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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Fraser Watson

Singapore Grand Prix delayed as torrential rain hits circuit flooding pit lane

The start of the Singapore Grand Prix has been delayed by adverse weather and the formation lap will now take place at 2.05pm.

Heavy weekend downpours plagued both practice and qualifying, and further torrential rain had flooded the pit lane. However, it has now been confirmed that the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit will get underway just over an hour later than scheduled.

F1 reporter Chris Medland tweeted earlier: "If the FIA radar is correct, we’ve still got worse rain to come and the pit straight is already flooded. Starting to look very unlikely that this starts on time, even an hour out."

On Sky Sports, rain soaked reporter Ted Kravitz struggled for shelter as he provided viewers with an update, saying: "Just getting some information from the officials at McLaren," he said. "And the FIA thinking here is three-fold.

"First of all, there is lightning about and that doesn't help anybody. Secondly, even though they think this rain is going to stop and dry out, it won't be until 7.23pm (Singapore time), after the cars are scheduled to go out. Clearly that won't happen now."

The current conditions had also rendered it unsafe for team personnel to be on the circuit: "Around now, normally mechanics would be going out onto the grid," continued Kravitz. But with thunder and lightning about, clearly they can't."

Ted Kravitz struggled for shelter as he updated viewers on Sky Sports (Sky Sports F1)

F1 stewards were also keen to avoid a repeat of this year's Monaco Grand Prix, where chaos reigned early on after the race began in torrential downpours.

When the action does get underway later on, Charles Leclerc will be the one who starts on pole.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez is alongside him on the front row, with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes in third. Runaway world championship leader Max Verstappen is down in eighth, following his angry disagreement with team officials in Q3 on Saturday.

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