The penultimate race for Red Bull in which has been one of the best seasons since Sebastian Vettel was in the famous red and blue colours.
Daniel Ricciardo when he sits in the Red Bull Tag Heuer this weekend, in Sao Paulo it will be his 108th F1 start, he said: “The atmosphere at the track in Brazil is pretty unique, a lot of air horns and noise always make for a good crowd.
“As it is near the end of the season we usually do some big team dinners there which means it’s a really sociable race week. It’s up there as one of my top races due to the off track fun, let’s hope the on track action can match it.”
It has been a good year for the 18-year-old Max Verstappen and he will be finish sixth in the Drivers’ Championship:
“I like the track in Brazil, it’s a really special layout with quite a bit of height elevation, and it is anti-clockwise which always adds a bit more fun to the challenge. The track is quite a technical layout, especially sector 2.
“It is strange to think we are heading to Abu Dhabi in just a few weeks’ time, but I’m looking forward to finishing the year on a high and building towards an even stronger 2017, “said Verstappen.
Although Formula One’s annual trip through the Americas appears to have restored Lewis Hamilton to the crushing form he enjoyed in the summer, the Briton arrives at the penultimate round of the championship in Sao Paulo with something of a mountain to climb if he is to win his fourth World Drivers’ Championship.
The defending champion utterly dominated the last round in Mexico and crossed the line with a full eight seconds in hand, in a race Nico Rosberg needed himself to win and Hamilton effectively not to finish if the German was to wrap up the championship early.
But by maintaining a crucial second place behind Hamilton Mexico, Rosberg has ensured that victory in this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix will be enough to make him Formula One’s 33rd World Champion, regardless of where Hamilton finishes behind him. Such is his points margin that even if Mercedes has a disastrous race, Rosberg could finish as low as seventh and still become champion, providing Hamilton does not score at all.
“[Nico] has it in his hands,” Toto Wolff said ahead of the race. “All this talk of just needing to finish second in order to make it to the end is over. If he wins the race in Brazil, he is champion.”
Wolff also added that “Lewis knows what he must do to keep his title hopes alive. He will never back down and that’s what makes him one of the great ones.”
But not only will Hamilton have to finish ahead of Rosberg on Sunday if he plans to take the title fight on to Abu Dhabi, he will have to do so at a circuit that has never been a particular favourite of his.
Besides Baku, Interlagos remains the only track on the current calendar at which Hamilton has never won, and arguably the only one in which he has been consistently outshone by Rosberg in their time together – Rosberg has comfortably beaten Hamilton to victory in each of the last two Brazilian Grands Prix, and in 2013 finished fifth where the Briton could only manage ninth.
Outside of the Mercedes turbo era, Hamilton’s only other visit to the Sao Paulo podium was back in 2009 with McLaren.
Nevertheless, the past does not always translate into the future in Formula One, and while Nico Rosberg may look to have every advantage in Brazil, you can never afford to discount a driver like Lewis Hamilton when the margins start to narrow.
A famous television character once said “I love it when a plan comes together”, and the Sauber F1 team would be feeling as if their plan is slowly coming together with the appointment of a new technical director, a strong showing in Mexico and a “home-coming” at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
Brazil is home to both driver Felipe Nasr and Sauber’s sponsor partner, Banco do Brazil, making the penultimate race of the 2016 season something of a home-coming – one at which they hope to go one position better than in Mexico, where a resilient Marcus Ericsson brought home the C35 in 11th place, just one place out of the points.
Interlagos is a beloved track to the F1 community, due in large part to the technical nature of the circuit which demands both engine power along the two straights and precision braking through the tighter sections. The ever-present possibility of rain makes it a tricky task, but does raise the possibility of points for the taking for both Sauber drivers.
The Autodromo José Carlos Pace requires specific key set up areas that Sauber have identified as engine power, traction and braking performance. The hard tyre makes a return to the Brazil after three years which will bring the possibility of fewer pit stops, weather providing of course.
Both drivers are using the same tyre compounds: one hard, five medium and seven softs, but as the last few races have shown there should be different strategies for both men. Nasr especially will be hoping for a better run of things at home, after the struggles of late.
Almost there! That must surely be the exclamation at the Sauber F1 team factory in Hinwil, after the Swiss team teetered on the edge of their first points finish of the season at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Both drivers put in a strong performance with Felipe Nasr finishing crossing the line in 16th place, but moved up to 15th after the addition of a late penalty. The Brazilian driver opted for an aggressive strategy at the start, which he had hoped would leap frog him up the order, but which was ultimately undone by the safety car period that bunched the field again.
Nasr opted for a 1 stop strategy which saw him change from the medium compound to the super soft tyre after an impressive 49 laps. He is looking forward to his home race and the possibility of points at the ever tricky Interlagos:
“…I had a damaged front wing as well as a turning vane, which compromised the lap times. Now it is time to think about the next race in Brazil. It is always a great feeling getting back home and racing in Interlagos.”
But ultimately the day belonged to Marcus Ericsson, the Swedish driver putting in what he called his best drive in F1, and it would be hard to disagree.
While he might not have scored points, his 11th place was perhaps, on this occasion, worth far more in the long run. The heart of many a fan skipped a beat when Ericsson suffered, what looked to be a race ending collision at the start when he became the unfortunate collateral damage in an incident involving Manor.
But a quick nose change in the pits and change of tyre saw the Swedish driver head back out and work his way back up the field by sheer determination and skill. Despite a broken floor, Ericsson carried his car to 11th place and the very edge of the points for the first time this season.
The drive will put many of the naysayers on the proverbial back foot as Ericsson has again proven that he can extract the maximum out of the car on his 1 stop race, running a set of tyres from the 2nd lap and pushing forward despite setbacks:
“We kept on going, and I managed to get back into the rhythm, so the pace was still good. Today we were close to the points, but just not close enough. We as a team take a lot of positives from this weekend. It shows again that we are taking steps in the right direction. We will fight back in Brazil.”
Yes, while Sauber can take heart from the performance, they do need to score at least a point in one of the last two races of the season. The rain in Brazil often throws up an interesting race and perhaps the chips will finally fall correctly for Sauber.
Sebastian Vettel’s radio messages and the subsequent outcry as a result of them have done a lot to reveal plenty about Formula One and the hypocrisy surrounding some of its following.
Vettel called Red Bull driver Max Verstappen a “c***” and told race director Charlie Whiting to “**** off” in the final laps following the Dutchman’s refusal to move over despite cutting the chicane at turn two.
Importantly, and what plenty who have stuck the knife into the four-time World Champion are keen to ignore, he apologised to Whiting straight after the race. Before he climbed onto the podium. Which he was stripped of following a penalty for moving under breaking when defending from Daniel Ricciardo.
Had he not done that he would have faced an FIA tribunal and possibly been fined or even suspended.
Seriously?
They didn’t take such measures at the Belgian Grand Prix of 2002 when Juan Pablo Montoya described Kimi Raikkonen in unflattering terms, nor was it an issue when Ricciardo called Nico Rosberg the same thing as Vettel did Verstappen in the US Grand Prix…last week.
For heaven’s sake Ayrton Senna punched Eddie Irvine in the face at the 1993 Japanese Grand Prix and Michael Schumacher was quite prepared to do the same to David Coulthard at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix. Even the best lose their rag.
This is one example of some irate messages from an array of drivers including Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen and more that have been X-rated both in this and previous season.
His critics, and there have been plenty regarding his expressions of displeasure, appear to have decided that Vettel’s expletives are the biggest crisis since Spygate in 2007.
Let’s be clear. I’m not saying it’s right that Vettel should choose to voice his angst like this, and that Vettel’s choice of words towards Whiting especially was poor. He should not kick off at the Race Director like that and it is also right that he shall be contacting Verstappen to make an apology to him.
But it is being blown out of proportion.
A majority of those who claim to abhor Vettel’s anger are happy to use such language on a day-to-day basis at work. Except that they aren’t doing their job in front of millions worldwide and aren’t travelling at 200mph.
Instead, a good proportion would say far worse things about people they don’t know for a perceived annoying manoeuvre at 27mph in their local suburban avenue.
So how can they expect someone who’s travelling at over eight times that figure to be rational when he feels someone is acting dangerously?
Furthermore, he was bleeped out by Formula One Management when they broadcast those messages, so those of a young age wouldn’t have known what was being said. Those old enough to know what was being said are going to be aware that they can’t turn around to their elder and use similar words.
As for those saying it’s damaging to Formula One, well, doesn’t the sport have bigger problems? Such as the falling crowds, less TV viewers, the still astronomical costs to run a team and the extreme unfairness of the prize money payments between those at the top and bottom of F1.
Not to mention the fact that everyone these days are delighted to have the possibility of having to pick a winner from three drivers instead of two. Though that’s only for special weekends.
The Formula One public are experts at making a mountain from a molehill and this latest furore is exhibit A.
The really tragic thing is that all of this uproar has overshadowed what was an exciting end to a Grand Prix between three of the world’s best drivers in which no quarter was asked or given.
Let’s cut the bulls*** and start focussing on the real issues that Formula One has at this present moment.
I had to drink many cervezas and eat tacos to stay awake during the Mexican Grand Prix. The only positive think was the atmosphere from the crowd. Once again, the Mexicans showed how passionate are with Formula 1.
From the other hand, FIA proved again that they don’t want to make the sport interesting and increase the attendance in every race.
Classic Scenario
The scenario of the race was the same with the previous races. The two Mercedes were unstoppable, the only thing that matters is who will get the pole and who will lead the race after the first few laps. It is a battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
Behind the two Mercedes, there is a battle for the third place between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. That is not happening very often, only when Ferrari selects the right strategy and don’t ruin their drivers’ race.
Further, behind there is usually a battle for the tenth place, where many drivers want to score a point and finish in the top 10.
McLaren is the only team which sometimes makes the difference and finish in the top 10 like they did in the American Grand Prix.
Food for thought
After the race, I was trying to think what to write about the race because I had to write a review of the Mexican Grand Prix. After a while I decided not to write about Vettel, Ricciardo, and Verstappen, they were by far too many reports about them on the web.
Hence, I took the decision to express my anger on FIA and give some food for thought.
I have only one question for Charlie and Bernie, why they don’t just replace drivers with robots?
It will be exactly the same, and let the drivers to race from their homes. There are so many rules that they don’t allow to the drivers to express their skills and drive as they want. It is a joke after almost every incident to see a message at the bottom of my screen which says, “The incident between the drivers is under investigation”.
Last week a new “under breaking” rule made its debut in COTA. It is ridiculous, if you don’t agree with Verstappen’s move, simply punish him after the race and explain to him that what he did it was very dangerous and it could harm Kimi Raikkonen or any other driver.
You don’t have to apply a new rule for everything. I understand that Max is too young and his brain is above his head, but to set new rules for every incident is not the solution.
Also, it is not necessary to punish with no reason other drivers in order to support the new rule which FIA applied a week earlier.
The sport is going down, and we must do something. It is very sad to see a sport which I loved not to be as it used to be. To pray for rain during a race, to make it more interesting or a mistake from the pit crew during a pit-stop.
I am close to forgetting what “racing incident” means.
It is sad to wait for next season, and hope that because of the new rules the balances will change.
At this point, I want to add, that I want the drivers to race and fight each other under logical conditions. Not to harm each other. But I believe that the majority of them are capable drives and can achieve that.
Next Grand Prix will take place in Brazil, which is one of my favorite circuits. I hope that we will see something different for the teams.
With all of the headlines surrounding Ferrari and in particular Sebastian Vettel following the Mexican Grand Prix, it can be easy to forget that the Scuderia managed to display the importance of strong qualifying.
For all the swearing and yelling at both Max Verstappen and Race Director Charlie Whiting, had Vettel had a quicker car in qualifying, he’d have been battling over which step on the podium instead of just to get onto the podium.
Karun Chandhok made the pertinent point that Vettel could possibly have been challenging for a victory had he been able to qualify higher than seventh, which for long periods was a net eighth as he lost out to Felipe Massa’s Williams at the start.
Ferrari haven’t always made the right strategy calls this season but they got this one-stop strategy absolutely spot on to catapult Vettel to fifth and within stalking distance of the Red Bulls once he left the pitlane.
In the end, he did get to spray some champagne but received a 10 second time-penalty that dropped him to fifth for reasons that have been well documented.
His hard defensive move on Daniel Ricciardo on the penultimate lap made him the first victim of the new “Verstappen rule”, whereby any movement in the breaking zone is banned.
Kimi Raikkonen was another man who would have been aiming for the skies had he not started behind a slower team.
He spent the first third of the race behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India, which had started sixth and Ferrari eventually put the Iceman on a two-stopper.
Like Vettel, he also had shown long run pace that would have challenged Mercedes in Mexico City early in the weekend.
The result leaves Ferrari 62 points behind Red Bull with 86 left on the table, while Ricciardo needs to score six points to guarantee third place this season.
2016 had promised much more than this.
Jack Prentice
(Image Courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media)
Red Bull benefited from Sebastian Vettel’s punishment for dangerous driving as the Milton Keynes team locked out the second row in the Mexican Grand Prix.
The German was penalised by 10 seconds as he moved whilst in the braking zone. The dangerous driving rule was introduced into Formula One this season as Verstappen had broken the gentleman’s rule of not moving under braking. The rule commenced at the United States Grand Prix.
“I think it was a small bit of justice that the stewards made the decision to penalise Seb (Vettel). It was clearly a wrong move which has been punished according to the rules. As long as we can stick to the rules every week then we won’t have the frustration we felt after the race,” said Verstappen.
The Dutch teenager was demoted to fourth after his latest exploits: “When I went off the track towards the end I think it was pretty similar to Lewis on lap one, corner one. He went off and I felt he gained an advantage, I didn’t even gain an advantage, I was ahead going into braking and when I came back on the track I was the same distance in front so I don’t understand the penalty.”
Daniel Ricciardo was the recipient of both Verstappen and Vettel as he finished third: “Obviously I’m happy to get the points and I think that means third for me in the Drivers’ Championship so I’m quite proud of that this year. “
Christian Horner is happy how far Red Bull have improved this year and is looking forward to 2017: “I’m delighted for Daniel in having secured 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, he’s had an excellent season and deserves it. Daniel and Max have been driving brilliantly well, pushing each other on, they’ve both raised the bar and the level that they are operating at now is good to witness.
“We are chipping away and you are not seeing the margins Mercedes have had in previous years which bodes well not just for this year but for a more competitive Formula One in 2017.”
Dominic Rust
If ever there was a way to sum up Ferrari’s 2016 season, Kimi Raikkonen’s US Grand Prix was it.
Raikkonen had moved from fifth to fourth having passed Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and was looking like threatening Daniel Ricciardo’s third place, when, as usual this season, errors meant the end of his challenge.
During his second pit stop, Ferrari left the wheel gun on his front right tyre and as a result, it wasn’t fixed properly. The Iceman would get no further than the end of the pitlane before he retired.
Teammate Sebastian Vettel collided with Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas at turn one – not his first lap one wheel-banging this season, but was unscathed and until both Raikkonen and Verstappen retired was running sixth, unable to do anything about crowd-favourite Ricciardo in third.
The German said that fourth was the maximum that Ferrari were capable of at Texas and he wasn’t far wrong, as strategic mishap was the main reason behind Raikkonen’s pre-retirement assault on Ricciardo.
Ferrari are almost 60 points behind Red Bull and will now not finish second in a season in which they had promised to fight for first with Mercedes, and Mexico promises much of the same as Austin in view of the similar layout of both circuits.
The Prancing Horse will have long turned their attentions towards 2017 with the radical technical changes providing an opportunity to leapfrog incumbent champions Mercedes.
But they will keen to take any opportunities for a victory this season given that the top brass have already labelled this tumultuous season a failure after not building on the successes of 2015, where Vettel took three victories.
The Scuderia will be less than buoyed by their performance in Mexico City last season, as Vettel spun multiple times and collided with Ricciardo at turn one, while Raikkonen clashed with fellow countryman Bottas and retired.
Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix was a sign of things to come for Ferrari this season. Will this season’s edition prove the same?
Despite losing points to Lewis Hamilton in last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg arrives in Mexico City with his first chance of claiming the 2016 World Drivers’ Championship.
With twenty-six points in hand over his teammate, Rosberg could mathematically clinch the title providing he wins the race with Hamilton finishing tenth or lower. The odds of the German wrapping up the championship on Sunday are admittedly slim considering Hamilton hasn’t finished a race outside the points since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but the possibility nevertheless highlights the impressive work Rosberg has done to come within touching distance of the crown with three races to spare.
For Hamilton, it also underlines the importance of every point, as the Briton has insisted that he will not concede defeat until the title is mathematically decided:
“The moment you give up is the moment you lose. I’ve never been one to give up and I don’t plan on starting now. There are still plenty of points available and anything is possible.”
Hamilton’s main advantage coming into this final stretch of races – aside from any potential momentum gained from his Austin win – will be that he has plenty of past experience of tight championship battles on which to draw.
By comparison, this will be the first time Rosberg has been in such a position. Given his past propensity for faltering in high-pressure situations, this first true shot at the title will be a real test of Rosberg’s new, more relaxed approach to racing – an approach which ironically surfaced at this same event last year.
“To be in a championship battle at the end of the year is awesome,” the German said, “but my approach is to keep it simple. There are many things that can happen during a race weekend which are out of your control, so it’s best to just block all that out and focus on the job at hand.
“That’s what’s worked best for me and how I feel at my strongest.”
