[Official] Round 18: Brazilian Grand Prix

[frostie]

This preview is taken from my website:
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Formula 1 heads to South America this weekend with the undulating Interlagos circuit playing host to round 18 of the 2010 season.

With just two races remaining five drivers are still in mathematical contention for the championship with Fernando Alonso leading the way after a stellar second half to the season. The Ferrari driver can clinch his third world title this weekend but after a season filled with thrills and spills it is all but impossible to imagine the championship ending before the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

The Interlagos Circuit

Interlagos is one of the most physically demanding circuits on the calendar. As one of the few anti-clockwise circuits visited through the season it is not uncommon to see drivers rest their heads on the side of the cockpit as the race draws to a close.

The 4.3km layout is one of the most challenging of the season with fast corners mixed with slow speed hairpins and four high speed sections and numerous overtaking opportunities. This is always a driver’s favourite circuit and when you examine the track in detail it is clear to see why.

The lap begins with the Senna S which sees drivers braking from 310kmp/h down to 100kmp/h for the third gear left hander. Experience a force of 3g under braking drivers have to deal with a lot through the first corner. This is the most obvious overtaking spot of the lap with drivers able pick up a slipstream all the way down the long, bumpy start finish straight and make a daring late braking manoeuvre down the inside into this off camber corner. The second part of the S bend sees driver accelerating to 170kmp/h before entering the acceleration zone that is turn three, a fifth gear left hander, that leads onto the back straight.

Braking into turn four is the second prime overtaking spot but it is very easy to make a slight mistake that will have dramatic consequences. Turn four is another third gear left hander that opens up on the exit and leads into the dramatic Ferradura a fearsome fifth gear corner taken at 220kmp/h. Drivers will experience 5g’s as they dramatically change direction through the double right hander. As with so much of the Interlagos the bumps can cause drivers to make mistakes, as Ricardo Zonta demostrates!

From the excitement of Ferradura drivers brake heavily into Laranja; a slow speed second gear hairpin. This leads directly into Pinheirinho another second gear corner. This section of the lap is where the driver can make the biggest difference to their qualifying lap. The circuit starts to climb the hills once more from here allowing drivers to brake incredibly late into Cotovelo, the slowest corner of the lap. From here excitement starts to build once more for the drivers.

Next up is the downhill fifth gear Merglho corner. This is a fantastic challenge for car and driver. It’s very fast and the track drops away from the driver as they reach the apex, there is a huge bump at the apex that has caught out numerous drivers in the past. From Merglho the final corner looms. Juncao is a crucial third gear corner as it sets the speed for the final straight. Make a mistake here and you will be easy prey into the Senna S. It is crucial to take this corner perfectly; Juncao is the most important corner of the lap.

The pitlane in Brazil also offers a challenge. Drivers filter into pitlane at top speed, and just off the racing line, and need to hit their braking point perfectly. The expected pit stop time this weekend is 20 seconds but with one of the longest pitlanes of the season any mistake will be heavily punished.

Race Preview

This weekend the focus of attention will be on the championship challengers at the front of the field, but in reality it is the pit wall that will determine how many drivers leave Brazil still in title contention.

With Alonso able to win the title this weekend McLaren and Red Bull may face a difficult decision during proceedings. Do they make a distinction between their drivers and offer support to Hamilton and Webber? Or do they persist in hoping that Alonso hits trouble and their drivers can pick up the pieces?

That Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button both failed to score points in Korea means that their title hopes now lie completely in the hands of rival drivers. Vettel’s performances of late have been of the highest quality but after an incident filled season the German now needs luck to be on his side if he is to win the title. Luck is one thing that he has sorely lacked throughout the year after suffering numerous reliability issues through the season.

His teammate, Mark Webber, suffered his second retirement of the season in Korea after crashing out in difficult conditions. He will need to show his resiliency this weekend if he is to offer a challenge to Alonso for the title. Fernando has been superb throughout the second half of the season and this weekend could see him take his third title. If he achieves that feat he can rightly say that this is the greatest season of his career. At Silverstone the Spaniard fell 47 points adrift but still confidently stated that he would win the title.

This weekend could see him crowned but with Hamilton and Webber still in close company it is far from a foregone conclusion. With rain expected to disrupt qualifying once more the session could become a lottery leaving the contenders stranded down the grid, like we saw last season. Robert Kubica has consistently been a “wild card” throughout the season and the Renault driver could surprise once more this weekend. The Polish driver finished second last year, a repeat result cannot be discounted this weekend.

The Interlagos circuit has a reputation as being a “car breaker” due to his bumpy nature and the high loads that the car is placed under throughout the lap, the challenge on car and driver this weekend should be immense. Brazil has thrown up a host of unexpected results in the past and in a year as dramatic as this season nothing can be discounted. With close racing the norm in Interlagos another terrific Grand Prix is expected this weekend.

Classic races at Interlagos

Title fights have become commonplace in Brazil in recent years with each title decided at Interlagos since 2004. Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso have each crossed the finish line to clinch the sport’s biggest prize.

Interlagos has played host to some terrific races that have been steeped in significance and emotion. Last season’s race started with a bang with Raikkonen Fisichella and Kovalainen spinning at the first turn, Kimi Raikkonen losing his front wing after clashing with Mark Webber at turn four and a crash involving Sutil, Trulli and Alonso. This brought out the safety car and gave Jenson Button the chance to shine. Button, driving for Brawn, struggled in the wet qualifying and started 14th. He quickly moved through the order and into the top ten with a series of daring overtaking moves that placed a lot of faith in the abilities of his rivals. His move around the outside of Romain Grosjean at Ferradura was one of the best overtaking manoeuvres of the season and with everything on the line, Button showed he wanted to win the title with a daring attacking display.

2008 saw the title won in the most dramatic style with Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton battling it out to the very end. The race was run with the ever present threat of rain with Massa dominating the race, leading for 64 of the 71 lap distance. Hamilton struggled throughout the race but by running in fourth was doing enough to win the title. With just 6 laps remaining the rain finally came, forcing the leaders to make a pit stop.

After the stops Massa continued to lead but Hamilton had fallen down the order and found himself in fifth, the position he needed to clinch the title. With three laps to go the entire complexion of the championship changed. Vettel had passed Hamilton and now Massa was in position to win the title. Hamilton had fallen to sixth and with Vettel looking confident in the rain it was clear that Hamilton’s back was against the wall. His only hope was to catch the slick shod Toyota of Timo Glock who was 15 seconds up the road. Glock though was having increasing trouble due to the ever worsening conditions.

Starting the last lap Hamilton was 10 seconds adrift but closing fast. When Massa took the flag he thought he had won the title but 38.9 seconds later he had lost it! Hamilton moved past Glock on the drag from the last corner to the line and won the title by the slimmest of margins. Massa and the home crowd were heartbroken but in the most dramatic of circumstances Hamilton had become the youngest title winner.

In 2007 Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen came to Sao Paulo all with the chance of winning the title. Raikkonen looked a long shot coming into the race but the Ferrari was superb in Brazil and after a series of problems for Hamilton ruled the Englishman out of contention it was clear that Raikkonen was set to win the title. Massa played the role of rear gunner to his teammate perfectly and the title was heading to Finland. The year before saw Alonso secures his second title. He came to Brazil in need of just a point and finished second to become the youngest double champion in history.

In 2005 Alonso was the dominant driver on the grid and with two races still remaining the Spaniard’s third place finish was enough to win the title. While his two titles were clinched in Brazil the circuit has also been the scene of one of Alonso’s biggest crashes. In 2003 Alonso crashed heavily at the final corner after running into debris from Mark Webber’s crash. The accident caused the race to be red flagged and left the pitlane in a state of confusion as to who has won the race. Kimi Raikkonen was declared the winner but ten days later the FIA awarded the win to Jordan’s Giancarlo Fisichella after examining the footage and timing data. When a race is red flagged the results are determined from one lap earlier and this caused confusion with the race stewards.

Juan Pablo Montoya’s performance in 2001 marked the Columbian as a future star. Driving for Williams he dared to challenge Michael Schumacher and looked set to win until backmarker Jos Verstappen clashed with him on lap 38. Montoya, a CART and Indy 500 champion, was already known to be a superb talent but this race made the Formula 1 fraternity realise his immense ability that would see him win a pair of Brazilian Grand Prix.

It is impossible not to think of Ayrton Senna when Formula 1 heads to Brazil. The triple world champion was victorious in his hometown twice, 1991 and 1993. Senna was so much more to the Brazilian people than a racing driver; he was a hero who galvanised the nation. In races when he retired early, such as 1994, the crowd started to leave the circuit almost immediately afterwards. They were there to see Senna win, not to see a race.

His ’91 victory was exceptionally emotional and showcased just how special a driver Senna truly was. That season the Williams-Renault package was unquestionably the fastest car on the grid but a combination of McLaren’s reliability and Senna’s talent and desire to win allowed the Brazilian to win his third and final world title.

In Brazil that year the world witnessed one of Senna’s greatest ever victories. Starting from pole position Senna led the race from start to finish but as the race neared the end he started to suffer gearbox problems. Having lost fourth gear earlier in the race Senna had performed well to continue opening a lead over Nigel Mansell, who retired in the closing stages. With a handful of laps remaining Senna’s commanding lead over the Williams of Patrese started to fall dramatically. The Brazilian had now lost third and fifth gears and was forced to take numerous corners in top gear.

The challenge was immense for Senna but when rain started to fall the challenge must have seemed too much for him. He started to wave his hands wildly at race control as he crossed the line, looking for a red flag to end the race and let him win at home for the first time. The race was not stopped and another element of the legend of Senna was created, he was exhausted as he climbed out of the car. Clearly spent, both emotionally and physically, this was undoubtedly one of Senna’s greatest ever wins.

Weather

Weather always plays a key role at Interlagos and this weekend should be no exception. Rain is expected to play a part during qualifying with heavy rain expected through the afternoon which could make qualifying a lottery. Sunday is expected to be hot and dry, perfect conditions for a great race!

BBC Schedule

Friday 5 November

Practice one: 1155-1335, BBC Red Button

Practice two: 1555-1735, BBC Red Button

Saturday 6 November

Practice three: 1255-1405, BBC Red Button

Qualifying: 1500-1720, BBC One

Sunday 7 November

Race: 1500-1815, BBC One

Highlights: 2300-midnight, BBC Three

Year	Driver	Team
2009	Mark Webber	Red Bull
2008	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
2007	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari
2006	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
2005	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren
2004	Juan Pablo Montoya	Williams
2003	Giancarlo Fisichella	Jordan
2002	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2001	David Coulthard	McLaren
2000	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1999	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
1998	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren
1997	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams
1996	Damon Hill	Williams
1995	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
1994	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
1993	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
1992	Nigel Mansell	Williams
1991	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
1990	Alain Prost	Ferrari
	Old Track Layout
1980	Rene Arnoux	Renault
1979	jacques Laffite	Ligier
1977	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari
1976	Niki Lauda	Ferrari
1975	Ayrton Carlos Pace	Brabham
1974	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren
1973	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus

Misc

Weather

Chatroom

[stripedcat]

Great round up, frostie. I love the Brazil circuit. Actually has some challenges for the driver(anti clockwise, some banking on a corner, and two great long straights and a quite interesting in field section). I know it probably need some of its facilities upgrading, but it is so much more interesting than a lot of the cookie cutter style Tilkedromes out there.

I actually think that Mclarens could be strong here(and possibly win - well maybe). I accept that at Abu Dhabi though they won't have much of a chance. I think it could be very close between Red Bull, Ferrari and Mclaren.

We have had some exciting races at Brazil(2001 with Monty overtaking the Red Baron himself and then getting punted off by Verstappen, 2007 with Hamilton failing to get enough points to take the championship, 2008 Hamilton making up for the previous year's mistake, 2009 with Jenson battling his way up the field). Great that we get overtaking action at Brazil. Plus the wet weather qualifying should mix things up a bit.

[skells22]

I think you missed something frostie, Scotland will need to tune into BBC2 on Sunday to watch the Grand Prix. anyway all of us can watch the race and i wonder how many safety cars we get this time around in fi?

[strider]

I've just been told the the official FIA weather forecast for the weekend is heavy rain on all three days, which would make the whole affair a lottery.

I was looking forward to a fantastic race and do so hope that the FIA have got it wrong.

[stripedcat]

Originally Posted by strider

I've just been told the the official FIA weather forecast for the weekend is heavy rain on all three days, which would make the whole affair a lottery.

I was looking forward to a fantastic race and do so hope that the FIA have got it wrong.

Means we'll get another delay again! Plus starting behind the safety car?

[MarcosAmbroseFan]

I would like heavy rain Friday & light rain on Saturday then hot sunny Sunday.

[Ultimo]

Originally Posted by strider

I was looking forward to a fantastic race and do so hope that the FIA have got it wrong.

Doesn't heavy rain often yield fantastic races?

Of course, it depends on how heavy is "heavy" - last race had too much rain, but in recent years the most entertaining races for me have been the wet ones.

[Teretonga]

5 day forecast for Sao Paulo is

Friday: Lightning, 30% chance of rain
Saturday: 30% chance of rain
Sunday: 20% chance of rain
Monday 20% chance of rain

It looks like a wet weekend in the summery Brazil....

[Knowlesy]

Let's have rain.

[Ralf's Girl]

I'd like rain, on the proviso that it's not as heavy as the last race. There's only so much of Mark Webber's whining I can take.

[ECW Dan Selby]

I'd only like on and off showers.

I'm surprised people havn't mentioned the fact there just won't be a proper race if there's any 'real' rain.......

We thought Korea was bad.

Selby

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Also top marks to frostie, for once again producing a great round up.

[frostie]

I'd really like a dry race that would allow for a true battle between the contenders. Interlagos has the potential for a really close race between Red Bull, Ferrari and even McLaren. While rain might give us a great race I'd love a tense battle(similar to Monza lets say) that will allow all the contenders the chance to show who deserves it most

[ECW Dan Selby]

I'm more worried about having half a race behind the safety car, and more rubbish from the top contenders...

"This is the wettest rain i've EVER seen!!!!!!"

Selby

[Ralf's Girl]

I can imagine the team radio...

Ferrari: Fernando, how are the track conditions?
Alonso: Terrible, I can't see a thing!

McLaren: Lewis, how are the track conditions?
Hamilton: Brilliant, can I have slicks soon?

[chillibowl]

i must say i have really looked forward to reading these intros all season...in fact it has become part of my race weekend ritual and really gets me hyped up for it. thanks frostie

also hoping for a dry race. now is the time for things to be settled on track in good racing conditions.

[steve_r]

Wet weather always livens things up, but I recall a river running accross the track after the chicane a fews ago, and half the cars aquaplaned off. That might be the only way McLaren can get back into the WDC hunt!

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by Ralf's Girl

I can imagine the team radio...

Ferrari: Fernando, how are the track conditions?
Alonso: Terrible, I can't see a thing!

McLaren: Lewis, how are the track conditions?
Hamilton: Brilliant, can I have slicks soon?

RBR : Mark, how are the track conditions?
Webber : Fin....argghhh....ouch. Bugger.

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

5 day forecast for Sao Paulo is

Friday: Lightning, 30% chance of rain
Saturday: 30% chance of rain
Sunday: 20% chance of rain
Monday 20% chance of rain

It looks like a wet weekend in the summery Brazil....

That is quite a high chance of no rain though. I'm no meteorologist but where can you get a website explaining more about how much rain is expected to fall should those percentages be correct?

[E.B]

Christian Klien will replace Sakon Yamamoto as HRT race driver at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. Of course Sakon was replaced by Klien for Singapore when he 'suffered food poisoning' (later discoved to actually be because a Sakon cheque from a sponsor did not arrive. (Sakon pays $450,000 per race for the seat) No reason for the substitution for this weekend has been given.

In other news, the engine that Seb Vettel will be using for the race has already contested two grands prix this year, at Monza and Singapore. It has a mileage of 1066 klms on it. (They have a projected life of 2000klms, but the Korean engine which failed had done about 1600klms when the #4 con-rod broke.)

I wonder how that compares with the engines to be used by Mark aand Fernando?

[strider]

I think Fernando is also on an engine that has a done a couple of races.

They are of course supposed to be able to do 4, but if I were Vettel I might worry about using an engine that had already done Monza because they are flat out for so much of the lap there.

[Teretonga]

The forecast has changed again and now Friday is better, saturday is worse 9Thunderstorms and 50% chance of rain and Sunday has an improved outlook....

So what chance qualifying is rained out and we have it on Sunday morning....?

Weather changes all the time as do forecastss so you just go with it whatever.
Still a wet race won't be to anybody's advantage other than Alonso...

[Born Racer]

So Klien's back in the saddle. It will be interesting to judge him against Senna. I thought Senna showed him up in Singapore although there were apparently mitigating circumstances in Senna's car. Let's see what happens this weekend.

[strider]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

The forecast has changed again and now Friday is better, saturday is worse 9Thunderstorms and 50% chance of rain and Sunday has an improved outlook....

So what chance qualifying is rained out and we have it on Sunday morning....?

Weather changes all the time as do forecastss so you just go with it whatever.
Still a wet race won't be to anybody's advantage other than Alonso...

The rain arrived in Interlagos about 4 hours ago. Not sure how that affects things, but maybe the sooner it arrives the sooner in ends.

[AUSRSR]

Not looking forward to waking up at 3am for this one...Exam at 10am the same morning. Ouch!

[MarcosAmbroseFan]

Mine is next week. Thank goodness I'm safe. For me its 5am