The FIA has issued a rare level 4 rain weather warning for Saturday at the São Paulo Grand Prix, in what is set to be a weekend of extremely mixed conditions.
Friday's weather at Interlagos is set to be predominantly dry, offering the drivers valuable running in free practice ahead of Sprint qualifying.
A small chance of rain has been outlined by the FIA, although it is set to be very light should it reach the circuit.
However, the FIA's forecast for Saturday paints a completely different picture, with the weather to undergo a dramatic change.
Somewhat reminiscent of last season's Saturday washout which saw qualifying moved to Sunday morning following torrential rainfall, extremely heavy rain is forecast once again.
This time, the session at the greatest risk of impact is the Sprint, with the FIA reporting a "high chance" of showers up to level 3/4 – level 4 is the heaviest level of rain on the governing body's weather system.
The heavy showers and potential thunderstorms are forecast to hit the circuit until 09:00 local time, two hours before the lights go out for the penultimate sprint race of the season – the FIA has issued an 80% chance of it reaching the track.
While the rain is expected to ease, the FIA's current forecast states that it will remain at levels 2/3 on Saturday, creating the possibility of a wet qualifying.
Currently, the FIA has only issued a 40% chance of the showers reaching the circuit post-09:00, although São Paulo is known for its weather changing in rapid fashion.
Strong wind is also set to play a critical role on Saturday, with gusts of 75 km/h forecast for the sprint, decreasing to 65 km/h for qualifying.
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