The Sprint of the inaugural edition of the MotoGP Indian Grand Prix looks set to be delayed due to a heavy downpour that hit the Buddh International Circuit. The MotoGP championship made its debut in India this weekend, on the track that was used for three Formula 1 Grands Prix a decade ago, which is located about 50km from New Delhi.
The weather conditions had already proved complicated for the riders, due to the extreme heat encountered on Friday, which led Race Direction to reduce the race distances. Today’s Sprint should have lasted 12 laps, but was increased to 11. Tomorrow’s Grand Prix will instead be held over a distance of 21 laps versus the 24 that were initially planned.
A few moments before Moto3 Q2 started, a heavy storm forced the program to be stopped while waiting for an improvement in conditions, which however will inevitably generate a delay, given that the Sprint was scheduled for 12pm in Italy.
Having never had the opportunity to ride in the wet on this track, the MotoGP riders have agreed that, in case of rain, there will be a short session before the Sprint to allow them to understand the conditions.
The confirmation came from Dorna Sports, which explained the procedure to follow if the track is still wet at the end of Moto2 qualifying.
“15 minutes after the end of Moto2 Q2, the pitlane will open for a 15-minute MotoGP wet session. 20 minutes after the end of the session, the pitlane will open for one minute for the quick start procedure ahead of the Sprint,” explains the note.
The new schedule sees Moto3 Q2 start at 11.05am, with Moto2 Q1 at 11.35am, followed by Q2 at 12pm. Then it will be the turn of the MotoGP wet session at 12.30pm, with the Sprint start set for 1.08pm.
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