Overview
- The Brazilian meteorological service issued an orange alert for São Paulo, and civil authorities sent phone warnings advising people to avoid open areas.
- The FIA signaled its highest rain alert level, citing severely reduced visibility made worse by spray from modern ground‑effect cars.
- Forecasts point to the heaviest rain between 6 and 9 a.m. local time, overlapping the Sprint window, with estimated 30–60 mm per hour and strong gusts reported up to roughly 60–100 km/h.
- Race control has told teams to secure garages as officials prepare to delay the Sprint or hold cars in the pits if conditions remain unsafe, with qualifying a candidate to move to Sunday if needed.
- Any reshuffle must respect FIA rules requiring a minimum three‑hour gap between the Sprint and qualifying, and an interrupted Sprint may yield no points if distance thresholds are not met, a scenario seen after weather disruptions in 2024.