Heavy clouds had gathered on the Marina Bay track shortly after the end of the W Series support race and the skies began to darken as the F1 peloton finished the parade pilots aboard a fleet of classic cars.
Patches of rain began falling in the paddock an hour and 20 minutes before the 8 p.m. start time, with the team’s radar systems indicating an intense thunderstorm was expected to hit at 6.55 p.m.
It duly did so and quickly turned into a violent thunderstorm, with the end of the track’s pit straight no longer visible on the circuit’s television cameras.
At 7:02 p.m. local time, the F1 timing boards displayed a message from the FIA, which officially delayed the start procedure for the race.
“The pit lane is open and the entire start procedure is delayed,” the message read. “Updating in 20 minutes, a minimum of 10 minutes notice will be given.”
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