Lewis Hamilton challenged Formula One’s CEO Stefano Domenicali during an interview moments after the Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying was postponed due to heavy rainfall. The Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying had been postponed as heavy rain caused standing water on sections of the track, so it was deemed unsafe despite the best efforts of the stewards and officials to clear the water.
Formula One CEO Domenicali was mid-interview with F1 TV when the Mercedes driver approached him insisting that if they had better tyres they could go out and race. Of course, the Brit said it in a playful manner, but even he admitted that he was putting the boss on the spot, especially given he was part way through a live TV interview.
Hamilton said: “You should’ve sent us out, this is ridiculous, we should go out! I wanna go out! If you give us better wet tyres or blankets, we’d be able to run in this!”
Domenicali did not respond to Hamilton’s comment on the tyres, but the pair laughed and embraced before the seven-time world champion headed into the garage.
FIA Statement on Why Brazil GP Qualifying Was Postponed
Qualifying will now take place on the morning of race day
Hamilton’s desire to race in the rain in Sao Paulo is no surprise to F1 fans as he won his first World Championship in the wet in Brazil way back in 2008. However, the FIA said: “The decision to postpone was taken due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain we have experienced in the past few hours.
“As much as we would all like to see competition on track, the safety of drivers, team members, volunteers, officials, and spectators is our main priority. As you know, it’s a great event, and we need to make sure that we can maximise everything in all the conditions that can be acceptable, of course.”
Qualifying will now take place on Sunday, the 3rd of November, at 10:30am GMT, with the race scheduled for 3:30pm the same day.
Lewis Hamilton Driving Ayrton Senna’s Iconic McLaren
It is unknown as of yet if it will still happen
Hamilton was also due to drive Ayrton Senna’s 1990 McLaren MP4/5B after qualifying yesterday to commemorate the late Brazilian’s legacy as part of Honda’s SENNA FOREVER initiative.
2024 Drivers’ Championship top 5 (as of 03/11/24) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Position | Driver | Team | Points |
1. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 362 |
2. | Lando Norris | McLaren | 315 |
3. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 291 |
4. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 251 |
5. | Carlos Sainz Jr | Ferrari | 240 |
Before the race postponement, Hamilton said: “Never in a million years thought I’d ever get to drive Senna’s car here. I remember someone contacted me, my manager told me about it, and I jumped at the opportunity. Just the thought of driving that car around here… I remember the races when he finally won here and held the flag. It will definitely be quite an emotional experience and I hope people are here to see it.”
However, it is yet to be confirmed if this historic celebration will still take place due to the rain forcing the weekend’s schedule to be rearranged.