Japanese Grand Prix 2017: Qualifying and race could BOTH be on Sunday
GETTY Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix was hit by rain
Friday morning saw plenty of dry running for the teams with Sebastian Vettel clocking the fastest lap time for Ferrari. However, light rain started during that session and by the time FP2 came around, the track was being soaked by a rain storm. The start was delayed and when green-flag racing was eventually allowed, only five drivers elected to set a lap time with a number never even getting into the car. The forecast for Saturday is improved although there is a chance of rain, and if it gets too heavy, then race director Charlie Whiting could be forced to postpone qualifying.
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There is room for the authorities to push qualifying later on Saturday but if it starts to get dark, then they will have to run qualifying on Sunday morning before the race. Earlier this season, it looked as though that decision would have to be taken at Monza as the heavens opened at the Italian Grand Prix. But on that occasion, fans got to see their heroes qualify eventually - after a two-hour delay to the start of the session. Should the Japanese qualifying session switch to Sunday, it would not be the first time in F1’s history by any stretch.
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The most recent occasion was in 2015 at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas when nearby Hurricane Patricia brought torrential rain to the track. On that occasion Nico Rosberg took pole from Lewis Hamilton with the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kyat third and fourth. There have been three other Sunday qualifying sessions - and two of them have been in Japan. In 2004, Typhoon Ma-on forced the FIA to postpone qualifying to Sunday with already-soaking conditions threatening to get worse if the 100-mile-an-hour storm got any closer to the track.