APRIL 6, 2003

Torrential rains hit Interlagos

A huge rainstorm hit the Interlagos circuit this morning just three hours before the start of the race. The storm was so intense that the third floor Press Room was flooded by waters coming in from the roof of the main pit building. This threatened to disrupt the coverage of the race as water worked its way into the electrical and telephone conduits. The other problem is that the drivers have already made it clear that they are not happy about racing on intermediate tires in such conditions and the only option if the rain continues would be to run the cars behind the Safety Car, which would not be a very positive image for the sport. There is no real option however as the drivers report that aquaplaning is a very serious problem with the intermediate tires.