Lewis Hamilton has told F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali drivers needed “better wet tyres” after rain ruined qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Following the Saturday sprint race at Interlagos, heavy downpours hit the track, with the initial start time for qualifying moved back on four occasions.
But with the rain showing no sign of relenting, the FIA admitted defeat and abandoned plans for a late start.
Qualifying for the Grand Prix will now all take place on Sunday, although no start time has been confirmed with further rain also forecast.
Domenicali was midway through a television interview explaining the decision to postpone the session when he was interrupted by Hamilton. And it soon became clear the seven-time world champion was there to wind up the Italian.
“It’s ridiculous, we should go out, I want to go out,” he said, with his arms outstretched and laughing. “If you give us better wet tyres and blankets we’d be able to go.”
The 59-year-old took Hamilton’s jibe in good humour, and embraced the Mercedes man before returning to his media duties. He later stated: “The conditions are not safe to drive and there is a problem with the light.”
The British driver’s jovial mood was also a welcome sight given his torrid time on the track earlier in the day. The 39-year-old could only finish 11th overall, the place where he started the 24-lap dash, meaning he won no points.
Asked afterwards how he felt his W15 car was performing, the future Ferrari driver pulled no punches. “Horrendous” he replied. “Honestly it felt really terrible today, even worse than it did in qualifying.
“Definitely a very difficult race, that was one of the worst races. I felt the car just sliding around and zero grip behind even the Williams. I could barely keep up with them for a period of time.”
He added the team would need to “flip the car on its head” for qualifying. Hamilton will now have to wait until Sunday to see if his mechanics have managed to make changes, with drivers and F1 officials now facing a logistical nightmare.
The icon has just four races left with Mercedes before he makes his move to the Scuderia. He arrived in Sao Paulo sixth in the standings, and after the sprint race is just nine points clear of team-mate George Russell.
