Lewis Hamilton interrupted a live television interview with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to complain about the decision to postpone today’s qualifying session.
Qualifying at the Interlagos has been delayed until tomorrow due to heavy rain at the track. The session was due to begin at 3pm local time but heavy rain prior to and during the allocated time led the FIA to postponed it.Domenicali spoke to the official F1 channel after the session was called off, during which Hamilton interrupted to tell him: “You should have sent us out.
“It’s ridiculous, we should go out,” said the seven-times world champion as he knowingly crashed the interview, smiling as he did so. “I want to go out. If you give us better wet tyres and [tyre] blankets, we’ll be able to run in this. I’m putting you on the spot.”
F1 drivers have repeatedly complained about the quality of F1’s wet weather tyres in recent years. Two wet weather compounds are specified under the rules, the lightly-treaded intermediates and heavily treaded full wets. However drivers have criticised the performance of the latter and often avoid using it wherever possible.
Drivers have also expressed concerns over the FIA’s decision to outlaw the use of tyre heating blankets for wet weather tyres. F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli introduced a new wet weather compound last year designed not to require blankets.
Domenicali supported the FIA’s decision not to hold the session due to the conditions and with sunset approaching. “We cannot control the weather, as you know,” he said. “And it’s a pity but the conditions are not safe to drive, it’s as simple as that.
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“There is a problem also of light that very soon will hit the track. So unfortunately, that’s the situation we have to manage. So one second.”
The rescheduled session is expected to take place tomorrow morning. “The FIA is doing the final check on what could be the right timing to organise the quali and to follow up the plan to complete the day,” he said. “It’s a great event and we need to make sure that we can maximise everything in all the conditions that can be acceptable.”
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Jere (@jerejj)
2nd November 2024, 20:39
Not only should Hamilton have waited until the interview is over instead of impolitely interrupting, but he should also know better that Domenicali isn’t responsible for anything that happens in race control as that’s FIA’s responsibility area.
Maciek (@maciek)
2nd November 2024, 20:57
@jerejj Oh please – he should have politely waited? Give me a break man. And Hamilton knows what he’s doing
Andrew Byrne
2nd November 2024, 22:14
Get Goodyear back there was never an issue with them in the wet.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd November 2024, 6:21
@maciek @esploratore1
Waiting for a few or tens of seconds, even a minute, etc., wouldn’t be bad, though.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
2nd November 2024, 21:01
Lewis Hamilton, of all people, probably urged the powers that be about exactly what he said here and no one listened. He’s more than likely gone the polite route and wasn’t listened, like they always do at FIA and Liberty
grat
2nd November 2024, 21:24
Yeah, Max can swear all he wants, but lord forbid Hamilton offer a sane opinion in front of Domenicali.
William Byard
2nd November 2024, 23:09
Too bad so many commentators/or fans on this site, and the F1, FIA officials still have their heads stuck in you know where. I understand why he wanted to go out there in the rain, it’s because he’s better in the rain than most of his competitors. Full stop!
sam
2nd November 2024, 21:33
Thanks Dad.
Greg
2nd November 2024, 21:43
Hamilton, and any other driver, knows that this kind of decisions are based on policies that can be changed if people like Domenicalli want to.
Tommy Scragend
2nd November 2024, 22:35
If qualifying had gone ahead you can bet Hamilton would have been straight on the radio.
“It’s too wet, man. We shouldn’t be out in this”
SpaFrancorchamps (@spafrancorchamps)
2nd November 2024, 23:33
Facts.
André
3rd November 2024, 0:32
Not with the current tyres, obviously. He’s asking for a better solution, not for the current solution.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd November 2024, 1:16
No, he should NOT be waiting, whatever can be done to get back to racing in the wet, I support it! And I have to admit hamilton is good in the rain.
Bob
3rd November 2024, 6:06
People really need to watch the video. He was obviously joking with both him and Domenicali laughing about it.
If people have anyone to be upset at, it’s the media and this author for making it seem like anything else.
notagrumpyfan
3rd November 2024, 8:51
You should know better than thinking Hamilton is not aware of that; a big boss and live broadcast is an ideal combination to get your message out.
And make it seem like a joke reduces the risk that people see it as rude.
Tiaki Porangi
3rd November 2024, 8:57
Surprising to see so many people commenting who apparently didn’t see the incident…
Lewis was literally passing by as Domenicali was being interviewed live. The latter then said something like “Just a minute” to the F1 interviewer, and reached out to shake Hamilton’s hand. Hamilton came over to him, smiled and they started talking, with Lewis asking for better wet tyres and blankets and saying they should be able to race. Domenicali smiled, the two hugged, and that was it, Lewis continued on his way.
PeterG
2nd November 2024, 20:47
The race director is always in a difficult position in situations like this because if they decide it’s too dangerous to let cars run then they are critisised for been too safe but if they send cars out & you have cars aquaplaning off at high speed or driving into each other due to the poor visibility then they are also critisised for that.
I enjoy seeing the drivers challenged by driving in the wet but I don’t want to see situations like we have seen in the past where the conditions are such that it’s almost more of a lottery than about the skill of the drivers.
If it’s so wet that you have puddles that the tires can’t handle or where visibility is so bad that drivers can’t see more than a few metres ahead of them it’s no longer a test of skill and more about luck and at that point it’s just no longer fun to watch because I want to see good racing & skilled driving rather than a chaotic demolition derby in the vein of something like Adelaide 1989/1991.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd November 2024, 1:18
How comes the good wet drivers never aquaplane out? Senna, for example? He only crashed into brundle in 1989 because of poor visibility while lapping him, reminiscent of schumacher and coulthard in spa 1998.
sim
2nd November 2024, 21:07
I thought Lewis was polite enough, If Stefano Domenicali chooses to make that announcement on Live TV right outside Lewis’s garage then he can’t be too surprised that Lewis comes out… imagine if he’d decided to do it outside Max’s garage, shame for the fans who sat out in the rain waiting probably all afternoon for this.
I luv chicken
2nd November 2024, 21:23
I hope that none of the fans bought just Saturday tickets. Pretty much useless.
Timmy
2nd November 2024, 21:29
JC Keith, how dramatic and unrepresentitive of what actually happened can you be?
It was very clearly a light hearted joke, I get that there wasn’t much to report today but you don’t have to make stuff up like the dregs of the media.
Very dissapointing…
Tristan
2nd November 2024, 21:44
What part of the article is “made up”? Sounds entirely factual to me.
Timmy
2nd November 2024, 22:39
Which is why I said ‘unrepresentitive’. You can be factual and still completely fail to describe what actually happened. Which is exactly what Keith has done.
Tristan
2nd November 2024, 22:57
You can add your own interpretation that it was a light-hearted joke. But that isn’t a fact until Hamilton says he’s just joking (and why would he joke about wanting better tyres anyway?). Very unclear to me, looked like he was taking the opportunity to make a point to the CEO of F1 on live television.
Timmy
3rd November 2024, 0:04
A joke isn’t a joke until someone explicitly says “I’m joking”? I think you’re clutching at straws there.
Of course he was making a point, in a light hearted and jokey fashion. But go ahead, tie yourself into knots because it’s Hamilton…
Tristan
3rd November 2024, 0:26
So to your logic, the article is misrepresentative because Hamilton was joking, but still making a point.
Absolute nonsense. Don’t accuse me of that “because it’s Hamilton” rubbish. Do better.
Timmy
3rd November 2024, 10:45
@Tristan
“So to your logic, the article is misrepresentative because Hamilton was joking, but still making a point.”
Yes, precisely. I’m glad you got there. The article makes a brief mention of Hamilton smiling, but the tone of the rest of the article is completely misrepresentitive of the tone of the conversation. If someone had to recreate the scene based on Keith’s description, it would be completely tonally different to what actually happened. Hamilton was making a point (one that he’s made multiple times previously by the way, I know you got upset about that in another comment) but in a very jovial, joking way, with someone he’s known for a long time.
But go ahead, ‘rubbish’ my point without pointing out anything specific again. It’s very convincing and not at all juvenile…
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
2nd November 2024, 22:58
I would be surprised if Ben Sulayem treats the matter as a light-hearted joke, rather than a breach of the rule against making the FIA look bad (which is where I suspect this story is going to go next…)
notagrumpyfan
3rd November 2024, 8:56
Maybe Hamilton can use Timmy as his lawyer to claim it was merely a lighthearted joke ;)
Timmy
3rd November 2024, 10:48
I’m sure he’ll be fine, most adults have the ability to read basic body language. Though it is Ben Sulayem…
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
2nd November 2024, 21:33
Good lad Lewis.
The one thing I truly detest about F1 is the fact that it is owned and controlled by money worshipping parasites who have zero interest in what the genuine workers – the drivers – think.
Jungle
3rd November 2024, 1:10
My take is he’s a wet weather specialist and could see an advantage here perhaps.
SteveP
3rd November 2024, 8:37
Perhaps. Also advertised as good in wet conditions: Alonso and Verstappen.
It’s almost like it takes talent, isn’t it?
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 9:43
One of the weirdest things in F1 is Stroll being among the very best in those sort of ‘properly wet but not raining’ conditions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a proper analysis of it, but it happens again and again.
Imre (@f1mre)
2nd November 2024, 21:37
When I see this kind of weather, Barcelona 1996 always comes to mind. Sure, the cars are different but it was qualifying, not raceday.
Imagine the extra cost of allowing teams to change ride height and suspension settings to decrease the chance of aquaplaning.
I still don’t and will never get why there is parc ferme when it’s raining.
Oh and I will never trust Pirelli’s winter road tyres after a decade of unresolved wet weather tyre situation in F1.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd November 2024, 1:21
It’s not just unresolved, it’s getting worse: right here they had a RACE in 2016, and now they can’t even qualify any more?
They could qualify on a full wet track when it wasn’t raining any more as recently as canada 2022.
SteveP
3rd November 2024, 8:44
This thing about the FIA requirements for tyres to degrade the way the Pirelli tyres do – is that something the FIA thought up to produce different race conditions and told Pirelli to do it, or something Pirelli thought up as an excuse for their tyres and the FIA published it?
Possibly down to the amount of water that the Pirelli tyres can’t shift
S
3rd November 2024, 5:19
You do understand that the only things these two types of tyres have in common are the colour, basic shape and the name on them, right? They share no other similarities.
Step back for a moment and think about what the F1 tyres are being attached to. F1 cars are the vast, vast majority of the supposed problem F1 has with tyres.
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 9:44
Spain 1996 would never happen now. It was properly wet, over half the field spun out, and there want a single neutralisation.
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 9:44
Want = wasn’t.
mantresx (@mantresx)
2nd November 2024, 21:39
If visibility due to spray is such a big issue then why not add an option in the rules to do a one lap shootout with only one driver out at a given time.
It might be unfair to the guy running first but at least its better than no qualy on Saturday.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
2nd November 2024, 22:10
I was just about to say the same thing. For extraordinary circumstances where the forecast suggests no improvement, an extreme wet qualifying format would make a lot of sense. The spray issue is gone and there’s no major drama if a driver loses it if there’s no one else on track.
BlasterMaster
2nd November 2024, 22:52
+1
Doh
2nd November 2024, 23:08
Or even split the grid like in indy car. Could even do three 10 minute sessions so only 6 or 7 cars on track at once. Yes different conditions for each group but. They could then filter the top 3 into a further session to decide the top 9.
Having said that I’m not sure even that would have been possible today as there was too much water for anyone to run at pace. Aquaplaning would have been a major issue for a single car.
Tristan
2nd November 2024, 22:00
There should be some maximum local rainfall amount after which the circuit is declared unsafe. It should be circuit specific as part of the FIA grading process… I don’t know what or could be a suitable limit as I’m not a meteorologist but something simple for example, rainfall must not exceed 5mm/hour over a period of 20 minutes for a session to proceed. And still have race director discretionary override clause.
That would give them an easy pre-determined cut off and avoid situation like this where they can be painted as a bad guy and making decisions to alter outcomes rather than just following rules.
It would be a shame, but so are Hamilton’s comments frankly. Safety should always be the number 1 priority. If he has issues about tyre warmers and the quality of the wet tyres he has plenty of opportunity to push that agenda, it’s not something that can be changed on a day.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
2nd November 2024, 23:05
It’s not the local rainfall that’s relevant, it’s usually a combination of the amount of standing water, the amount of spray kicked up and the amount of light.
Standing water has been easily measured for years (though I’ve not seen any evidence the FIA actually does this on a systematic basis). Likewise with light. Spray is one of the things the safety car checks for when it does its rounds, since that can’t be determined on static measurements.
Partly due to insufficient measurements, assessing where the track is in terms of capability to race is as much art as science. Hamilton may or may not have a point in terms of the equipment needed to make the conditions runnable, but the FIA has not given itself the tools it could have given itself to defend against such questions. When so much is left unmeasured and unspoken, and the FIA has shown itself to make bad judgments so often (certainly recently), how can Hamilton or any other driver be sure whether a decision was taken out of safety or mystery?
Hamilton, as far as I know, has been against tyre warmer bans since 2009 (the first time the ban was mooted after he joined F1 – they were suggested as bannable as long ago as 2003, but there was a gap of a few years mid-decade where they didn’t get mentioned as other tyre-related issues took priority). 15 years of being polite and patient hasn’t worked, trying different tactics to achieve what he thinks is a safe and racing-compatible result is reasonable.
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
2nd November 2024, 22:31
I just watched the clip, I’m actually not even sure Lewis was being serious when he said this. He seemed like he could’ve been joking.
Timmy
2nd November 2024, 22:38
He was, this is an amateur misrepresentation of what actually happened.
Doh
2nd November 2024, 23:10
I agree but there isn’t really any way having it in text that shows it was jovial. Unless of course you don’t at all but at the end of the day money must be made and it’s not cheap anymore!
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
3rd November 2024, 2:24
Timmy.
Love the authoritative and confident
.
I’m not suggesting anything to the contrary, but mine remains an opinion rather than a fact.
Kribana (@krichelle)
3rd November 2024, 0:02
Lewis was serious. And take it as a message – these tyres are terrible. He was laughing because otherwise that would look even worse on TV and on the most popular f1 broadcasting channel.
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 9:45
A lot of truth is said in jest. The underlying disappointment is likely real enough.
William Byard
2nd November 2024, 23:13
You wish!
An Sionnach
3rd November 2024, 1:23
Too bad. Would be nice to see some fine wet weather driving. I’m sure someone would be happy to oblige if he is allowed…
Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
3rd November 2024, 2:18
Good for Hamilton! He said what needed to be said.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
3rd November 2024, 3:57
FIA is giving out penalty points this Halloween instead of candies. Hamilton should be more careful.
Sham (@sham)
3rd November 2024, 6:33
Why does the media try to remove the humour from everything? Hamilton, Domenicali and the interviewer were all laughing.
Hamilton just chose to make a point about the wet tyres as he made a silly comment.
notagrumpyfan
3rd November 2024, 9:02
You answer your initial question in your second paragraph ;)
stefano (@alfa145)
3rd November 2024, 8:33
my understanding was that the tires are now good enough for heavy rain, but because they clear so much water, and because the cars run ground effect, visibility is heavily compromised, which is the actual reason they can’t run. single car running would be fine. anyone knows better?
MichaelN
3rd November 2024, 9:48
The two main issues are: the cars generate a enormous amount of spray, and the wet weather tyres are quite slow. The latter is more of a race issue, since it compels teams to switch to intermediate tyres too soon, inevitably leading to lengthy neutralisations.
An Sionnach
3rd November 2024, 10:27
Give the drivers umbrellas?