São Paulo GP weather: thunderstorms threaten Interlagos qualifying, a cool race day with a chance of rain

Update, 7 November: The forecast came true. Qualifying at Interlagos is running in very wet conditions, with lightning around the circuit, and the session has been red-flagged. Times and grid as soon as they are official: São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 results.

Thunderstorms could hit qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday, and Sunday’s race is set for a sharp drop in temperature with a chance of rain. That is the latest forecast from INMET, Brazil’s national meteorological institute, for the city of São Paulo, home of Interlagos, updated on Saturday evening (CET).

Start times in local time, UK, CET and US Eastern: São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 start times.

Showers all Saturday, thunderstorms in the afternoon, up to 32°C

INMET expects a mostly cloudy Saturday with isolated showers in the morning, showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, and showers with possible hail in the evening. Temperatures run from 18°C to a warm 32°C.

That covers both sessions of the day. Final practice starts at 11:30 local time (14:30 UK, 15:30 CET, 09:30 ET). Qualifying follows at 15:00 local time (18:00 UK, 19:00 CET, 13:00 ET), in the warmest and most unstable part of the day.

Sunday tops out at 21°C, with a chance of rain

Race day looks very different. INMET now forecasts a mostly cloudy Sunday with showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then a chance of isolated rain in the afternoon, when the race starts, and a range of 14 to 21°C. That is eleven degrees cooler at the top end than Saturday. The first forecast of the day still had drizzle all day on Sunday; the later updates moved the heaviest rain to the morning.

The 71-lap race starts at 14:00 local time (17:00 UK, 18:00 CET, 12:00 ET).

The softest Pirellis on a cool, damp track

Pirelli brings the C3, C4 and C5 to Interlagos, one step softer than last year, and two parts of the lap have new asphalt, between Turns 3 and 5 and between Turns 8 and 9. Pirelli expected those sections to change grip levels and track evolution through the weekend. Rain on Saturday makes that harder to read: every shower washes rubber off the track. More on the compounds: Pirelli goes one step softer for Interlagos.

If the track gets properly wet, the green-walled Intermediate and the blue Full Wet come into play, Pirelli’s two rain tyres. Isolated showers on Sunday could leave teams in the most awkward zone of all: too wet for slicks for some laps, too dry for Intermediates for others.

In 2024, rain pushed qualifying to Sunday morning

Interlagos has a record with rain. In 2024, heavy rain on Saturday forced qualifying to be postponed to Sunday morning. Lando Norris took pole, while Max Verstappen, out in Q2 and carrying an engine penalty, started 17th. He won the wet race that followed.

A title settled, but plenty still open

Kimi Antonelli arrives as world champion after Mexico City. Behind him, four drivers are split by 16 points in the fight for second place, and Mercedes can seal the constructors’ title if it outscores Ferrari by four points or more. A wet or mixed weekend makes both fights harder to call. All points: Formula 1 standings 2026 and what is still possible.

Our read

The forecast matters more for Saturday than for Sunday. A storm cell at the wrong moment in Q1 or Q2 can strand a fast car at the back of the grid, and 2024 showed how much a single red flag in changing conditions can scramble the order. Sunday points to a different problem: getting the softest tyres in Pirelli’s range up to temperature on a cool track that may be damp. The drivers who find grip early will have the edge, and that is rarely the same order as a dry qualifying session.

Forecasts in São Paulo can change within hours. We follow INMET through the weekend and update the weather section on our start times page.

Qualifying at 15:00 local, the race on Sunday at 14:00

Final practice at 11:30 local time is the last chance for teams to check their set-ups before qualifying at 15:00 local (19:00 CET, 13:00 ET). The race follows on Sunday at 14:00 local (18:00 CET, 12:00 ET). Qualifying and race results as soon as they are official: São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 results.

Source: forecast of INMET (Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia) for the municipality of São Paulo, read on Saturday 7 November; tyre information from Pirelli.

Will the rain shake up the order at Interlagos this weekend, and who gains the most if it does? Tell us in the comments.