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  • F1 2015: Brazilian GP Free Practice 2 Report – Rosberg Takes the Honor

    F1 2015: Brazilian GP Free Practice 2 Report – Rosberg Takes the Honor

    Nico Rosberg ended of Friday’s 2nd Free Practice session on top of the time sheets ahead of Mercedes Team mate Lewis Hamilton for the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

    Rosberg set a time of 1:12.385 which seen him go almost half a second clear of Hamilton who clocked in the second fastest time of the session of 1:12.843, 0.458s slower. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third fastest of the session almost a second down from Rosberg with a 1:13.345.

    With an 80% chance of rain forecast ahead of the sessions the drivers were keen to make the most of the session which got off to a very busy start. There were spots of rain that threatened to turn into a full blown shower but it never materialised and it was never wet enough for intermediate tyres let alone dry tyres.

    At the beginning of the session drivers complained about the lack of grip. A few drivers were caught out by the slippery conditions which seen them spinning off the track.

    There was only one casualty from the session and it came courtesy of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso who suffered from an engine component failure. Alonso’s car was seen spitting flames and billowing smoke from the back of his MP4-30. This halted the session to allow the marshals to recover Alonso’s car. The session was restarted 10mins later where Rosberg set his fastest time of the session.

    Kimi Raikkonen finished the session 4th fastest for Ferrari after troubles with rear grip and a dragging clutch later in the session. Daniel Ricciardo, who takes a 10-place grid drop after fitting the updated Renault engine, finished the session 5th fastest 0.085s off Raikkonen’s pace. Some encouraging news for Red Bull and Renault.

    Valtteri Bottas finished the session in 6th for Williams. The stewards announced after the session that he was under investigation for overtaking under red flag conditions when Alonso stopped on track. Romain Grosjean finished his session 7th fastest with Nico Hulkenberg 8th fastest for Force India.

    Daniil Kyat ended his session 9th with Felipe Massa rounding out the top 10.

    Finishing 11th fastest was Sergio Perez with Pastor Maldonado in 12. Felipe Nasr in the Sauber ended his session in 13th. The two Toro Rosso’s of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz finished 14th and 15th respectively.

    Jenson Button was 16th fastest with Marcus Ericsson in the second Sauber in 17th. Alonso, before retiring from the session, managed to set a time of 1:15.129 quite early on in the session which put him in 18th.

    Will Stevens finished ahead of Alexander Rossi in the battle of the Manor team mates.

    Pos. Driver Car Time Gap Laps
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:12.385 – 42
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:12.843 +0.458 39
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:13.345 +0.960 41
    4 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:13.500 +1.115 43
    5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:13.585 +1.200 39
    6 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:13.603 +1.218 37
    7 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:13.634 +1.249 45
    8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:13.710 +1.325 43
    9 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1:13.848 +1.463 40
    10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:13.870 +1.485 42
    11 Sergio Perez Force India 1:14.056 +1.671 34
    12 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:14.124 +1.739 42
    13 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:14.134 +1.749 44
    14 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:14.226 +1.841 35
    15 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:14.326 +1.941 45
    16 Jenson Button McLaren 1:14.644 +2.259 37
    17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:14.772 +2.387 38
    18 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:15.129 +2.744 10
    19 Will Stevens Marussia 1:16.501 +4.116 35
    20 Alexander Rossi Marussia 1:16.787 +4.402 35

     

    Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team

  • F1 2015: Brazilian GP Free Practice 1 Report – Hamilton Quickest

    F1 2015: Brazilian GP Free Practice 1 Report – Hamilton Quickest

    Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton topped the timing sheets in the first free practice session for the Brazilian grand prix.

    The one-a-half hour session got underway with the track temperature soaring towards the 40 degree centigrade mark. The track surface provided a low level of grip for the drivers as they re-familiarized themselves with the famous Interlagos circuit. The Mercedes driver pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg traded quickest times during the initial part of the session before the Ferrari’s of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel took to the track.

    Ultimately, Vettel and Raikkonen ended the session third and fifth fastest. The Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo was fourth fastest with the newly upgraded internal combustion engine, from Renault, fitted to the Aussie’s car. No major incidents came to the fore during the session save for a few lock-ups into turn one and late session spin, into turn 4, for Raikkonen.

    Local heroes Felipe Nasr and Felipe Massa ended their session, for Sauber and Williams, in fourteenth and seventeenth respectively.

    Final Free Practice 1 Standings:

    brazilfp1

     

  • Video: Brazilian GP Memories: Elation for Hamilton, Anguish for Massa

    Video: Brazilian GP Memories: Elation for Hamilton, Anguish for Massa

    Who can forget the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was probably world champion for the shortest time. Massa did all he had to do by winning the race. Lewis Hamilton overtook Toyota’s Timo Glock at the final corner to take P5 which was enough for him to win the Championship by 1 point.

  • Hamilton To Race In Brazil

    Hamilton To Race In Brazil

    The Mercedes Formula 1 team have said that 2015 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will race this weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix despite being unwell.

    Hamilton was scheduled to speak at a press event in Brazil on Wednesday but had to cancel as he was advised by his doctor to postpone his flight to Brazil by one day.

    Initial reports suggested that Hamilton will not race this weekend and Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein was to stand in for the Briton.

    A Mercedes spokes person put to rest the uninformed reports by saying that it was all a misunderstanding and that Hamilton was advised by his doctors to fly a day later as he was unfit to fly to Brazil on Wednesday.

    UPDATE: In a post on Instagram Hamilton confirmed that he was unwell and that he had also been involved in an accident in Monco on Monday. In his post Hamilton wrote:

    “Dear TeamLH, just wanted to let you know why things have been quiet on social media the past few days.

    I’ve not been well with a fever but I also had a road accident in Monaco on Monday night.

    Whilst ultimately, it is nobody’s business, there are people knowing my position that will try to take advantage of the situation and make a quick buck. NO problem.

    Nobody was hurt, which is the most important thing. But the car was obviously damaged and I made very light contact with a stationary vehicle.

    Talking with the team and my doctor, we decided together that it was best for me to rest at home and leave a day later.

    But i am feeling better and am currently boarding the plane to Brazil.

    However, I am informing you because I feel we all must take responsibility for our actions. Mistakes happen to us all but what’s important is that we learn from them and grow.

    Can’t wait for the weekend Brazil”

  • Weather report for the 2015 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix

    Weather report for the 2015 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix

    The Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace formerly known as Interlagos has hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix since 1990 and has, marked the end of the Formula 1 season. For the second year now, the circuit hosts the penultimate race of the season and round 18 of the Formula 1 World Championship.

    At the end of last year, the circuit underwent a major upgrade to the pit complex and so the track surface. The upgrades were scheduled to be complete before the teams reach Brazil this year. Some of the upgrade was still going on as the teams started arriving but the Grand Prix will go ahead as planned.

    On the tyre front Formula 1 tyre supplier, Pirelli, are bringing the Yellow soft and White medium compound tyres to Brazil this year. This is the same compound that was chosen last year. They expect the surface to be vastly different to the previous races but they have stuck with the safest tyre option available to them.

    With the slow middle sector mechanical grip will be required to power out of the slow corners while in the first and 3rd sectors the cars will depend on aerodynamic grip through the medium speed corners. A good balance between mechanical and aerodynamic grip will be required at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace where teams tend to run quite high down force levels.

    Initial forecasts for the weekend were very good forecasting sunny weather with a few thundershowers. The forecast at the time of writing had changed slightly with more thundershowers forecast throughout the weekend with temperatures still quite high.

    Forecasts suggest that the practice sessions, qualifying and the race fall just outside of the rain window. Temperatures will range from the mid 20s to low 30s with Friday forecast to be the hottest. Apart from the spots of rain that is forecast, expect most of the weekend to be sunny and hot.

    Brazil 2015_Weather

     

     

  • Broadcast Times for the 2015 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix

    Broadcast Times for the 2015 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix

    The penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship takes us to Sao Paulo in Brazil for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    The Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace is a 4.209km track with 15 corners situated in the southern part of the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The land for the track was initially earmarked for property development in 1926. The parcel of land was unsuitable for a housing development and it was decided that a race track will be built.

    Construction on the circuit began in 1938 and was completed in 1940. The original layout of the track consisted of 26 corners and was 7.960km long. Formula 1 started racing at Interlagos in 1972 which was a non-championship race. The first championship race was hosted the following year and was won by Sao Paulo local Emerson Fittipaldi.

    The track underwent a few modifications in 1989 during which the Brazilian leg of the F1 World Championship was moved to Rio. The championship returned to Sao Paulo after Ayrton Senna came to the fore.

    The track layout has remained largely the same since 1990 with a few modifications being made to the corners and some resurfacing work being carried out.

    Overtaking opportunities are quite limited considering the slow and twisty middle sector of the track. Overtaking is usually done into Turn 1 at the Senna Esses and at the medium speed Turn 4 after the second DRS zone. The middle sector is slow and twisty where one corner leads to the next, Cars will rely heavily on the mechanical grip from the tyres through the middle sector.

    Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg will want to carry his momentum from his race in in Mexico into this weekend while his team mate, Lewis Hamilton battles illness to be fit to race this weekend. Ferrari on the other hand are aiming for the win. Sebastian Vettel seems fairly confident that victory is possible in the final two races of the season.

    Below are the broadcast times for the 2015 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix

    GMT GMT+2 Local
    Free Practice 1 12:00 14:00 10:00
    Free Practice 2 16:00 18:00 14:00
    Free Practice 3 14:00 15:00 11:00
    Qualifying 16:00 18:00 14:00
    Race 16:00 18:00 14:00

     

  • F1 2015: Brazilian Grand Prix Preview – Brazil – A spectacle for the ages

    F1 2015: Brazilian Grand Prix Preview – Brazil – A spectacle for the ages

    In the last several years the Brazilian grand prix has moved around quite a bit on the F1 calendar. It’s gone from the second race of the year to being the season-ender a few times. Now, it finds itself settled as the penultimate race of the year. But regardless of when the Brazilian grand prix is run it always delivers a stunning show.

    History reveals that the land which the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace is built on was first bought with a housing development in mind. Luckily, part of the Sau Paulo land was not suitable for housing and a so a racetrack, named Interlagos, was born. Several decades later the successful arrival of Emerson Fittipaldi on the world motorsport stage became the catalyst for a Brazilian grand prix in the 1970s. By 1981 Rio had taken over as host of the Brazilian grand prix. But thanks to the fervour that surrounded Ayrton Senna, a Sau Paulo native, the race has returned and been run at Interlagos ever since.

    The circuit isn’t a long one at 4.309 kilometres and its lap record is just shade over seventy-one seconds.  It doesn’t have any corners in its layout to really trouble the drivers either. “There’s just not a corner that gives you any real satisfaction. I don’t want to make it sound dull, because it isn’t, but like Russia, there isn’t a corner that makes you go ‘Woooo-Hoooo!’ It needs a few more corners and something really high speed,” says Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. “There’s a couple that look good on paper but because of the cambers, you never really have the grip to go barrelling in.”

    Autodromo-Jose-Carlos-Pace-Interlagos-Brazil-aerial-viewFrom the Aussie’s perspective it doesn’t sound very challenging and it looks like it could be a bit of a damp squib. But somehow, year after year, the circuit and the boisterous fans combine with an untouchable force to deliver astounding Brazilian Grand Prix races.

    The stunning 2012 race in which then Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel had to fight back through the field after a first-corner incident comes to mind. In 2007 Kimi Raikkonen beat the odds to win the driver’s championship. In 2008 the driver’s world title race between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa climaxed in the most dramatically breathtaking fashion. As local hero and Ferrari driver Massa crossed the line as world champion only to be denied as McLaren driver Hamilton found his way past the Toyota of Timo Glock on the last corner of the last lap. These stunning races are merely what are in the recent memory bank of Formula 1. The Brazilian grand prix has been delivering this kind of drama for decades.

    Nico Rosberg, Brazilian Grand PrixLast year Nico Rosberg put together a faultless weekend to win from pole. It comes as no great revelation that Mercedes is the overwhelming favourite for victory going into the weekend. However, there are a few factors that could change the outcome of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The weather around the Interlagos circuit looks set fair with temperatures predicted to reach into the early 30s. It will mean a considerably high track temperature which will play to the strengths of the Ferrari, as it did in Malaysia.

    The factor of racing on home soil should never be diminished and given Felipe Massa’s adoration for his home race he will undoubtedly feature in some way this weekend. A podium finish may not be out of the question for the Williams driver.

    Often we try to predict what will happen over a grand prix weekend. We base our view on car performance in relation to a specific layout, weather forecasts, and occasionally a gut feel. But in Brazil you do so at your peril. Because this race has the uncanny ability to surprise and deliver a spectacle to the level no one can possibly imagine.

  • F1 2015: VIDEO – Hamilton’s Controversial Comments

    F1 2015: VIDEO – Hamilton’s Controversial Comments

    Click on the link below to watch Lewis Hamilton’s controversial comments on seven time world champion Michael Schumacher.

    Lewis Hamilton- ‘I never done things like Michael has done to win a championship’

  • F1 2015: Hamilton Stirs Controversy With Comments

    F1 2015: Hamilton Stirs Controversy With Comments

    Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has stirred controversy after making comments about seven times world champion Michael Schumacher.

    The newly crowned three-time world champion was quoted by Kolner Express, a German tabloid. “I’ve never done the things that Michael did to win my titles,” Hamilton is quoted as saying. “I won mine with my natural abilities only,” he continued.

    The comments have drawn various comments from around social media and prompted a response from Reiner Ferling, the head of Schumacher’s fan club. “He should learn about what Michael achieved. I just say, pride comes before a fall,” said Ferling.

    It isn’t the first time that Hamilton’s comments in relation to Schumacher has drawn the ire of fans. When asked about his view on Schumacher’s skiing accident the Brit responded by saying that “all things happen for a reason.” Fans of the injured driver didn’t take to kindly to this statement either.

    Lewis Hamilton- ‘I never done things like Michael has done to win a championship’

  • Pirelli Announces 12-Hour Abu Dhabi Test

    Pirelli Announces 12-Hour Abu Dhabi Test

    Pirelli have confirmed that it will run a 12-hour test in Abu Dhabi after the final race of the season.

    The test is scheduled to run on Tuesday 1 December from 9am to 9pm and it will be dedicated to testing out slick tyres for the 2016 season.

    Pirelli have asked the teams to run race or reserve drivers. A condition for the test is that teams will not be able to test new parts on the cars. This test will be exclusively for tyre development work. Participation for the test is not mandatory and teams will only need to have one car running for the test.

    Pirelli will specify a test program for each car and will test the new Purple Ultra-soft compound that will be introduced in 2016 and it will also test the 2016 tyre construction.

    The purple colour for the ultra-soft compound was chosen by fans on Pirelli’s social media channels. 85% of fans voted for purple over silver.