BRAZILIAN Grand Prix organisers have made a change to the Formula One track after the three-car crash during Saturday’s sprint race.
Championship contender Oscar Piastri sparked a stunning display of F1 driving as Franco Colapinto and Nico Hulkenberg followed him in spinning off the track at Turn 3.
The incident, which saw McLaren star Piastri and Alpine ace Colapinto retire from the race, appeared to happen after Lando Norris ran wide onto the kerb and sprayed up water on to the circuit on lap six.
Piastri, 24, was then the first to fall foul of the wetter kerb when he too ran wide seconds later, with Colapinto and Hulkenberg suffering the same fate.
That prompted a red flag as track marshals repaired damage to the wall.
In a bid to avoid a repeat of the incident, organisers at Interlagos have made a significant change to the kerb.
As reported by The Race, workmen sent to the kerb on Saturday night used a concrete floor saw to cut a makeshift channel into the kerb to help water caught there to flow.
The slice in the kerb runs along the entire steeped section before being diverted off into the grass.
Heavy rain on Friday sparked the crash chaos during the sprint on Saturday.
Fans had a mixed reaction to the change, with one saying on social media: “Lol. That’s gonna cause punctures now.”
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A second joked: “Man even the Brazilians don’t want Norris to win.”
A third added: “Did Stella paid you to do it lol.”
Another said: “Puddlegate.”
Sao Paulo has been hit by heavy rainfall ahead of the feature race.
Norris, 25, qualified on pole ahead of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli – a repeat of sprint qualifying – with Piastri taking third.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was eliminated from Q1 for the first time since Russia 2021 and will start his race from the pit lane while taking an entirely new set of engine components.
The Dutchman won the Brazilian Grand Prix from P17 last year, meaning the race leaders cannot afford to write off the four-time world champion.
