The decision to postpone F1 qualifying to Sunday due to the threat from Super Typhoon Hagibis has been backed by team bosses.
However Honda technical director Toyuharu Tanabe said he was “sorry for the fans are [wanting] to be here Saturday”.Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto agreed “it’s a shame for the fans but it’s a fully respectable decision – safety is first.”
The cancellation of final practice and postponement of qualifying means teams face a compressed schedule of activity between now and the race.
“In terms of programmes, certainly it’s a lot more intense now,” said Binotto. “We are certainly skipping one session which is FP3. Qualifying maybe on Sunday morning.
“But that means that today it will be a lot more intense. We’ve got more tyres to be used, the ones [from] FP3. We need to set up the car for the quali on Sunday morning [with] just a session less.
“So I think things are more complicated but certainly a great challenge and I’m pretty sure it will be a good show and spectacle on Sunday.”
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur said putting “safety first” was the correct decision.
“It would make no sense to ask the spectators to come [to the] track and then to be in a big mess.
“In terms of schedule and programme for the team, we already thought about this yesterday evening. It will change the programme but I think that we can afford a weekend with two free practice [sessions]. Perhaps it would be a good exercise for the future.”
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