Championship contenders on treacherous ground

Brazilian Grand Prix preview

Posted on

| Written by

Start, Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos, 2009

The Brazilian Grand Prix has decided the destiny of every world championship since 2005.

Fernando Alonso will be hoping it does again this year, as he’s the only driver who can wrap up the title on Sunday.

But with five drivers still in contention for the title Interlagos may just as easily provide another twist in this year’s remarkable championship.

The last thing Alonso wants is a repeat of last year’s result – Mark Webber romping off to victory after Alonso was harpooned by a Force India.

That was just one of several dramatic incidents on the first lap of last year’s race. Adrian Sutil and Jarno Trulli tangled, Kimi Raikkonen losing his front wing and Heikki Kovalainen being tipped into a spin, all within the space of a few corners.

Interlagos is a narrow, short, twisty, bumpy track and all five title contenders know they can ill-afford a costly collision.

For Alonso, team mate Felipe Massa is likely to be better-equipped to help him here than at any other track on the calendar.

In his last three appearances at Interlagos he has won twice (2006 and 2008) and surrendered a likely win in 2007 to help then team mate Raikkonen claim the title. Might he be called upon to do the same for Alonso this weekend?

The other four championship contenders know they can’t count on help from their team mates. That’s a particular problem for Webber, Alonso’s closest rival, because Sebastian Vettel has been quicker than him in recent races.

Nothing tests a driver’s mental toughness like the closing stages of a finely-balanced championship fight. Webber’s mistake in Korea has only added to his list of problems.

The same goes for teams and Red Bull need to hit back hard after their no-score in Korea. Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali didn’t miss an opportunity to turn the screw earlier this week, saying his team would be running away with the championship if their car was as fast as the RB6.

Vettel’s out-of-the-blue engine failure two weeks ago was a reminder that, no matter how painstaking the preparations, disaster can strike without warning in F1.

For the McLaren drivers the question is whether they will have a fast enough car to take on the Ferraris and Red Bulls this weekend.

Lewis Hamilton acknowledged their car is the third-quickest at the moment. But the long, flat-out climb from Juncao to the start/finish line should be prime McLaren territory, and they’ll be hoping their rivals’ engine concerns will come to bear.

When it comes to other drivers who might play a role in deciding the championship outcome, as usual the most likely candidate is Robert Kubica. He drove magnificently here last year, revelling in the upgraded BMW F1.09 to claim second place.

Mercedes have shown improved form in recent races too having finally taken a step forward with their F-duct configuration. They were among the quickest cars through the speed traps all weekend in Korea, which should serve them well on that 17-second flat-out blast from Juncao.

The other cars that could play a big role this weekend are those of Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

Interlagos is the second-shortest track on the calendar and traffic will be a constant concern for the front runners in the race. Remember the stunning championship drama in 2008 was triggered by Kubica un-lapping himself from Hamilton, giving Vettel the opportunity to pass.

Another point to keep an eye on this weekend is just how quickly the cars can lap the 4.3km track. The race lap record of 1’11.473 by Juan Pablo Montoya set in 2004 is unlikely to be rivalled because of refuelling ban.

But in practice and qualifying expect the cars to get within range of the 1’09.822 set by Rubens Barrichello on the same weekend.

All the ingredients for a great Grand Prix are in place. Let’s see if Interlagos serves up another of its races to remember.

Drivers to watch

Four driver to keep an eye on this weekend. Name your top picks in the comments.

Mark Webber – The championship lead has slipped from his grasp at a critical moment, and he’s not pretending it’s anyone’s fault but his. Can he fight back on the track where he won last year?

Lewis Hamilton – Did enough in Korea to stay within range of Alonso. But he hasn’t taken points off the Ferrari driver since Belgium, and if he doesn’t do it here his championship is almost certainly over.

Felipe Massa – Has had a dreadful season but always performs at home. It’s not hard to imagine what might happen should he end up in front of his team mate though.

Bruno Senna – Another Sao Paulo driver who’s not having the season he hoped for, with a string of car-related problems. Can he do anything in front of his home crowd to stake a claim for a better drive in 2011?

The Brazilian Grand Prix on F1 Fanatic

Join us to follow the action live throughout the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend including the race, qualifying and all three practice sessions. Times here: Brazilian Grand Prix live TV times

Before the race weekend starts look out for our unofficial race programme with quick links to all the important information.

We’ll have analysis of the times during Friday practice and extensive coverage of qualifying and the race.

Remember to keep an eye out for our “rate the race” feature after every Grand Prix and don’t forget to enter our predictions competition to win great prizes including F1 tickets, DVDs, paintings and books.

Don’t miss any of our Brazilian Grand Prix coverage. Get the latest articles from F1 Fanatic for free via Twitter, RSS or our email subscription service. Click here for more information.

Are you going to the Brazilian Grand Prix?

If you’re heading to Interlagos for this weekend’s race, please tell us about it. You can leave a comment below, email me or get in touch using Twitter.

You can also upload pictures and video to the F1 Fanatic drop.io.

And you can find other people who are going in the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix discussion

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

    Browse all 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix articles

    Image © Brawn GP

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    58 comments on “Championship contenders on treacherous ground”

    1. Lt’s see if Interlagos serves up another of its races to remember.

      Should be Let’s right?

      1. Yep just a typo, fixed.

        1. There’s still a typo on the home page. It says ‘go in back time’ not ‘go back in time.’

    2. My prediction for quali- 1st vet 2nd-alo 3rd-mas 4th-kub 5th-web 6th-ham ..
      Race prediction -1st-vet 2nd-alo 3rd-kub 4th-ham 5th-but 6th-mas ….web-DNF

      1. Web 6th in quali? unlikely. A DNF in the race is more likely in my opinion… and lethal.

    3. I have a feeling we’re actually going to have a boring procession ;)

      1. Save it for the Abu Dhabi preview :-)

        1. Funny thing about that, I reckon the quality of racing in the second half of the season hasn’t been nearly what it in the first, but the tense championship makes up for it.

          Even if they are processions no ones goiing to rate them lower than an 6

          1. Even if they are processions no ones goiing to rate them lower than an 6

            I would say it’s more likely to polarise voting. The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix got a very low score.

          2. maybe because we still watch the race.

            Watching F1 on sundays for me makes it already a special sunday :)

      2. Unlikely to be a procession, even less so if there’s some rain. I think they’ll be at least one major ‘incident,’ someone taking someone else (a championship contender) out, maybe several. It’s now or never. Vettel and Webber. Alonso and Webber. Alonso and Hamilton. All these individual disputes have to be settled in Brazil (Vettel has to beat Webber, Webber and Ham have to beat Alonso). Add into the mix Button and particularly Massa, who will be ‘scrapping for the team,’ and it could all get a bit messry. And then there are the likes of Kubica, Rosberg, even Schumacher, who will want to mess up the score board and show they’re warming up for 2011. Can’t wait!

      3. I can’t remember when was the last time we had a boring procession at Interlagos, can you? Definetely not once since 2003, not in 2000-01, not in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999. I can’t remember the 1997, 1998, 2002 races very well, so maybe those were processional…

        But you surely understand the point I’m making by now? :)

        1. You surely haven’t understood mine, which is with all these expectations, imagine if it’s boring!

          1. I see what you did there!

            So I agree, this race will be a boring procession, with no overtakes…

            Oh and Alonso wins ;)

        2. Probably Icthyes is expecting the law of averages to catch up with the Interlagos circuit,

      4. The sri lankan
        4th November 2010, 19:28

        not if something to say about it kobayashi has!

    4. It is interesting to see how ferrari fares against bulls. Brazil is comparatively slow corner circuit & long flat out corners. So i assume ferrari should be very strong & close to bulls if not faster than them. Regarding McLaren i am hearing since sinapore that they are brining new parts which help them to be faster. They show occasional brillance in practices but when it matters like Q3 & race they just fizzle away. So on pure pace it is ferrari vs bulls.

      1. Or the Bulls vs the Bulls. As it really should have been all year.

    5. Tom M in Australia
      4th November 2010, 9:48

      I can’t wait!!

    6. Hey Keith,
      Maybe you could link back Jamie’s Championship calculator to this page ?

      Anyway, it would be wonderful if the WDC battle could end in Abu Dhabi. Actually, it would be great (for the championship) to have this result in Brazil : Vettel 1st, Hamilton 2nd, Webber 4th and Alonso DNF. It would bring us to :
      Webber 232
      Alonso 232
      Vettel 231
      Hamilton 228

      1. It’s on the Programme page because that’s what’s linked at the top of the home page all the time.

      2. doubt it… Alonso may dnf thanks to an engine or wet weatther driving but doubt it.

        Webber would have to be ebaten by someone else for that to happen AND hamitlon in the 3rd best car. Not likely. Kubica wont beat webber or vettel unless rbr have managed to muck it up.

        More likely, given webber won last year and its teh same conditions.

        Webber 1st, alonso/hamilton/vettel, alonso/hamilton/vettel, alonso/hamilton/vettel.

        Vettel being 3rd or 4th if the conditiosn change throughout the race and they muck up the pit stops. A ferrari or mclaren may be able to get inbetween the two redbulls if they are close (as in turkey) otherwise nup.

        So..

        Webber leading
        Alonso 1 ahead or 2 behind
        vettel 20 behind
        hamilton 20 odd behidn

        button out of the race after alonso scored more than 8 points.

        1. Vettel and Webber 1-2 the last two races in that order.

          https://www.racefans.net/championship-calculator/

          Brazil
          1-Vettel
          2-Webber
          3-Alonso
          4-Massa
          5-Hamilton
          6-Button

          Abu Dhabi
          1-Vettel
          2-Webber
          3-Hamilton
          4-Button
          5-Alonso
          6-Massa

          This gives Vettel, Webber and Alonso 256 points each with Webber on 4 Wins to Vettel’s and Alonso’s 5. They each have 2 Seconds and 3 Thirds and Vettel wins the WDC with 3 Fourths to Alonso’s 2.
          Massa will be ahead of Alonso until the late stages of each race 8)

          1. Wow, deciding a WDC in the 4ths would really be something. Has it ever happened?

            1. No, the Championship has never finished tied on points. There have been 7 won by a margin of 1 point, the most recent in 2007 (Raikonnen, Hamilton and Alonso) and 2008 (when Massa won the race and the title for about 30 seconds until Hamilton passed Glock in the final turn for Fifth to take it away by 1 point).

            2. Whoops, and I almost forgot about Lauda over Prost in 1984 by a Half Point.

          2. I like the look of that..

            Looking very much forward to this weekend.. BUT also do not. Because this could be the weekend the title is decided and that would be such a shame. To have 4 title contenders after this race would be epic and would be a real heart stopping race in Abu Dhabi if DeadManWoking’s suggested finish prediction comes true. Maybe another Webber vs Button style last few laps in Abu Dhabi?

        2. Webber would have to be ebaten by someone else for that to happen

          You’re forgetting Massa. Ferrari will be strong and Interlagos is total Massa territory. In Korea he looked like he’d picked up some of the pace and determination lacking since Hockenheim. He could beat Webber to third, particularly if Webber qualifies down the grid and/or has a poor start, both very possible.

          In fact, though, maybe Ferrari would actually prefer Massa on pole, ahead of Alonso, controlling the race. If Alonso’s engine gets through the race, he can give way, if it blows up (not sure it’s that likely) then Massa is there to limit the points damage.

          1. David BR, I am hoping you are right. I don’t want to see the championship wrapped up in Brazil, but I really do hope Massa can win it. He has dominated Brazil since 06, and I dare say the way he was looking in 09, he would have atleast been on the podium then as well. He is still good enough to win, and a win at home, would be perfect.

            Interesting comments by Domenicalli. Despite the RB6’s incredible pace, I feel he is right. Had Ferrari had a car with such a massive advantage, Massa would have probably won several rounds by now and Alonso the Championship. Had McLaren had a car with that advantage, Lewis would have been untouchable, and Button would have had more than a couple wins as well. In my mind, other than the home crowd pressure on Massa, the true pressure in these last two races are squarely on Redbull, who really should be leading by far more than they are this late in the game.

    7. God damn I am nervous just waiting for this weekend. Imagine the teams, not to mention the drivers!! This will be one for the ages.

      Bring it on.

    8. My worry: Brasil will prove itself this year again, deciding the championship.

      My trouble: I’m an Alonso fan – he’s really the best driver in the pack (the youngsters are up-and-coming-but-not-there-yet) – but just can’t bend myself over and want him to win. Just can’t stand the Ferrari.

      My dream if Alonso wins the WDC: Dietrich Mateshitz buys Alonso from Ferrari and in 2011 we have the best car with the best driver in it :-) Could lead to a boring championship, but I won’t have the dilema anymore ;-)

      1. haha, that was a bit like me in 2007. i loved kimi throughout his mclaren days but i’d never been a fan of ferrari. back then, i didn’t really like alonso, and hamilton just annoyed me. so on the balance of things, thinking back, now i’m glad kimi won and i don’t mind ferrari now.

        But in this championship, GO WEBBER!

        1. I mightily loved the awesome Kimi ’07 win even though I’m a hardcore ALO supporter. But Mclaren was so abhorrently awful in ’07 that I was glad that ALO didn’t win for them.

      2. Its the reverse for me. I’ve been a ferrari fan since 1998 but i just despise alonso. and massa lacks character. so most uncharacteristically, i want button to win this year.

    9. My prediction for BRASIL

      HAM 1st (235)

      VET 2nd (224)

      WEB 3rd (235)

      ALO 4th (243)

      ABU DHABI

      HAM 1st (260)

      WEB 2nd (253)

      VET 3rd (239)

      ALO 4th (255)

      Lewis world champion!!!!!!!!!!!!! wohoooooooooooooooo!!!!

    10. Can you add Robert Kubica to the drivers to watch list?

      1. I can’t wait to see Robert Kubica in a WCC worthy car. I have the impression that he may be about as good as Fernando Alonso, and light years ahead of all the rest. But until he gets there we” never know.

        1. Agreed. Not sure about “light years ahead of the rest” though. He certainly wasnt “light years ahead” of Heidfeld.

          1. He was… but to understand abilities of F1 drivers you have to look inside more deeper than scoreboards. This is why Kub is nr 1 free error driver, and Heidfeld is going to be a test driver.

    11. I wonder if Bruno Senna and Lucas di Grassi won’t be tempted to display on expense of faster cars, like those of top 5. This might produce more risk of accident or spin than usually.

    12. The last time a non-brazilian was on pole was in 2005 when Alonso was light fuelled. Come on Felipe, don’t break the tradition!

      1. and before that it goes back to 2002 – quite an incredible record

        1. And by counting all south americans, it goes back to (apart from 2005) 2001 if I’m not wrong.

    13. Can someone tell me why the different engines sounds differently? Like ferrari sounds very high pitch and sharp while the renault a bit dull? Is it because of difference in engine designing or difference in chassis designing like different exhaust etc.

      1. It probably is a mix of what you’ve said. Also I believe the engines are linked to the exhausts via a set of varying lengths of pipework in order to create the right pressure requirements for the exhaust..even more so now with the EBD. The varying lengths alters the pitch at which the sound from the engine resonates.

      2. I’m non-tech but I believe thev exhausts are purposely tuned for sound. At least in the Ferrari street legal cars they certainly are.

        1. Pretty certain it’s not just for sound. They would never make them loud just for the sake of it..it’s a tremendous potential loss in kinetic energy.

          1. Tuned for sound doesn’t mean necessarily louder, they try to get a more satisfying sound, a matter of taste, not of volume. Aston Martins also do, and I’d say most of the top class sports cars. f1 is different, they wouldn’t sacrifice power for a nicer sound.

      3. As long as I’ve been watching Ferrari have always had this high note while Mercedes engines in particular have a more alto sound, more muffled and mechanical, like Porsche flat-6 in a sense, even when everyone had V-10s. So it seems there is a different engine building philosophy being reflected in the header design, which is still something of a black art.

      4. anto the irish
        6th November 2010, 6:24

        geting sick while i say this but the mclarens have the best engine sound this year very sexy.bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbarf

    14. Thanks andrewtanner and monsol

    15. Personally i’m picking a boring procession, with the only excitement coming through the first 5 or 6 laps when its WEB and VET going for the lead, before Pathetic Mr Horner asks ever so nicely over the radio to ‘settle down now boys’.

      Whoever has pole from the two RB6’s, has the win.

    16. As much as it pains me to say it..some Istanbul Park-RBR style antics from McLaren and RBR would be most welcome to shake things up a bit :D

    17. I agree,I think you are right. They just try to optimize the whole engine settings and minimise the unnecesary loss of power and in that process design different types of exhaust pipes and other such things in order to satisfy the various need of the car like EBD etc. Since their chassis ,engine coolant system,exhausts ,diffusers and the engine mappings as well are different so they produce different type of sounds. Thats my guess from what andrew said.

    18. When it comes to 2009 Brazilian GP first thing that comes in my mind is Kimi catching fire.

      Nice preview.I won’t say anything now just saving it for the race itself. It will be a epic race with too much uncertainty.

    19. Felipe Massa – Has had a dreadful season but always performs at home. It’s not hard to imagine what might happen should he end up in front of his team mate though.

      He won’t let Alonso pass this time. Otherwise he will be arrested!

      According to the Special Criminal Court based on the Brazilian Supporter’s Statute, he can have up to six years imprisonment for “faking” or “contributing to fraud” during any athletic competition. If he does, he might leave in handcuffs Interlagos!

      Source (in Portuguese) http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/esporte/825187-monica-bergamo-massa-pode-ser-preso-se-der-passagem-a-alonso-no-gp-brasil-diz-promotor.shtml

      1. It is not criminal. He is out of the championship. So he can legitimately give place to Alonso.

        Otherwise, Felipe would have been arrested in 2007.

    20. anto the irish
      6th November 2010, 6:32

      wouldin mind that.its just some mad alco judge ranting and raving coz he could not find this 100 year old single malt or hes prob a mclaren fan lol

    Comments are closed.