Fernando, Felipe is Faster Than You

Personal commentary. (Brazilian GP 2014 - Race)

The sun was shining unabated yesterday since morning. There was no sign of the reported rain that was predicted to happen at Sao Paulo. The track was as dry as the desert ground. Whoever said we were having a wet race again?

Thanks to the searing heat, it did make the race more interesting with the already tricky circuit. The top three from qualifying had so many obstacles thrown at them. The weather did the tyres no justice.

Felipe Massa was a podium favourite. A Brazilian for a Brazilian podium. He got into the race and received a repeat of history: a stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Just when we thought that was the end of his misery, he wasted some time on the second pitstop, deciding to leave for Williams and race for McLaren? Each overtake from the Massa was constantly cheered on by the Brazilian crowd. "OLE OLE OLE MASSA MASSA MASSA." Indeed, with his well-informed understanding of the track and the car he was driving this year, it had placed him back on third place. Third place was already enough for the hungry Brazilian crowd. Parabéns, Felipe Massa! You so totally deserve the last podium yesterday! He may not have the most Brazilian GP wins but he is definitely the Interlagos king of the 21st century.

Romain Grosjean seemed to have horrible bad luck whenever he races during the Brazilian GP. The track does do him "wonders" every single race he has there since 2012. He has not finished a Brazilian GP before. He did pass the tenth lap mark successfully yesterday (at least) but he was still brought down at the 63rd lap for a power unit failure. What an abominable misfortune!

Kimi Raikkonen may have been overtaken by Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel on lap 62, he did, however, put up a stronger front when his teammate was hot on his heels. It displayed some amazing defences from the Finn. Even the team was so silent during the battle. We all knew that his position would eventually be snatched by Alonso due to his older set of tyres but those few laps were enough to conclude that Raikkonen has found himself at a very good position in the F14T at last.

The Honey Badger was not a Honey Badger for long. He was down with suspension failure while former finger boy soared to the fifth spot. Due to Valtteri Bottas' one point finish and Alonso finishing behind Sebastian Vettel, this had placed Vettel right behind Daniel Riccciardo in the world drivers' championship, surpassing the two drivers.



Nico Rosberg had such a trouble free race thanks to Lewis Hamilton's constant display of his ballet techniques (in reference to Burn's tweet "Hamilton performs a pirouette"). He spun again which ultimately cost him a possible win. The points are now narrowed down to 17. This makes the Abu Dhabi GP 10x more exciting and nerve-racking. Bring on the fire! Well, we all know it is either of the Mercedes drivers but the real answer we would want to know is, who will it be? Will it be the one time British F1 champion or Britney who has already won the sassiness award but is yet to win the driver's championship?

Brazilian Grand Prix Race: 

1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 71 Winner 1 25
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 +1.4 secs 2 18
3 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 71 +41.0 secs 3 15
4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 71 +48.6 secs 5 12
5 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 71 +51.4 secs 6 10
6 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 71 +61.9 secs 8 8
7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 71 +63.7 secs 10 6
8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 71 +63.9 secs 12 4
9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 71 +70.0 secs 7 2
10 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 70 +1 Lap 4 1
11 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 70 +1 Lap 17
12 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 70 +1 Lap 16
13 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 70 +1 Lap 15
14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 70 +1 Lap 11
15 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 70 +1 Lap 18
16 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 70 +1 Lap 13
17 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 63 +8 Laps 14
Ret Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 39 Suspension 9

Overcast Weather, Overcast Emotions

Personal commentary. (Brazilian GP 2014 - FP1, FP2, FP3 and Qualifying)

The F1 world closed the curtains to the Anglo-Russian team on Friday, leaving an unconscious Jules Bianchi oblivious to the disappearing state of his former team he had scored his first points with and Max Chilton without a 2015 drive (at the moment). How can we not include the people behind the team at the race tracks and back at the HQ? From this day on, Marussia's days with F1 have officially come to an end. It is with great sadness to hear this devastating yet shocking news. I thought they were the backmarker team with the most potential. They are actually placed 9th on the WDC, the team to beat Sauber and Caterham. I do recall that there are talks on them having a few interested buyers and even mentions of the team being listed as Manor F1 Team on the 2015 provisional team list. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. :( Starting from its Virgin Racing days up to now, the team has been in the motorsport for six years. Thanks for all the memories, Marussia! You guys will definitely be missed! <3

Apart from Marussia, Caterham is the next team which is facing trouble on the possibility of getting axed from the sport. The team is currently seeking fans to play a part in chipping in so as to hopefully see Caterham for another race. As of now, the they have raised a total close to £1,067,535, which is also known as 45%. YES, THEY ARE GETTING CLOSER EACH HOUR! They have about five days to earn as much money towards their goal of £2,350,000. I hope you guys are able to meet the target! I simply cannot bear to see another team not being able to contest in F1 next year!

As for driver updates, it seems like Sauber has a full line-up ready for the 2015 season with a Swedish and the new addition of a Brazilian by the name of Felipe. No, it is not Massa, he is still with Williams. It is none other than GP2 driver/Williams reserve driver Felipe Nasr! I was again appalled to read the news. I would have thought the last seat would be taken up by one of the remaining Sauber drivers (Esteban Gutierrez, Adrian Sutil, Giedo van der Garde). I have no complains about Nasr joining F1, he is a driver of superb quality. I just did not expect him to be driving for Sauber. I thought he would have stayed on with Williams and maybe join them when one of their drivers retires or changes team. Either ways, he has been signed on and he will be joining Max Verstappen as rookies in 2015! Parabéns, Nasr! May you end the final GP2 race in tip-top condition and have a pleasant time preparing for your road to F1 during the break! :)

Interlagos may have gone through slight track changes but it still gives both drivers and tyres a hard time. Some drivers were seen spinning due to the low grip their cars seem to have on the track. The difference the 2014 Interlagos track has over its predecessor is its pit lane, turn 2 and turn 15. I would say the track changes did not affect the drivers in any drastic way, it may be safer, yes. That is perhaps the number one priority in F1 right now.

Nico Rosberg has scored a hat trick in the two days of the pre-race sessions, constantly beating Lewis Hamilton with his flawless driving. His teammate, on the other hand, did not have the same fate as him, seeming to have a considerable amount of lock-ups. It was the lock-up that had again put the pole out of Hamilton's reach.

It seems like Felipe Massa has the advantage over Valtteri Bottas in his home race. He has been in the top ten in day one and top three on day two. Cheers directed to the two time home race champion were insistent. With the undeserved penalty he was given last year in his final year with Ferrari, he is certainly ready to pounce and get back what could have been his.

This is Rosberg's tenth pole, two out of which has only been converted to a win this season. Will this be the third for him? What about local hero Massa? Will we see him beating the Mercedes to the top? We are just one and a half hours to the penultimate grand prix!


Brazilian GP Qualifying: 

1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:10.347 1:10.303 1:10.023 14
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:10.457 1:10.712 1:10.056 14
3 Felipe Massa Williams 1:10.602 1:10.343 1:10.247 17
4 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:10.832 1:10.421 1:10.305 17
5 Jenson Button McLaren 1:11.097 1:11.127 1:10.930 16
6 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:11.880 1:11.129 1:10.938 19
7 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:11.134 1:11.211 1:10.969 16
8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:11.558 1:11.215 1:10.977 18
9 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:11.593 1:11.208 1:11.075 20
10 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:11.193 1:11.188 1:11.099 18
11 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:11.520 1:11.591 18
12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:11.848 1:11.976 14
13 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:11.943 1:12.099 17
14 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:11.423  9
15 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:12.037  8
16 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:12.040  10
17 Sergio Perez Force India 1:12.076  9
18 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:12.233  7
 
* Grid penalties for Daniil Kvyat (remainder of engine penalty from previous race) and Sergio Perez (collision involving Adrian Sutil). *