Interlagos Sprint Race 2025: storm alert and race scenarios

Interlagos Sprint Race 2025: storm alert and race scenarios. The Brazilian GP Sprint Race at Interlagos faces an orange storm alert with possible rain and strong winds.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-25, McLaren MCL39

At Interlagos, a wave of bad weather is approaching that could affect the entire day. The FIA has allowed teams to close their garages to prevent any issues caused by the weather, but with the storm expected to persist throughout the day, it remains uncertain whether conditions will allow the drivers to run the Sprint Race (scheduled at 3:00 PM Central European Time, 11:00 AM local) and the Qualifying session later (7:00 PM Central European Time, 3:00 PM local).

Orange storm alert

The forecast does not look promising. According to predictions from Windy.com, thunderstorms are expected throughout Saturday. The rain itself is not expected to be heavy (around 2 millimeters spread over six hours, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM local), but we are talking about sudden downpours, where water could pour onto the track in just a few minutes rather than falling steadily.

The main concern is the wind, which could reach gusts of up to 60 km/h. For this reason, the Brazilian National Meteorological Institute has issued an orange storm alert valid until midnight local time.

All possible scenarios

If the Sprint Race takes place, drivers will likely need to rely on Intermediate and/or Wet tires given the conditions. If the track is fully wet, the FIA will probably keep all cars in the garage. If the wind is not as strong as expected and the asphalt remains damp, we could see a race on Intermediates, but it is difficult to predict exactly what will happen. We must also consider the possibility that the entire schedule for the day could be canceled.

Strategies in the unlikely case of a dry track

We can, however, consider the strategy drivers might adopt if the Sprint were to be run on a dry track, a scenario currently unlikely but still possible. Last year, the 24 laps of the mini-race were completed on a single set of C4 tires. Back then, they were marked in yellow, while in 2025 they are in Soft specification. The C4 performed so well that drivers managed to complete the Sprint using sets already employed during the Sprint Qualifying the day before.

Given the expected cooler temperatures, drivers would have multiple options. They could use either Soft or Medium tires as they preferred, without any issues. The choice would mainly concern which tires they want to save for tomorrow’s main Grand Prix, which is also expected to see rain.

Currently, every driver has only one new set of Hard tires reserved for the Sunday race. For the Sprint, they could use either a set of used Medium C3 tires, which would provide good pace and durability for the final laps of the mini-race while saving a new set for the GP, or a new Soft C4 set.

All drivers have at least five sets of red C4 tires available (four would be enough for this evening’s Qualifying). The only exception is Max Verstappen, who has four sets remaining (having used two yesterday during FP1 and SQ3), while Lewis Hamilton, along with drivers eliminated in SQ1 and SQ2, still has six sets available. These drivers could easily choose to run the Sprint on a new Soft set.

Everything will depend on the weather conditions. Whatever they may be, we will keep you updated. Join us at 3:00 PM for the live coverage of the Sprint Race.