09/10/2010
NEWS STORY
Consistently heavy rain meant the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix was a wash out. On Saturday morning during the third free practice the rain was so heavy that Kamui Kobayashi and Nick Heidfeld, along with most of the drivers, only did an installation lap. The qualifying for the 16th round of the Word Championship is now rescheduled for 10:00 to 11:00 hrs Sunday morning.
Kamui Kobayashi: "I feel so sorry for the spectators in the grandstands. 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."
Nick Heidfeld: "Aquaplaning with a Formula One car is basically the same as with any other car - you become a passenger. 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."