Antonelli and Bearman say São Paulo Q1 restart went beyond the limit

Qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix resumed after an 83-minute rain delay, with cars on full-wet tyres and standing water still on the circuit. After the session, Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman said conditions at the Q1 restart were over the limit. Antonelli described them as the wettest conditions he had ever driven in and said it was not the nicest of experiences.

George Russell said he loves driving in the rain, but warned that if a race were run in conditions like those, drivers should not be on track because the risk of a very serious incident would be extremely high. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg also expressed enjoyment of the wet conditions.

Carlos Sainz said he aquaplaned in sixth and seventh gear on the straights after the restart. He also reported very poor visibility when running close to another car, though he noted that qualifying allowed drivers to leave a gap. The full-wet tyres handled standing water but threw up spray that cut visibility; longer stopping distances required different braking references from those used in the dry.

As the rain held off and water dispersed, a drier line formed and aquaplaning began to ease. That shifted the tyre balance in Q2: with less standing water, the full-wets began overheating and losing performance through the middle of the lap, making intermediates the better choice. Sainz and Bearman went off at Turn 12 during the crossover; Rafael Camara hit the barrier late in Q2 after he could not slow the car enough.

More rain was expected in Q3, so drivers had to go for a clean lap rather than wait for the track to evolve further. Bearman said the early running helped improve the circuit, despite his view that conditions at the restart were over the limit.