Vettel urges F1 to keep fans in mind if Saturday is a wash-out

Sebastian Vettel urged the Japanese Grand Prix organisers to keep to ensure fans are given adequate warning if Saturday’s track action is to be cancelled.

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The arrival of Super Typhoon Hagibis on Saturday is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain which could prevent practice and qualifying from taking place.

Vettel said the sport should try to warn fans in advance if Saturday’s sessions are likely to be cancelled.

“I don’t think anybody wants to put anybody’s life in danger. So I think we need to keep things a bit on the ground. Obviously there is a forecast but how many times forecasts have changed, I don’t know.

“Currently it’s a hundred percent so it’s quite clear. But I think we will see what happens throughout the weekend. It’s the same thing if we have a lot of rain in other places then obviously there’s the red flag and maybe the light might never switch to green.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Suzuka, 2019 — “For us it’s nice and cosy in the garage”

“So obviously it would make sense if by tomorrow night, I believe, if there’s more evidence to give a proposal or take an action for Saturday. [I’m] thinking especially not for us – for us it’s nice and easy and cosy in the garage, we’re sheltered – but for all the people to see around the track on the grandstands et cetera, I think it’s not so nice if you sit there and 80kph of wind blasting in your face and the rain comes sideways.”

Pierre Gasly, who experienced a double race cancellation due to a typhoon at Suzuka in a 2017 Super Formula round, echoed Vettel’s comments.

“Of course there is our safety which is important but also if it’s as they say like a 150kph winds, a typhoon and people trying to come to the track, you don’t want anything bad to happen. So I think that for everyone their earlier they can tell us the better it is. But it’s not an easy decision.”

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11 comments on “Vettel urges F1 to keep fans in mind if Saturday is a wash-out”

Imre (@f1mre)
10th October 2019, 18:38
What if there is no qualifying at all? (not even on Sunday morning) Will FP results count as the base of the grid? Or will it be Championship order?
1. DAllein (@)
  10th October 2019, 19:02
  Oops, my post below was supposed to be a reply to your post.
DAllein (@)
10th October 2019, 19:02
Article 35.2 says:
…
b) If more than one driver fails to set a time during Q2 or Q3 they will be arranged in the
following order :
i) Any driver who attempted to set a qualifying time by starting a flying lap.
ii) Any driver who failed to start a flying lap.
iii) Any driver who failed to leave the pits during the period
…
If more than one driver falls into a single category in b) or e) above they will be arranged on the grid in the order they were classified in the previous period of qualifying or, in the case of Q1, the order they were classified in P3.
There’s no word what happens if P3 is cancelled)))
I guess they will try FP2 and FP1, if they take place… and then end up with tried and trusted d20 dice roll. The same way as they decide how to change rules.
1. Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
  10th October 2019, 21:32
  “I guess they will try FP2 and FP1, if they take place… and then end up with tried and trusted d20 dice roll. The same way as they decide how to change rules.”
  Lol! But also so true!
2. Neil (@neilosjames)
  10th October 2019, 21:35
  I think, given the size of the thing, they should be able to make a decision by Friday evening so people know in advance if they have to travel or not.
  1. Neil (@neilosjames)
    10th October 2019, 21:35
    Sorry, that was meant to be a standalone, seems to have got stuck onto here!
3. Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
  10th October 2019, 23:35
  If there are no practise results at all to go on, they use championship order.
JMDan (@danmar)
10th October 2019, 21:01
It was safe to expect rain when the Stig drove around the track but a Typhoon on an F1 weekend? Yikes …
1. JMDan (@danmar)
  10th October 2019, 21:03
  Of course a typhoon anytime is yikes!
Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
10th October 2019, 21:29
Hopefully both Free Practice sessions on Friday will happen as expected. Then during late evening the decision should be made about Free Practice 3. And in the Saturday morning the decision about Qualifying should also be made. It is not a tragedy if Qualifying takes place on Sunday morning.
Carlos Medrano (@carlosmedrano)
11th October 2019, 2:57
Vettel can please be quiet he is literally the only reason I cannot stand f1 at the moment