Grandstand roof collapses after 'scary' storm batters Interlagos

Dark clouds hovered ominously above the Interlagos circuit as Q3 got underway but the track stayed dry for every driver’s first lap in the final part of qualifying. 

However, qualifying ended up being red-flagged and brought to an early end when sudden heavy rain and strong winds battered the circuit.

Photos and videos uploaded to social media revealed the destruction caused to some infrastructure, including the collapse of a grandstand roof at the final corner, while the canvas tent was ripped off the Turn 4 grandstand. 

F1 photographer Andy Hone posted on social media: “What a scary 10 minutes on track! 

“A grandstand roof collapsed at the last corner and nearly got decapitated by falling debris!” 

Gusts of 104km/h (64.6mph) were recorded at a nearby airport, according to meteorologist Steffen Dietz. 

At the time of reporting, Crash.net understands there have been no serious injuries. 

A handful of minor cases of injures are understood to have been caused by incidents such as tripping.