three race weekends to follow after the Brazilian GP
The qualifying session was postponed repeatedly throughout the day until it was called off
‘And there is also a problem [with the lack of] light that will appear on the track very soon. So that’s unfortunately the situation we have to deal with.”
Asked whether qualifying will go ahead tomorrow morning, he said: ‘That is the plan. Now the FIA is doing the final check on what could be the right timings to organize the quality and follow the plan and make the day complete because it is a great event.
‘We have to make sure that we can maximize everything, under all circumstances that are of course acceptable.
“We just have to thank the fans, but they will understand that racing in these conditions is impossible.”