Formula 1: Saturday canceled as Japanese Grand Prix qualifying moved to Sunday

By Asher Fair | Oct 10, 2019

SUZUKA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 11: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 on track during practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on October 11, 2019 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

The qualifying session for the 17th race on the 2019 Formula 1 schedule, the Japanese Grand Prix, has been moved from Saturday to Sunday as a result of Typhoon Hagibis.

After speculation that the Saturday, October 12 Formula 1 events at Suzuka Circuit, including the third and final practice session and the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix, would not take place as scheduled due to Typhoon Hagibis, the decision to alter the schedule has officially been made.

As a result of the excessive wind and rain that the storm is slated to bring, the third and final practice session for this 53-lap race around the 18-turn, 3.609-mile (5.808-kilometer) Suzuka Circuit road course in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan has been canceled, and the qualifying session has been moved to Sunday morning before the race gets underway. The track itself will be closed on Sunday.

Here is what a statement about the matter said, according to Formula 1.

"“As a result of the predicted impact of Typhoon Hagibis on the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix 2019, Mobilityland and the Japanese Automobile Federation (JAF) have decided to cancel all activities scheduled to take place on Saturday, 12 October. The FIA and Formula 1 support this decision in the interest of safety for the spectators, competitors and everyone at the Suzuka Circuit.”"

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This decision marks the third time in the last 16 seasons that the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix has been postponed to Sunday. It was also postponed to Sunday back in October of 2004 and in October of 2010 as a result of extreme weather conditions.

The third and final practice session for this race was scheduled to take place from 12:00 p.m to 1:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. ET Friday to 12:00 a.m. ET Saturday) on Saturday while the qualifying session was scheduled to go from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 a.m. ET to 3:00 a.m. ET Saturday) later in the afternoon. Now the latter is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time (9:00 p.m. ET Saturday) on Sunday ahead of the race at 2:10 p.m. local time (1:10 a.m. ET Sunday).

The first of now only two practice sessions for the race already took place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. local time (9:00 p.m. ET to 10:30 p.m. ET Thursday) Friday, and the second and the second one is scheduled to take place in just a few hours from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. local time (1:00 a.m. ET to 2:30 a.m. ET Friday).

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ESPN2’s live broadcast (subject to change) of the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix is set to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET from Suzuka Circuit on Saturday, October 12. ESPN’s live broadcast of the Formula 1 race itself is set to begin only a few hours later at 1:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 13.

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