Styria – Free Practice 3: Torrential rain and session canceled!
No timing this Saturday afternoon: the last free practice session of the Styrian Grand Prix was simply canceled! The reason is a torrential rain pouring down since this Saturday morning at the Red Bull Ring.
Initially scheduled for this Saturday at noon, the third practice session was ultimately canceled by the FIA.
The current weather has brought track activity to a halt: the result of the torrential rain falling on the Red Bull Ring since late morning, which had already interrupted the Formula 3 race.
Streams of water actually cross the Austrian circuit, which could cause aquaplaning and a high risk of accidents. The stewards have therefore decided to cancel the session for obvious safety reasons. The red flag prevented the start of this FP3: no time was set!
And now, on to the qualifications?
Nothing is less certain! Scheduled from 3 PM, the second qualifying session of the season is still in limbo.
Everything will depend on the weather conditions: only a lull would allow the proper conduct of the qualifiers.
The session could simply be postponed to Sunday morning if the conditions do not improve. This is at least the hypothesis considered by Michael Masi, the race director for the FIA.
If the weather remains unpredictable on Sunday morning, the starting grid will then be established according to the FP2 standings.
Enough to delight Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver who finished on top on Friday afternoon, ahead of Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes and Sergio Pérez’s Racing Point.
More information on the rest of the day to come…
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— Formula 1 (@F1) July 11, 2020
