F1 Weekend set for torrential rain at Interlagos

The highly anticipated F1 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend at Interlagos begins under heavy clouds and growing concern, as weather forecasts look anything but promising. The only free practice session of the weekend has just ended, filled with surprises and crucial data for the teams ahead of the Sprint Qualifying and Sunday’s race.

Teams now face a key decision: opt for a wet-weather setup in anticipation of rain, or take a more conservative approach and hope for a partially dry race.

Sao Paolo Weather forecast for the F1 weekend

Data from Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology indicates a rather critical situation for the next 24 hours. Interlagos is currently under a severe storm warning valid until Saturday at 23:59, with forecasts predicting:

Rainfall between 30–60 mm/h or 50–100 mm/day
Strong winds between 60–100 km/h
Possible hail

On track, the only performance indicators so far come from the recently concluded FP1 session. The McLarens of Norris and Piastri set the pace after roughly 30 laps each, topping the timesheets. Behind them came Nico Hülkenberg, followed by a strong Fernando Alonso and his teammate Bortoleto in fifth.

A tough start for Ferrari, with both cars struggling for pace and ending the session in P18 and P19. Verstappen’s Red Bull also had a quiet run, finishing 17th after 30 laps. Though these results should be taken with caution, given the unpredictable weather conditions.

Let’s not forget Verstappen’s incredible feat last year, when he won the Grand Prix starting all the way from P17 on the grid. A truly remarkable achievement.

Among the session highlights were a crash into the barriers by Yuki Tsunoda in his Red Bull, which brought out the red flag, and a late spin from Lewis Hamilton in the final minutes