The Suzuka Circuit is bracing itself for the arrival of typhoon Hagibis, which is set to bring with it torrential rain and winds in excess of 150mph.
With Formula 1 abandoning plans to conduct any on-track running on Saturday – qualifying has been moved to Sunday morning and if that can't take place for any reason, the grid will be set by the result of FP2 – the decision has been taken to close the circuit to fans, media and team personnel.
With severe conditions expected, crews have been working through the evening and night to de-rig the circuit of anything that might get damaged, this includes the podium, trackside cameras, advertising hoardings, pit equipment, pitlane gantries amongst other items.
Teams have been told to raise anything in their garages off the floor by a metre and once the shutters are down, they will be sealed with sandbags to try and prevent any water ingress.
