Throwback: F1 forced to change Japan schedule after typhoon chaos

The 2019 Japanese Grand Prix weekend faced huge disruption when Super Typhoon Hagibis forced F1 to abandon the entire Saturday schedule at Suzuka Circuit.

The FIA and race organisers cancelled all track activities on 12 October as the typhoon, predicted to be the worst tropical cyclone to strike Japan in 60 years, bore down on the region. 

With wind speeds expected to reach approximately 90 km/h at the circuit, and the storm itself measuring 1,400 km wide with peak gusts of 270 km/h, safety concerns took precedence.

The decision meant qualifying was moved to Sunday morning at 10:00 local time, just four hours before the race itself at 14:10. Third practice was scrapped entirely, leaving teams with only the two Friday sessions to prepare their cars for both qualifying and the grand prix.

Safety considerations extended beyond wind and rain. Officials feared flooding in access tunnels and questioned whether the medical helicopter could operate in such extreme conditions. 

The FIA and Formula 1 issued a joint statement supporting the cancellation "in the interest of safety for the spectators, competitors and everyone at the Suzuka Circuit."

This was not the first time typhoons had disrupted Suzuka. Qualifying had been similarly postponed to Sunday in both 2004 and 2010, though the compressed 2019 schedule presented a unique challenge for teams working with limited data.

Beyond the circuit, Hagibis wreaked catastrophic damage across eastern Japan. The typhoon claimed 139 lives and caused over $17 billion in damages, making it the deadliest to strike the country since Typhoon Fran in 1976. 

More than 270,000 households lost power, and some areas received 76 centimetres of rain.

Valtteri Bottas ultimately won the race after the typhoon passed through swiftly, vindicating the decision to hold qualifying on Sunday morning rather than using practice results to set the grid.