Could Brazilian GP Face Same Fate as Emilia Romagna GP as Heavy Thunderstorm Razes Down Host City?

What a nightmarish start to the 2023 Brazilian GP we’ve had. The Sprint weekend saw its first piece of action and also gave us the sign of things to come. In one word, we’re talking about the turbulent weather we witnessed during the qualifying session. The Friday main race qualifying session was cut short because of the said weather. The scary scenes make us wonder if the action at Interlagos will suffer the same fate as Imola.

We are all aware of the sad fate the Emilia Romagna GP faced at the start of the season. The unexpected and volatile downpour flooded the track and effectively canceled the first race in Italy. Now with reports on Twitter, the race in Brazil is also under serious threat with the situation worsening because of the heavy downpour.

Why might the Brazilian GP suffer the same fate as the Emilia Romagna GP and face cancellation?

The race at Interlagos is under serious threat as dark clouds covered the track and turned day into night. The downpour soon began with the qualifying red-flagged with four minutes left on the clock. However, it was the chaos that followed which has put the race weekend in jeopardy.

According to reports, there is absolute chaos in Brazil at the moment. A tweet from Silja Rulle highlights, “Some areas of São Paulo are without electricity, in the area around Congonhas everything is dark, I saw trees in the middle of the road, no street lights or traffic lights.”

Such grave conditions have put the race at Interlagos in doubt. If the heavy rains continue, we might have to settle with a 21-race season. However, as of now, no such suggestions have been made by the governing body.

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Although an incident, which was luckily avoided, would’ve guaranteed the cancellation of the race weekend. An account from a photographer present at the track during the qualifying session highlighted the scenario.

How the Brazilian GP cancellation would’ve been imminent as highlighted by photographer Andy Hone

Andy Hone, a seasoned F1 photographer, witnessed the chaos at Interlagos firsthand from the track during the qualifying session. When the weather worsened, they all sought refuge in the nearby Porsche camp and witnessed a horrifying scenario. Let us tell you about it in his own words.

As quoted by Bild, he said, “What a scary 10 minutes on the track! A grandstand roof collapsed in the last corner and I was almost beheaded by falling debris!” (Translated via Google)

He also revealed how all spectators came out of this potentially fatal scenario harmless. “I think everyone is doing well. It all seems to have come out before the roof collapsed. People have shouted that everyone should get out immediately. But for a few moments, no one knew where it was safe to go,” he added.

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With such a horrific scenario unfolding during the qualifying session, we hope things don’t take a turn for the worse and we continue the action-packed weekend at Interlagos, which has given us some incredibly thrilling storylines over the years.