Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix will now take place on Sunday due to Super Typhoon Hagibis.
Formula One bosses and its governing body, the FIA, have taken the decision to cancel all running at the Suzuka circuit on Saturday with the ‘violent’ tropical storm due to hit the country.
The battle for pole position will now take place just four hours before Sunday’s race, which will go ahead as planned at 2:10pm.
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F1’s move to push back qualifying comes a day after England’s Rugby World Cup match against France on Saturday was cancelled in response to the approaching storm.
A statement issued by the FIA read: “As a result of the predicted impact of Typhoon Hagibis on the 2019 FIA Formula One Japanese Grand Prix, Mobilityland and the Japanese Automobile Federation (JAF) have decided to cancel all activities scheduled to take place on Saturday, 12 October.
“The FIA and Formula One support this decision in the interests of safety for the spectators, competitors and everyone at the Suzuka Circuit.”
If the track remains too dangerous to run on Sunday morning, Friday’s practice session will decide the grid.
That will mean Valtteri Bottas takes pole after he edged out Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas, who trails Hamilton in the championship by 73 points with only 130 available, finished 0.100 seconds clear of Mercedes team-mate Hamilton with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel put on fresh tyres in the closing stages of practice. And although the pair improved their times, they finished only fourth and fifth respectively.
Ferrari have been the team to beat since the summer break, but Mercedes dominated practice at a venue in which they are unbeaten at since 2014.
The Mercedes cars are armed with upgrades, and look well placed to extend their Japanese winning record into a sixth successive year.
Source: TalkSport.com Motorsport
