Heavy rain wreaks havoc on Saturday running in Spielberg

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A downpour of heavy rain at the Red Bull Ring has brought the day's proceedings to a standstill, with FP3 delayed indefinitely and qualifying looking very uncertain.

The adverse conditions were forecasted well in advance which incited the FIA to elaborate contingency plans in case today is washed out.

With rain around Spielberg not expected to ease until late this afternoon, the prospect of holding a qualifying session on Sunday morning is looking likely.

2020 Styrian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

"There’s lots of options to put it simply," said FIA race director Michael Masi. "If a worst-case scenario was to come about, we’ve already had a look and qualifying could take place on Sunday morning.

"If we had a complete washout on Saturday, free practice three and qualifying didn’t take place and hypothetically qualifying couldn’t happen on Sunday morning because of weather, we would revert back to free practice two times.

"Or there’s the third iteration, which is free practice three can happen but we can’t have qualifying in the afternoon or qualifying Sunday morning and the grid would highly likely be set on the free practice three times."

A Saturday and Sunday morning wash out would benefit Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver would start on pole tomorrow afternoon based on his fastest lap in FP2.

However, that scenario would also leave Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel with a massive task on race day as the German's best effort in FP2 was only good for P16.

Check back later for our next weather report.

Update 12pm local time: The third practice session has been canceled, and the FIA will make a call on qualifying at 2pm local time.

Update 15h40 local time: Q1 will get underway in 10 minutes!

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.