Formula One appeared to avoid a major incident when the roof of at least one grandstand collapsed in heavy winds during qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Friday.
Conditions at Interlagos went from overcast to dark and stormy in a matter of minutes on Saturday afternoon, right in the middle of the Q3 session — the final of three segments of qualifying.
That prompted F1 to cut the session short.
An F1 spokesperson said there have been no serious injuries, although it was unclear in the aftermath if anyone had required medical attention.
Although not captured by the F1 world television feed, it soon emerged that the weather had wreaked havoc around the Interagos circuit.
Different videos circulated on social media of roofs being torn loose and blowing away in the winds, although it was unclear how many grandstands were affected.
F1 photographer Andy Hone, who had been trackside when it happened, tweeted: “What a scary 10 minutes on track! A grandstand roof collapsed at the last corner and nearly got decapitated by falling debris!”
Hone shared two photographs of a damaged roof.
What a scary 10 minutes on track! A grandstand roof collapsed at the last corner and nearly got decapitated by falling debris! #F1 #Formula1 #BrazilianGP pic.twitter.com/dWvkpgVweO
— Andy Hone (@andyhone) November 3, 2023
F1 is not expecting similar weather over the remaining two days of track action, which should lessen fears of a repeat for fans attending the rest of the weekend.
Source: www.espn.com