Brazilian GP qualifying put back to Sunday after heavy rain

SAO PAULO (AP) — Heavy rain at the Interlagos track washed out qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, with Sunday’s race set to start 90 minutes earlier than originally scheduled amid the forecast of more rain.

Organizers announced qualifying had been postponed Saturday after a two-hour delay, with no cars having the chance to clock any laps.

"The decision was taken due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain we have experienced in the past few hours. There is a lot of standing water on parts of the circuit which renders conditions unsafe," Formula One's governing body FIA said on social media. "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."

Qualifying will now take place Sunday at the Sao Paulo circuit.

The FIA said qualifying will start at 7:30 a.m. local time (5:30 ET), and the start of the Grand Prix was brought forward from 2 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (10:30 ET).

"This will ensure we maximize the chances of providing the fans with a day of racing action and both the FIA and F1 believe this change is necessary and the right thing to do for our passionate fans," the FIA said in a statement.

More than 60,000 fans started emptying the stands shortly after the announcement Saturday that there would be no qualifying that day.

Earlier, McLaren driver Lando Norris won the Formula 1 sprint race to cut his deficit to championship leader Max Verstappen.

But Norris had to thank teammate Oscar Piastri for handing him victory at Interlagos.

Red Bull’s Verstappen finished third, but lost one position due to a virtual safety car infringement.

The gap between Norris and Verstappen, with four grands prix and a final sprint race to the end of the season, is now 44 points.

Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, Piastri gave way to him.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also has a long shot at the title, ended fourth, just ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. The stewards’ decision after the sprint race pushed him to third ahead of Verstappen.

Mercedes’ George Russell, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were next best and within points positions.

Norris appeared upset on the team radio about leader Piastri’s pace for most of the sprint race.

“I am not sure what I am doing here, mate,” Norris said. “I thought we spoke about this.”

Later, Norris said McLaren had done a good job.

“I am not proud about it but we worked well as a team together so I thank Oscar,” he said. “Oscar deserved (a win) but we did what we had to do.”

At first, Piastri did not elaborate on the McLaren decision. “A great day for the team and a lot of points. We learned a lot for the race tomorrow,” he said.

Speaking to journalists later, Piastri described the race as “a bit of a tricky one.”

“(Giving way to Norris) is not as fun as winning,” the Australian driver said. “But we’ve been talking about this for months now.”

Three-time champion Verstappen will find it tough to beat the McLarens in Sunday’s race. He has received a five-place grid punishment after changing his engine for the sixth time in the season — the maximum allowed is four.

Stewards said in their decision that Verstappen was “above the minimum time at the virtual safety car end” during the sprint race. The Dutchman received a five-second penalty that dragged him to fourth place. He also picked up one penalty point, and now has a total of seven for the 12-month period.

The tribute to legendary three-time champion Ayrton Senna was also postponed. His title-winning McLaren will be driven by one of his biggest fans, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.