• Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying

Drivers and teams sorry for fans

Fans braved appalling conditions in the hope of seeing some action © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News:
• Hamilton shocked by Saturday conditions
  
• News:
• Qualifying postponed until Sunday as rain hits Suzuka
  

• Race:
• Japanese Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

Formula One drivers and team bosses have expressed their sympathy for the paying spectators who turned up in appalling conditions at Suzuka on Saturday only to see qualifying postponed until Sunday morning.

The final session of free practice did get underway but rain intensified to the extent that drivers reported the track undriveable. FIA race director Charlie Whiting waited for as long as possible in the hope that the session would start but eventually admitted defeat and postponed it until Sunday. It will now take place at 10:00 in the morning if conditions allow.

"I feel so sorry for the spectators in the grandstands," said Sauber driver and local favourite Kamui Kobayashi. "All the Formula One supporters were very much looking forward to the weekend, and now they have hardly seen a car today and got terribly wet. But safety comes first, that is clear. We cannot drive in these conditions. We have to wait for better weather."

Fellow Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto also thanked the fans for their patience.

"I want to thank the spectators who were patient and stayed until the final decision had been made," said Yamamoto. "They were waiting in the rain for the cars to drive, which was not possible unfortunately. We are looking forward to tomorrow and it is going to be exciting with qualifying and race within only some hours."

Kobayashi's Sauber team-mate, Nick Heidfeld, added that there was absolutely no choice but to postpone the qualifying session on safety grounds.

"Aquaplaning with a Formula One car is basically the same as with any other car - you become a passenger," said Heidfeld. "We could go with a higher ride height in order to avoid aquaplaning, which happens because of the car's floor, but when you have a certain amount of water on the track the tyres are floating as they can't push the water aside.

"Another big safety issue is the visibility in the spray. If you have 24 cars on the track in Q1 and one spins no driver would have the chance to see it and avoid crashing into it."

Sebastian Vettel echoed Heidfeld's views in saying that postponement was the only viable option.

"I think it was the right decision. I know it is not an easy decision to take, but in those conditions we we have no control of our cars. So it was absolutely the right thing to do," said Vettel.

"For the majority of people it's difficult to understand - you just think, 'OK, put the rain tyres on and you'll be fine'. It's not as easy as that. The cars are very light, we only have 600 or 700 kilos, which is usually half of a road car. And the cars are very low, so it is very easy when there is standing water on the track to have aquaplaning, and then it becomes undriveable very fast."

And Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to the thousands of fans who braved the weather to turn out in support of the sport they love.

"We feel really sorry for the thousands of spectators who had braved the bad weather to pack the grandstands in order to watch what should have been an exciting qualifying session," Domenicali told Ferrari's website. "There is always a great atmosphere here in Japan, with real enthusiasm for Formula One: even today you could see lots of families with their children, something that is always nice to see and not just in our sport."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.