The field, led by pole-sitter Max Verstappen, had originally been due to get under way at 9am Central European time at the Sepang International Circuit. But thunderstorms, including lightning and heavy rain, rolled in around 30 minutes earlier, forcing race control to delay the start.
By then, the cars were already lined up on the grid. While the drivers sought shelter in the dry pit lane, the safety car completed several laps and reported the condition of the track back to race control. The re-start took place at 9.40am.
The fans, meanwhile, refused to let the conditions dampen their mood and kept a Mexican wave moving back and forth beneath the covered start-finish grandstand, among other things.
"The cards have been reshuffled," Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg told Sky with a view to the new situation. The experienced driver starts the race from 15th after a weak qualifying on Saturday.
Has there already been a wet race in Formula 1 this season?
Max Verstappen of Red Bull is on pole position for the 16th race of the season ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). The Malaysian Grand Prix, a replacement for the race in Bahrain that was cancelled in the spring, therefore brings a first this season: never before have the drivers contested a wet race under the new regulations with a significantly higher electric share in the power unit. The changed rev range makes a slippery track a major challenge in the current cars, in which none of the drivers have yet been able to train extensively.
Getty ImagesMalaysia is hosting a Formula 1 race for the first time since 2017 and is notorious for heavy rain. In 2009, for example, the race had to be abandoned after 31 laps, with the drivers receiving only half points for their finishing positions.