F1 team bosses back “safety first” Japanese GP typhoon decision
Formula 1 team bosses have praised the early decision to reschedule the Japanese Grand Prix we🐎ekend format in the wak♍e of Typhoon Hagibis.
F1 confirmed on Friday morning that no on-track action will take place at Suzuka on Saturday due to the approaching super typhoon Hagibis, which is forecast to make landfall in Japan on Sat🅺urday.
Other major sporting events have also been disrupted, with two Rugby World Cup matches being cancelled, while many of trꦐavel links in the country have also been affected.
Formula 1 team boss൲es have praised the early decision to reschedule the 🍃Japanese Grand Prix weekend format in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis.
F1 confirmed on F🦩riday morning that no on𒀰-track action will take place at Suzuka on Saturday due to the approaching super typhoon Hagibis, which is forecast to make landfall in Japan on Saturday.
Other major sporꦿting events have also been disrupted, with two Rugby World Cup matches being cancelled, while many of travel links in the country have also been af💧fected.
Qualifying for the Japanese 🙈Grand Prix will now take place on Su𝕴nday morning at 1000 local time (0200 BST) ahead of the race.
Speaking about♐ the decision, Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur commented: “I think that it’s safety first and probably it makes no sense to ask the spectators to come on track and then to be in a big mess.
"In terms of schedule and programme for the tea𝓀m, we already tho🎃ught about this yesterday evening honestly.
“OK, it will change the programme but I thi🍰nk we can afford the weekend with two free practices. Perhaps it will be a good exercise for the future.”
Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto concurred with Vasseur’s view, adding: “First I think it’s a shame for the ཧfans but it’s a fully respectable decision, safety is first.
“In terms of pro𒐪grammes, certainly it’s a lot mo🗹re intense now. We are certainly skipping one session, which is FP3.
“Qualifying maybe occurring on Sunday morning. But it means tha🤡t today it will be a lot more intense.
“We’ve got, eventually, ꦕmore tyres to be used - the o❀nes from FP3. We need to set up the car for the Quali on Sunday morning.
“There’s just a session less. Things are more complicated but certainly a great chall🌟enge but I’m pretty sure it should be a good show and spect🍬acle on Sunday.”
Renault bos🐷s Cyril Abiteboul believes it will provide F1 with an opportunity to assess potential future tweaks to the current weekend formꦉat.
“It has happened before and it will happen in the fu✨ture,” he said. “There is enough time on Sunday to conduct both qualifying and the race.
“I think maybe it will g🌳ive us an impression of Formula E, maybe a little bit, so not a bad thing.”
Haas t﷽eam principal Guen✃ther Steiner agreed the call was the “right decision” from the organisers.
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