At 7:20 a.m. BST, it started raining at the Sepang International Circuit ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The first corners, in particular, were soaked quickly as the cars ventured on track, but the back end of the Sepang International Circuit remained dry.
A further 15 minutes later, however, the heavens opened, soaking the entire track, causing chaos on the grid as the engineers and mechanics tried to prepare the cars.
"It's cropped up from nowhere, and it's just getting bigger," said Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane to Sky Sports F1.
At 7:42am, a delayed start was announced as the drivers and dignitaries on the grid stood for the national anthem.
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