The wet-weather challenges thrown up by Brazilian GP qualifying

The Brazilian GP qualifying session was plagued by wet-weather challenges at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Drivers faced a repeat of the 2024 session, where qualifying was postponed to Sunday morning due to persistent rain. The FIA finally reopened the session, with a break in the clouds allowing the circuit to dry just enough for safety car specialist Bernd Maylander to give the green light.

The full-wet tyre, or x-wet per F1 lexicon, proved useful despite its reputation as a tyre only fit for bumbling around on the safety car. While aquaplaning was prevalent, water dispersal helped the track become more driveable, though visibility remained a challenge. Brake distances increased, requiring drivers to find new braking zones and markers.

Carlos Sainz praised the FIA's decision, stating it was a punchy call that only took a couple of laps to stabilize the cars. However, the visibility remained poor, making it tricky to select braking zones. Despite the conditions, no major incidents occurred, and drivers managed to keep their cars on track until the end of Q1.

The wet conditions brought opportunities to usually less competitive drivers, and power units showed slightly more parity due to the low-grip track. As the circuit dried, intermediates became the preferred tyre, as their performance decreased compared to the full wet. This change allowed drivers to chase track grip and peak their laptimes towards the end of Q2.