Brazil: the hits and misses of the editorial team
It is now time to discuss the main satisfactions and disappointments of this weekend at Interlagos, which was marked by the collision between Max Verstappen, who was then leading the race, and Esteban Ocon.
The top 3
Red Bull and its astonishing race speed
The two Red Bull drivers were celebrating this Sunday. Even though Max Verstappen’s race was marred by his collision with Ocon and his mood and inappropriate gestures towards the Force India driver after the race, the Dutchman deserved a victory on the evening of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
No one expected Red Bull to have such a strong performance this weekend after difficult qualifications and the new penalty incurred by Daniel Ricciardo. But on Sunday, the Milton Keynes cars were the fastest. Without his penalty, the Australian, who finished 4th, would have been in contention for the victory that should have logically gone to Verstappen if not for the unfortunate incident on lap 44.
Red Bull cars are the ones to watch at the end of this season after the Dutchman’s victory in Mexico. Will the engine change in 2019 mark a halt to these performances?
Result at the #BrazilGP 🇧🇷🏁: HAM, Max P2 💪, RAI, Daniel P4 👊, BOT, VET, LEC, GRO, MAG, PER. #F1 pic.twitter.com/CoNsH8NHoV
— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) 11 novembre 2018
Charles Leclerc shows his teeth
Once again the best of the rest, Charles Leclerc quickly made people forget that he was outqualified by his teammate Marcus Ericsson. Once the Swede was quickly out of the race, Sauber was able to focus on the excellent race by the Monegasque who, thanks to the pit stops, was even able to hold off Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari for a lap and a few corners, already setting the foundations for their future relationship next year.
After a summer marked by less success, Charles Leclerc came back strong in the recent Grand Prix, securing his third 7th place in 5 races. With his phenomenal lap in Q2 on Saturday in wet conditions, the Sauber driver once again demonstrated his racing skills.
🏁🇧🇷 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix 🇧🇷🏁
⭐️ P7 in Mexico, P7 in Brazil! ⭐️
A brilliant drive from @Charles_Leclerc to bring home another great result – well done!#Alfaromeosauberf1team #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/wGbTBeQnrU
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) 11 novembre 2018
Lewis Hamilton, fortune favors the bold!
Though hardly competitive at the start of the weekend, Lewis Hamilton once again pulled off a brilliant performance in qualifying to secure a pole position that many observers had already attributed to Sebastian Vettel.
Pushing the German into second place, the Mercedes driver built his race on that momentum, before being troubled by engine issues. Smart enough not to battle with Max Verstappen, Hamilton would be rewarded for his tenacity by claiming a victory offered by the impetuous Esteban Ocon. The Brit is clearly at the center of a positive spiral this season!
P1 🏆 A weekend to remember 🇧🇷🦅🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/S7BrH5tT2i
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 11 novembre 2018
The flop 3
Renault: The Yellow Fades
The Renault team can be capable of the best (Baku, Silverstone) as well as the worst, as seen in this Brazilian Grand Prix where Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz completely missed the mark.
Left behind in qualifications, the two Renaults return from Brazil without scoring a single point. Nico Hülkenberg had to retire early due to an overheating power unit and Carlos Sainz finished in a distant 12th place, behind Brendon Hartley’s Toro Rosso.
Even worse, the Spaniard showed unwelcome aggression towards his teammate on the first lap, delivering a slight wheel tap on the straight after a magnificent duel that lasted several corners.
It was a feisty start to the race for the @RenaultSportF1 boys 😮 #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/aHEn8FBU3C
— Formula 1 (@F1) 11 novembre 2018
Sebastian Vettel with his mind elsewhere
Difficult for the German driver to find a shred of motivation at the end of the season. With the driver’s title lost in Mexico and the constructors’ title in jeopardy, Sebastian Vettel seemed to drag his misery throughout the weekend except for Saturday morning with his best time in the third free practice session.
Beaten once again in qualifying by Lewis Hamilton, his race went from bad to worse with disastrous tire management. Even his team no longer relied on him to the point of asking him to let Kimi Räikkönen, who was much faster, pass.
His mishap with the FIA stewards during a regulatory weigh-in on Saturday afternoon only reinforced his feeling of unease… Vettel can’t wait for the season to end!
LAP 46/71
Meanwhile, Ricciardo muscles his way past Vettel for P5 💪#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ba2nfdOfqH
— Formula 1 (@F1) 11 novembre 2018
Esteban Ocon, “the idiot” according to Verstappen
How could we not include Esteban Ocon in the weekend’s flops? The Force India driver saw his weekend get off to a bad start after receiving a 5-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change on his car.
Outpaced by 29 thousandths of a second by his teammate Sergio Pérez in qualifying, the Frenchman was making his way in the race until that fateful 44th lap. Wanting to un-lap himself from leader Max Verstappen to regain his lost lap and, above all, have a clear track ahead with a car faster than the Red Bull, Ocon seized his chance at the first corner with the unfortunate outcome we know.
An approximation that costs dearly to his image and can give another perspective to his multiple previous clashes with his teammate in recent years.
The altercation between Verstappen and Ocon, filmed by cameras, eventually ended with a handshake later in the evening…
From 🤬 ➡️ 🤝
After tensions boiled over in Brazil, @Max33Verstappen and @OconEsteban make their peace 👀#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8k8oiDgd8C
— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 novembre 2018
