Electrifying Finale In Brazil

Brazil certainly did deliver the unexpected.  An absolutely electrifying race delivered action from the outset with Championship contender Fernando Alonso making another good start  propelling himself into fourth place by Turn 1, with his team mate, Felipe Massa, making a start equally as good to take second. His rival, Sebastian Vettel, was cautious into turn 1 and ended up dropping down the field, turned in on Bruno Senna causing contact, and found himself facing the wrong way on the track watching everyone whooshing past him,  together it seemed, with his title chances.   Team radio was aired telling Vettel that the considerable damage to the floor of his car couldn't be fixed making his chances seem slim at this point in the race.

Vettel's contact with Senna puts him in a spin

With virtually the whole race left to run though, the German had plenty of time to change his fortunes and the Championship pendulum had swung back in his favour as he clawed his way back up to eighth place by lap 8.  Meanwhile, Alonso had taken  advantage of a tussling Mark Webber and Felipe Massa to duck past into third, but a lock up saw him run wide on lap five allowing Nico Hulkenberg to snatch the precious final podium place he needed to keep his title hopes alive.

Alonso runs wide losing third place.

As the rain began to fall more heavily,  Kimi Raikkonen became the first man in for intermediate tyres while his team mate, Romain Grosjean, had a meeting with the barriers after touching the white line made slippery in the wet conditions.  Kamui Kobayashi, in his final race for Sauber, nudged Mark Webber causing him to run off the track while team mates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton battled over the lead, a battle eventually won by the former.  Lap 10 saw Mark Webber come in for intermediate tyres, closely followed by both title chasers.  Following the pit stops, Vettel was down in 17th with Alonso in 12th, while drivers like Heikki Kovalainen, Timo Glock and Vitaly Petrov moved up into the points due to their decisions not to stop.  Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg made good calls not coming in, therefore preserving their lead over the rest of the field.  The Championship leaders would certainly have benefited from making the same brave decision, but, having more to lose, they didn't want to take the risk of a spin on slicks.

By lap 18, the track was drying and Nico Hulkenberg overtook Button for the lead.  Alonso and Hamilton came in for dry tyres, Red Bull followed suit a lap later for Vettel.  On lap 19, Vettel was lying fifth behind his title rival in fourth.  Due to debris on the track a safety car was employed allowing Hulkenberg and Button to dive into the pits for their tyre stops.  Hulkenberg exited the pits in front of Button preserving his lead.  When the safety car peeled away at the end of  lap 29, a lapse of concentraction for  Vettel saw him drop down to sixth and two laps later, Kamui Kobayashi took fourth place from Alonso, a move that was rectified by Fernando on lap 33 using slipstream from the Sauber.   With a drying track showing the imperfections in Vettel's car and  his lack of pace becoming more and more evident, the German was overtaken by Massa on lap 34.

The pendulum took a swing back in Fernando Alonso's favour when the back end of Nico Hulkenberg's Force India slid out while trying to make a move on Lewis Hamilton for the lead, a move that resulted in retirement for the McLaren driver in his final race for the team.  A heartfelt round of applause awaited Lewis as he walked into the pit garage for the last time.  The contact between Hulkenberg and Hamilton promoted Alonso into third,  putting him back in championship contention.  His prospects looked even more promising when Red Bull weren't ready with the right tyres for Vettel when he took another stop for intermediates.  However, struggling on dry tyres, Alonso just managed to save himself from spinning, then had a slow journey to the pits to follow suit in the use of intermediates.    He emerged fourth, the pendulum swinging back towards Vettel  now leading the championship by three points.  On lap 62, 'Fernando was faster than Massa' and took second but it wasn't enough as the race finished behind the safety car due to Paul Di Resta's crash.   Sebastian Vettel was crowned 2012 World Champion on lap 70 of a 71 lap race.  Ending the year as he started it in Australia, Jenson Button took the victory for McLaren.

Jenson Button won the first and last race of the season.

There was a  touching moment between Vettel and Schumacher at the end of the race with the retiree handing over the baton of most recent driver to be decorated with the accolade of winning three consecutive World Championships.  Any sadness Michael had on completion of his final race seemed to be overcome by happiness and pride for Sebastian and his achievements.  The seven time World Champion gave the fans a final showing of his legendary brilliance behind the wheel when battling Kimi Raikkonen  for tenth place on lap 39.   Finishing seventh was a great effort and fitting farewell before bowing out of the sport.

Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel, but in the same vein as the rest of the season, Fernando Alonso remained positive, refused to give up and gave it absolutely everything, but it wasn't to be.  The quality he has shown all year, achieving magical things with an inferior car, has treated us to a thrilling title fight.  For that, the Ferrari man is a true winner.

Interlagos to deliver the unexpected?

It's 2008 and lap 69 of the final race of the season at Interlagos, Brazil.  Felipe Massa is leading a race while his championship rival, Lewis Hamilton,  lies in fifth.   Rain is becoming heavier and Hamilton runs wide, allowing Sebastian Vettel to sneak past demoting him to sixth.  Taking the cheqeured flag at the end of lap 71, for a fleeting moment, Massa is in full belief that he is World Champion.  His jubilance turns to anguish as it transpires that Timo Glock, struggling on dry tyres, is being overtaken by Lewis returning him to fifth, a position which hands the Englishman the title.

Massa leads in Brazil 2008

This thrilling, climactic end to the 2008 season is indicative of the unexpected developments Interlagos can conjure up. Fernando Alonso goes into the race trailing SebastianVettel by thirteen points.  However, the threat of rain and Red Bull's inferior reliability in comparison with Ferrari, could make that points difference inconsequential.  As the man chasing the lead for the title, the Spaniard believes he goes into the weekend under less pressure than Sebastian Vettel.   The pressure that comes with a final race title decider, affects the whole team, not just the drivers.  Entering the season finale Abu Dhabi in 2010, Alonso was leading the championship by fifteen points, but suffered from a bad decision regarding pit stops, resulting in Vettel seizing the title.  Inclement weather means rapid decisions need to be made about strategy and tyres, and quick decisions made in the midst of a pressurised situation can often be regretted.

A mistake with pit strategy by Ferrari helped Vettel win the title in 2010

This weekend's season finale in Brazil marks the departure of a significant number of drivers, either to a different team or from the sport completely.  The race will no doubt be an emotional one for Michael Schumacher as he drives a Formula 1 car competitively for the final time before his second retirement.  During the driver's press conference he maintained that he was happy to "try a different way of life again", but seemed less than convinced by his own words.  The Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo was also the setting of his first farewell to the sport in 2006, that time as a title contender.  Due to less pressure this time,  he believes he can enjoy his last race and "savour the moment more."  Let's hope he is given this opportunity and that the bad luck he has suffered this season regarding reliability, doesn't rear it's ugly head at the most untimely moment.

Schumacher's farewell helmet design.

Questions to Lewis Hamilton during the drivers press conference appeared to rouse emotions regarding his move from McLaren to Mercedes stating he has, "only happy memories."  He will be hoping to score a great finish in his  final race, as will  Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg who complete their farewell drives for Sauber and Force India respectively.   Kamui Kobayashi, Bruno Senna and Heikki Kovalainen will be fighting hard to save their seats for next season, then throw Brazilian passion into the mix in the form of Senna and Massa, and you have a veritable explosion of emotive racing.

Fuse all of these extra elements to a Driver's Championship teetering on the edge of a precipice, and the result is highly charged racing under which circumstances, anything can happen.

Sabotage and Sacrifice at Ferrari

The inaugural United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, was steeped in drama before the red lights went out, as Ferrari announced their intention to instruct Felipe Massa to take a deliberate five place grid penalty in order to ensure Fernando Alonso started from the clean side of the track. Having originally qualified in ninth place on the clean side, the Championship contender was moved up to eighth place as a result of a gear box penalty for Romain Grosjean. Although gaining a grid spot, it was widely believed that the dirty side of the track, and not being on the racing line, would counteract that gain. Ferrari’s decision saw Alonso move onto the racing line in seventh, from where he made a fire bolt start ending up in fourth on the exit from Turn 1.


Alonso takes fourth place in Austin


 The team broke the seal on Massa's gearbox in order to incur the penalty, but they didn't break any rules. Teams have to do everything they can to win and as it transpired, this move helped Alonso keep his chances at a third drivers title alive. Fernando has been quoted as saying he has the best team around him and they lived up to his expectations in Austin. A team who will do anything to ensure he has the very best chances of winning, and a team mate who makes the sacrifices he is asked to without complaining publicly because ultimately, he is there to support the number one driver.


Making the decision to deliberately sabotage Massa's gearbox could have resulted in negative publicity for the team. Not being unfamiliar with making controversial decisions, Ferrari could have drawn on a wealth of experience to negate the negativity had it arisen. The now infamous "Fernando is faster than you" message given to Massa by his engineer, Rob Smedley, while leading the German Grand Prix in 2010, caused a backlash against the team for unsporting conduct. This message saw Massa gift the lead to his team mate and was the most bare faced use of team orders in the sport since they were banned in 2002 following another nefarious Ferrari incident.


In Austria 2002 Rubens Barrichello was ordered to slow down two laps from the end to enable Michael Schumacher to take the victory. This blatant race fixing turned into a farce when Schumacher revealed his guilt by giving Rubens the top step of the podium and the trophy.



If a controversial move to propel a driver further up the finishing positions is to be made, Ferrari are the team to do it. Like Michael Schumacher before him, Fernando is the man who benefits from these decisions and in the words of Lewis Hamilton on the grid in Texas, "Good on him."

Friday Practice 1 in Austin

The first man to experience The Circuit of the Americas in Austin was Kimi Raikkonen, a possible necessary move due to his chosen lack of preparation in terms of walking or riding the circuit!  In comparison with other races this season, all drivers seemed to be out on track much earlier in the session.  Whether due  to the buzz and excitement in driving a new track, or spurred on by a need to use every second to the maximum in order to glean the most information about the track, tyres and necessary car set up, lots of early action will have wetted the appetites of the American fans.

Kimi - First man on track

Caution was apparent in all drivers as the story of Friday Practice 1 was dominated by the level of grip on the track.  Being a new track surface, together with a low track temperature and hard tyres, the level of grip was low at the start of the session resulting in cars slithering all over the place.  Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg both had spins and Turn 19 saw lots of drivers using the run off area to steady themselves round the corner.

Kamui Kobayashi clocked up the first timed lap, achieving a 1.48.  From there, the lap times began to plummet as the track evolved and rubber got laid down.  Unsurprisingly, the quickest times were posted by Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.  Sebastian Vettel ended the session 1.4 seconds faster than Fernando Alonso, a precedent hopefully not set to run the length of the weekend.

From a fan's perspective it is interesting to see the drivers struggling to get to grips with a new circuit.  In yesterday's press conference Lewis Hamilton explained that it had been harder to learn than other tracks.  The challenging nature of Hermann Tilke's  latest track coupled with the 'slippy' issue, should add an extra dimension to the racing on Sunday.  At the beginning of the session, the grandstands looked scant in population, however they appeared to fill up as the session progressed.  General admission at turn 1 looked understandably popular and anyone viewing the race from there  will be treated to a veritable racing feast.  One unnecessary addition to the pit lane is the warning siren that sounds when a car enters.  In the interests of safety of personnel in the pit lane this introduction is understandable, but doesn't the beautiful sound of a V8 engine give a loud enough warning?

Spectator view from the top of turn 1.

If the first Friday practice session was anything to go by, this race could be won by the driver who has the deepest understanding of the tyres, and the way they work on this very underdeveloped track surface.

US Grand Prix Preview

Though fully prepared for racing at The Circuit of the Americas due to endless time spent in simulators, the teams and drivers arrive at this hotly anticipated penultimate race on a level footing.  A new circuit at this point in the season provides the perfect way to inject excitement and tension into the title race, which sees Fernando Alonso trailing Sebastian Vettel by ten points.

The United States Grand Prix marks Vettel's centenary race.  Winning a third consecutive driver's title to mark the occasion would be particularly apt for someone who is as driven by statistics, records and results as he is.  In order to prevent this happening, Fernando Alonso needs to ensure he is at least fourth if Vettel takes the victory.  The German will want to secure the title in Austin as Interlagos is a track well suited to the Ferrari's, and coupled with an often high chance of rain, a Red Bull victory may not be certain in Brazil.  In terms of reliability, there are chinks in Red Bull's armour, while Ferrari's has been bulletproof so far this season.  This however, will be balanced by the extraordinary run of luck Sebastian Vettel seems to be enjoying.

The tension between the title challengers was evident in the driver's press conference today.  In an obvious ploy to create drama, Vettel and Alonso were  called to attend together,  then placed next to each other while other drivers were asked who they thought would, and should win the title.  The closed, tense body language of Fernando during the questioning was juxtaposed by Sebastian's open, jovial, and relaxed manner.  Kimi Raikkonen's usual light hearted attitude reduced the tension when he revealed he wasn't going to bother walking or cycling the track before Free Practice 1.

Vettel's demeanor was much more relaxed than Fernando's.

The practice sessions will be of utmost importance to all of the teams, as they will provide an opportunity  for the drivers to experience the track outside of the simulator, giving them information about the best racing lines and best places for overtaking.  New circuits always throw up significant engineering challenges so the sessions will also be instrumental in giving the teams essential information about car set up, in addition to presenting data about tyre temperatures, wear and grip.  The extra set of Friday tyres Pirelli have provided every team with will be beneficial in this.

In terms of wrapping things up outside of the drivers title, Red Bull will almost certainly take the Constructors crown this weekend.  Martin Whitmarsh, who believes Formula One has returned to the United States at the right time, is confident about the race following a successful young drivers test in Abu Dhabi.   The test provided information about McLaren's  update package including a new front wing which they  hope will help close the gap between themselves and Ferrari in the Constructors Championship. Lotus are chasing McLaren for third place and will be hoping to build on their victory at Abu Dhabi.  They bring with them an update on their double DRS and a tweak on their exhaust following the young drivers test.  Mercedes wish to end the season positively and will be keen to stop Sauber snapping at their heels for fifth place, while Sauber will be putting all their efforts into usurping it.

There is a buzz of excitement about this circuit from the drivers and this, together with the knife edge title race and plethora of  constructors places to be settled, should make the inaugural race at Austin a melting pot of thrills with a few fireworks thrown in.

American Feeder Series to Deliver New Talent?

Low spectator numbers have plagued Formula One in the United States over the years, resulting in moves to different circuits in the search for a 'home'.  We are yet to see whether The Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas will be the new home for Formula One in the country, although everything looks good prior to the race.  If it does deliver on its promise, and we find a home, the next step will be achieving a fully developed fan base in order to prevent spectator numbers dwindling once the novelty factor has gone.  Michael Andretti and Scott Speed are the only two American drivers to have driven in Formula One in the last twenty years with little success between them, but an American driver competing in Formula One is exactly what is needed to create interest and entice fans long term.

Michael Andretti had a disastrous time in Formula One, driving only 13 races for McLaren Honda in 1993

Scott Speed was the first American to drive in  F1 since Michael Andretti.

Historically, young drivers in America have often been lured into the world of Nascar with the promise of big money, therefore passing up the chance to drive in Formula One.  Currently though, there are two drivers from the US on the F1 radar.  Alex Rossi from Nevada, a two time GP3 winner, drove a Caterham in Free Practice 1 in Spain earlier this year.  Although hopeful of a run at his home race, it has been confirmed that current drivers, Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov, will be given all the running in Texas in order to give them maximum understanding of the new track.  Rossi will, however, be involved in promotional events across the weekend.  The other young American driver is Conor Daly, son of Formula One and Indycar racer Derek Daly, who has been involved in a test for Force India.

Alex Rossi hopes for a F1 drive in the future.

There is an indication that more American drivers may make it into Formula One, as the possibility of a GP2 or GP3 style championship taking place to support the sport in the United States, Brazil and Canada has recently been announced.  The GP2 and GP3 are European feeder series for Formula One and have produced talent such as: Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg, Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado.  With F1 races already being run in Austin, Sao Paulo, and Montreal, and talk of future races in Rio da Janeiro, Mexico and New Jersey, there would be enough events to create such a series.  An American series like the one currently run in Europe would be instrumental in boosting the popularity of the sport, as well as developing and nurturing more American talent, which will in turn help to cement the success of the sport Stateside.

Title shake up in America?

Lotus reserve driver, Jerome D’Ambrosio, has had the honour of being the only current driver in Formula One to have had the opportunity to drive the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Watching him complete his flying laps, it is clear that the circuit, the latest to be designed by Hermann Tilke, will be a real test for the drivers and a real treat for the fans.

D'Ambrosio drives the circuit in Austin.

It appears to be a track of two halves with the first half possessing shades of Beckets and Maggots at Silverstone which will push the cars and drivers technically.  There is a mixture of low speed corners and corners taken at high speed.  The elevation into Turn One is awe inspiring, with the hill looming up in the distance as they power up the opening straight, up over the crest in second gear, then a long sweep down the hill.  Turn eleven down to twelve is a kilometre long straight driven at two hundred miles per hour with a slow speed corner at the end providing a great opportunity for overtaking.  The double right hander through the hairpin at Turns thirteen and fourteen provides more challenge for the drivers.

The Circuit of the Americas is new to all of the teams and drivers and will therefore mean they will be starting the race weekend on a more equal footing than we have seen in recent races.  The driver’s title is expected to be decided in Austin, but the element of the unknown, together with the challenge of the track could throw a serious spanner in the works.  Hopefully we will be treated to the unexpected resulting in a knife edge conclusion to the driver's title in Brazil.