October 2, (THEWILL) – A little over an hour before the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix was supposed to start, the island city of Singapore was pounded by severe rain, delaying the start of the race.
The F1 field had just finished the drivers’ parade aboard a fleet of vintage vehicles immediately after the W Series support race, when a thick cloud cast over the Marina Bay track and the skies started to become ominous.
Spots of rain started to fall in the paddock an hour and 20 minutes (local time) prior to the start of the race at 8 PM, and team radar systems indicated a strong rainfall was due to hit the area earlier than the race kickoff, at 6:45 PM. The end of the pit straight on the track was no longer visible on the circuit TV cameras as the rains began on schedule and immediately developed into a major thunderstorm.
The FIA had to send out a message to the F1 timing boards at 7:02 PM, officially delaying the start procedure. Then, as the rain in Singapore kept coming down, more delay notices were issued. The race was slated to start at 9.05 PM, 65 whole minutes later than the originally scheduled time, when the rain started to stop.
When it started to rain, the normally crowded Singapore paddock rapidly became empty as the assembled TV crews, event attendees, officials, and journalists sought shelter in the team hospitality units and any covered building. The teams will have some adjustments to do as there are not many brand-new wet and intermediate tyres left for them after FP3 and qualifying in wet conditions.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
