By Brian Lada, Meteorologist
October 22,2015; 9:54PM,EDT
People attending the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas this weekend should prepare to get soaked as bouts of heavy rain brings wet conditions to the track.
The Formula One event will face wet conditions each day this weekend at Austin's Circuit of the Americas, affecting the practice sessions on Friday, the qualifying on Saturday and the main event on Sunday afternoon.
Elton John is also scheduled to perform at the track after Sunday's race, but gusty winds and the severity of the rain could cause the concert to be moved, postponed or even canceled.
British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton steers his car through the rain during the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone circuit, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Unlike the stock cars that race in NASCAR, the Formula One cars are designed to race in wet conditions and have special tires that are designed for racing in the rain.
Some people believe that wet conditions can make a Formula One race more exciting and can give some drivers the edge over other drivers that are not as good at driving on a wet track.
However, if the rain comes down hard enough, the track's drainage system might not be able to keep up with all of the rain, causing parts of the track to be inundated with water. This would lead to more yellow and red flags during the race.
It is a real possibility that the rain could be too much for the track's drainage system to handle, especially on Sunday when the heaviest downpours move over the Austin area.
Fans in the stands should make sure to bring a poncho and raincoat to stay dry, even if the seats are located under cover.
Gusty winds will blow some of the rain into the covered areas, soaking fans that would otherwise be protected from the rain.
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Not only will the rain affect the cars on the track, but also the cars in the parking lots.
Many of the parking lots at the Circuit of the Americas are made of dirt and gravel and will not fair well in the deluge of rain.
The conditions of the parking lots will deteriorate as the weekend progresses, being at their worst on Sunday for the race.
People with smaller vehicles that cannot handle the mud might want to consider finding an alternate for of transportation to and from the track to avoid the risk of getting their vehicle stuck in the mud.
If the rain comes down hard enough on Sunday to force the race to be postponed, it is likely to be held on Monday.
Although some rain will still be around Austin on Monday, the rain will not be nearly as heavy as Sunday allowing for the race to be completed in its entirety.
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