Brazil – Race: Epic scenario, Hamilton still in contention!

Land of Formula 1, land of automotive emotions, the Autodromo José Carlos Pace was the setting for the twentieth round of this season.

Of course, one question was on everyone’s lips: Would Nico Rosberg seize the holy grail at the end of this Brazilian Grand Prix? To do so, the leader of the world drivers’ championship (349 points, 9 wins) had the cards in his hands: a victory would be enough to secure his happiness and definitively push back Hamilton (330 points, 8 wins).

But his challenger was there to give him a hard time!

The Silver Arrows’ battle was fierce during the qualifications. Lewis Hamilton gave himself a chance to stay in the race with the 60th pole of his career. Nico Rosberg settled for 2nd place.

Behind, despite Saturday’s domination, Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull were lying in wait, with Kimi Räikkönen leading the quartet ahead of Verstappen; Vettel and Ricciardo occupied fifth and sixth places respectively.

The suspense in the race for the drivers’ title also rested on these men.

You might be needing this: here’s how @nico_rosberg could win the world title today #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/lSzNcuEy3Q

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html

After this beautiful world, Frenchman Romain Grosjean (seventh) was best placed at the wheel of his Haas-Ferrari. The main midfield battle would be between Force India and Williams for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Even though the emotional aspect prevailed, with Felipe Massa’s last race at Interlagos, the São Paulo native set to leave Formula 1.

Obrigado @MassaFelipe19 👋 #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/e1S9CsRFsQ— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre

At the very bottom of the grid, the other Frenchman, Esteban Ocon, was dropped three places for having hindered Jolyon Palmer during the Qualifications.

That being said, the Brazilian rain made an appearance at this great party around São Paulo! A rather heavy rain was part of the event, a delightful ingredient when we think of the races in 2008 or 2012, held under similar circumstances.

And the first major setback was credited to Romain Grosjean, who didn’t even start the race! During his reconnaissance lap, the Haas driver spun out at the fourteenth turn’s uphill, hitting the wall outside the track. A strange aquaplaning mishap, going from hero to zero.

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😯 GRO crashes out on the way to the grid!

He was set to start P7 for @HaasF1Team…#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/i4f3sgVHEI

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html

This unexpected accident called the starting procedure into question. Should the start have been under the Safety Car? The tension was at its peak for the 21 survivors, who had hardly run on rain tires this weekend.

Especially since the departure was first postponed by ten minutes by Charlie Whitting and his team.

An Aborted Start under Safety Car

Maximum security, which was confirmed a few moments later with the officialization of a start behind the Mercedes AMG led by Bernd Mayländer. The first lap of the race was therefore completed in single file. However, this hardly improved visibility, and Lewis Hamilton even complained about the low speed of the safety car in front of him. This did not stop most drivers from clamoring for the race to start!

WEATHER = ☔️ #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/2iPxsRUn2n

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html

The real start in the seventh lap: an interminable first part of the race

And their wishes were finally granted: at 2:25 PM local time (5:25 PM Paris time), the rolling start was given! Right from the start, Verstappen put on a show by diving onto Räikkönen in the first corner: the young Dutchman moved up to third, behind Rosberg!

In the lower part of the standings, Magnussen and Button made the gamble on intermediate tires. A few other drivers made the same choice a lap later: Alonso and the two Williams, in particular, switched to green-banded tires. Was it the right choice? Apparently, yes: at the same spot where Grosjean had issues before the start, Vettel made an error in the climb up the fourteenth corner. While discussing with his engineer at the same moment, the Ferrari driver narrowly avoided disaster but remained in the race without hitting the wall.

The race was neutralized on the 15th lap with Ericsson’s Sauber, another driver making a mistake in the infamous last section of the circuit. The Swede was on intermediate tires. The Safety Car came onto the track, causing a variety of strategies between the drivers who stayed on wet tires and those who switched to intermediates. The two Red Bulls took advantage of the situation to change tires, just as the pit lane was declared closed due to Ericsson’s wreck blocking the way. Accordingly, Daniel Ricciardo was placed under investigation and then penalized five seconds during his next pit stop. Max Verstappen narrowly avoided the red light…

Meanwhile, the radios crackled and the drivers had many questions about which tires to choose. Then, everything stopped on the 18th lap: Kimi Räikkönen got caught out on the start/finish straight. A spectacular accident and, most importantly, a tragedy was avoided with a Ferrari stranded in the middle of the track. The first red flag of the day was then waved.

Lightning quick reactions from Esteban Ocon

That’s Kimi’s spinning Ferrari in the spray#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ra247ZRpuv

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre 2016

The opportunity for the FIA to issue another five-second penalty. Besides Ricciardo, Massa was found guilty of overtaking Gutiérrez before the restart line.

Two very long red flags…

After long minutes of waiting and chatting, this Grand Prix resumed smoothly with the Safety Car.

Faced with the ever-demanding weather conditions, the FIA even ordered the drivers to return on wet tires. A return to the track without Jolyon Palmer, who was disadvantaged by a collision with Kyvat. Even in single file, Nico Hülkenberg experienced a mishap with a puncture of his right rear tire. A setback for the German driver, who dropped from fourth to last place.

Especially since the race was still stopped at the 27th lap despite the insistence of the drivers. Lewis Hamilton himself stated, “these are not extreme conditions, it’s normal.”

Inevitably, there was a sense of incomprehension in the paddock. Worse in the stands, annoyance was clearly present among all these fans who hadn’t come for this type of race! The drivers, therefore, had to be patient once again. It was an opportunity to take stock of a surprising top 10: Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen, Pérez, Sainz, Nasr, Ricciardo, Ocon, Wehrlein, Alonso.

Nasr and the two Manors had clearly benefited from the neutralizations by staying on their starting tires.

The race to the finish, which Massa didn’t see!

Curiously, even though there was no weather improvement, the race really resumed its normal course! As anticipated, Verstappen immediately moved to the outside, taking second place right under Rosberg’s nose, coming out of Senna’s S!

LAP 32/71: We are racing at @InterlagosTrack

Through the spray, VES passes ROS for P2!#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/4e8JJjOSgx

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre

Caution was naturally required, even though Ricciardo and Vettel were shaking up the pack with their comebacks, just like the very skillful Nico Hülkenberg. A bold choice at the rear with Button switching to intermediate tires!

In front, the fiery Verstappen had quite a scare, still in that fateful climb in the last sector. Skillfully, the Red Bull driver minimized the damage by narrowly avoiding the wall on the inside!

LAP 39/71

VES is off! How did he keep it out of the barriers?

Max: “My heartbeat went a bit higher there” 😅#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/DSuFjxbXdS

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html

At the same time, his teammate was going through the pits to put on intermediates. A surprisingly risky choice for Ricciardo, but what does he have to lose in this frenzied race? Especially since his first laps were excellent, which inspired Verstappen to do the same on the 44th lap. A bold decision by Red Bull, who is trying to force Mercedes’ hand.

The race was finally coming alive with some great battles. Vettel forcefully overtook Alonso, then Nasr, and moved up to 6th place behind Verstappen. And in this always tricky last sector: Nico Rosberg himself almost made a mistake!

A few minutes later, it was Massa’s turn to retire. A disappointing end to the Grand Prix for the local hero, marked by emotion. The pit lane formed a guard of honor for the almost 2008 world champion.

Felipe #Massa forced to retire at the #BrazilGP amidst applause from his home crowd 🇧🇷 👋 pic.twitter.com/8nWa8aRZCF

— La F1® sur CANAL (@LaF1SurCanal) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html

Time seemed to stand still for a few moments during this latest Safety Car period, where drivers like Rosberg and Verstappen complained about precarious grip. Especially for the Red Bull driver, who ultimately fell victim to his bold strategy.

Verstappen fearless and faultless, Nasr and Ocon cling to the top 10 as best they can

On the 55th lap, the final restart was initiated by Hamilton and the survivors of this extended race, who had completed 75% of the distance, thus securing a full allocation of points! The focus was on the Red Bull drivers climbing up towards the points threshold. Protected briefly by Kyvat, Ocon, who was then running eighth, was now under threat from Max. He was overtaken effortlessly on the 61st lap. But Nasr was ahead, and the stakes were high for both teams. Sauber and Manor were engaged in a fierce battle for points, particularly for the 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship. Daniel Ricciardo didn’t care and in turn got past Nasr, who fell to 9th, still one position ahead of the young Frenchman. The Manor driver needed to hurry, as the race entered its final ten minutes.

An animated finish by Verstappen, who caught up with Vettel and overtook him, not forgetting to generously close the door on him. The Dutch hurricane continued on his way and passed Sainz a few corners later. Then it was Pérez’s turn to succumb, falling off the podium in the process. A very tense side-by-side overtake between the two men!

Ahead, the situation will hardly have changed an inch.

Lewis Hamilton wins the Brazilian Grand Prix /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html! Finally, number 44 triumphs at Interlagos!

HE’S FINALLY DONE IT!!!! LEWIS HAMILTON WINS IN BRAZIL!!!! YES YES YES!!!! #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/226J21Teas

— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html

The podium is therefore made up of the two Mercedes drivers and Max Verstappen. Unfortunately, the final standings clearly show that Esteban Ocon had to give up his spot in the top ten towards the end, overtaken by Alonso and then by Bottas.

🏁 POINTS SCORERS 🏁

1 HAM
2 ROS
3 VES
4 PER
5 VET
6 SAI
7 HUL
8 RIC
9 NAS
10 ALO#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/GfPlLEcPFl

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre 2016

Ninth personal victory this season for the Brit (as many as Rosberg now), who only takes 7 points from his teammate.

From now on, Rosberg has a total of 367 points, compared to Hamilton’s 355 points. Paradoxically, despite the victory of the reigning world champion, it is indeed the current leader of /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html who comes out ahead by limiting the damage. He can settle for a top-four finish in Abu Dhabi to secure the world crown.

Respect. The /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html title battle goes down to Abu Dhabi… #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/plzcIjB3Si

— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 novembre /f1/actualite/21529-bresil-qualifications-hamilton-au-forceps-devant-rosberg-.html