The final practice session for the Italian Grand Prix has been postponed “indefinitely” as heavy rain fell at Monza on Saturday.
Following a track inspection ahead of the final hour of running race control announced the start had been “delayed indefinitely due to weather conditions”.
Race director Charlie Whiting said “The track’s still too wet to let cars loose on it.” The Safety Car was sent out to inspect the conditions ten minutes before practice was due to start but found the volume of water on track would create too high a risk of aquaplaning.
Rain was continuing to fall at the scheduled 11am start time. The session will conclude at 12pm regardless of whether any running takes place.
The GP3 qualifying session, which was scheduled to take place before F1 practice, was cancelled.
The rain is forecast to ease before the scheduled start of qualifying at 2pm local time. Whiting is optimistic about the chances of being able to run qualifying today.
“If it stops raining I think it’ll drain very quickly. But at the moment the rain is incessant and the radar is showing it’s unlikely to move.”
“The forecast says it should [clear up]. Hopefully the forecast is accurate.”
After further inspections the track was opened for practice to begin at 11:44am.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
2nd September 2017, 9:50
This is so utterly wrong and pathetic. Yes, I get that taking unnecessary risks in FP is logical. But you need to drive FP to get used to these circumstances in quali or the race! People keep complaining that the full wets have not properly been tested. One: that’s the teams’ fault, they refused to test them when they were given the chance. Two: this is the chance!!! This is where the full wets should be put on the car. F1 has become so utterly mollycoddled it’s insane.
So now the session is indefinitely delayed. Austin scenes. But they ought to go out and test the track in preparation for a possibly we quali. Except this is F1: the least courageous sport in existence. It’s not wetter now than it was when Vettel won here. The sport has regressed massively.
Marian Gri (@)
2nd September 2017, 10:02
+1
Baron (@baron)
2nd September 2017, 10:16
Have you ever driven a formula car with approaching 1,000 horsepower in full wet conditions? Thought not. They’ll still have Bianchi fresh in their minds and it’s one thing “continuing” to race in heavy rain (i.e. when it starts raining during a race or session) but it’s quite another to actually start in those conditions.
Big Joe
2nd September 2017, 10:45
Are there cranes on the track again?
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
2nd September 2017, 11:50
@hahostolze
From what I was told after FP3 by a few people from FOM it was raining harder than it was on the Sunday in 2008 but more crucially parts of the track have been resurfaced for this year & the water isn’t draining well on the newly resurfaced areas.
The water is just sitting on the newly resurfaced sections & not draining away as it is on the older tarmac. Several drivers reported aquaplaning on the straight during FP3 & I gather that the porsche supercup qualifying session was started but quickly canceled as drivers were complaining about the same thing.
It’s easy to criticize these things when your sitting at home watching on a TV, However when your doing 150+mph down a flooded straight when the car can suddenly basically become a boat & aquaplane with even the best drivers unable to do anything to prevent it then it’s just not sensible to run.
McF1 (@mccosmic)
2nd September 2017, 10:03
Is this photo a candidate for the “Caption Competition”? @keithcollantine
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
2nd September 2017, 10:13
@mccosmic Well it is Saturday…
Hugh (@hugh11)
2nd September 2017, 10:10
Bleh…
Marian Gri (@)
2nd September 2017, 12:57
Goodbye lap record…