Brazil GP Race Report

The drivers raced dune buggies around the track for the drivers parade which looked a lot of fun.  I will look forward to seeing it on TikTok.  They did it through a light drizzle.  The cameras had their waterproof covers on and the teams had their gazebos up on the grid.  There may have been more rain to come.

Verstappen started from the pit line, behind Ocon, who declared he would be doing that first which put the Red Bull at the back.  On the grid, all the grippy rubber had been washed away.  There was a mix of tyre compounds, particularly between medium and soft, with four drivers choosing the hard type.

When the lights went off, everyone got away cleanly.  Alonso had a little off later.  The Racing Bulls did well with Lawson overtaking Russell.  Bortoleto was off again and the Safety Car was brought out.    He claimed that Stroll pushed him off but it looked more like he lost control of the rear.  Hamilton ran straight into Sainz (the pair had a first corner incident just before) and lost his front wing (which was replaced under the Safety Car) but also really damaged the floor and would be in for a horrible afternoon.

The rolling start was a disaster.  Piastri was too headstrong and aggressive and went into Antonelli who went straight into LeClerc, who lost a wheel.  LeClerc's suspension was broken and he was stopped at the side.  It seemed they might clear it under Yellow Flags but then the Virtual Safety Car.  The Racing Bulls also went for it at the restart, with Hadjar just holding off Lawson.  Piastri had second place which seems very unfair.  

Verstappen also got a puncture, presumably from all the bits and he had to pit and give up all the places he had made up from the back.  When the VSC stopped Bearman immediately overtook Gasly.  It wasn't long before Russell got past Hadjar for fourth and Bearman got past Lawson for sixth.  Verstappen and Hamilton were battling at the back.

Tsunoda got a ten second penalty for a collision which we didn't see.  We were given a replay and it involved Stroll.  One were at least the Canadian can say wasn't his fault.  Piastri was given a ten second penalty as well.  McLaren could have played a team game and asked Norris to move over to allow Piastri to build a ten second gap but with Papaya Rules, they won't.  At least, they should tell Piastri not to fight Norris with the penalty in play, it would be too risky to put both drivers out.  When will Brown and Stella intervene?

The first round of pit stops came around and Sainz had a five second one, which was a shame as both Williams were running in the points.  Once those had played out Verstappen was sixth.

Halfway through the race, it was clear how far McLaren have improved their car when Norris sailed past Verstappen down the straight.  

There were penalties everywhere.   Hamilton also got one for colliding into Sainz (I think) and Tsunoda got another for not serving his first one correctly.  Piastri served his and we thought it was going to be a one-stop for him with it but no, same tyres on again.

Hamilton finally got his wish and was allowed by Ferrari to box and retire his car.

There was a second round of late stops for many of the drivers, which left a clear run to the end for battling.  With eight laps to go, Verstappen overtook Russell for fourth place; the crowd went wild, which surprised me.  Why boo Norris and cheer Verstappen, Hamilton's great rival (or one of them)?   The grand finale of the race was Verstappen trying to get past Antonelli for second.  Piastri was disappointed not to be higher than fifth and I think his race engineer was very measured in not explaining exactly why he was not higher.

Norris was supreme all weekend and calmly said so on the radio, wishing it was a greater gap to the driver behind.  Verstappen took Driver of the Day, which was probably deserved as he started from the pit lane and finished third.  Everyone was pleased with Antonelli's second place.  It was a great race, even without the promised weather.  With three races and a sprint to go, including a return to Vegas baby, Sao Paulo left me excited for the rest of the season.

Brazil GP Qualifying Result

The news from the Sprint was that Bearman will receive a 5 second penalty for his incident during the not-race but this will be kept for the next Sprint.  So not really news.

The track temperature had increased since the morning and it was a reset for the teams and drivers.  Bortoleto didn't make it out though after his huge crash at the very end of the Sprint.   Red Bull could not find any grip in their cars, Verstappen slid and we didn't see Tsunoda at all.  Verstappen Senior left the garage in a huff before his son had even made it back.  Verstappen was out in 16th followed by Ocon, Colapinto, Tsunoda and Bortoleto.

In the second session, everyone was sliding about and/or complaining.  Lots of drivers were struggling, Bearman was not.  Williams didn't seem to be putting any effort in at all.  The shock exit of the session was one of the Ferraris.  Out went Alonso, Albon, Hamilton, Stroll and Sainz.  Fastest were Norris, Bearman and Antonelli; all three were having a great weekend.

There was strong competition as the drivers put in their first quick laps in the final session.  Pole was Norris's to lose at this point but he locked up on his first attempt.  Antonelli made a similar mistake, having done so well so far.   After round one, Piastri was fastest followed by LeClerc, Bearman and Antonelli.

Off they went for their final laps: Bearman was first out and couldn't beat his own time.  LeClerc and Norris flew and laid down the markers for the front row times.  Piastri also couldn't do better than his first time.  The Racing Bulls were going well.  Antonelli continued his amazing run in Brazil (the next Mercedes driver to be made an honorary Brazilian?) and took second place, where LeClerc was already parked in parc ferme.  The top ten were: Norris, Antonelli, LeClerc, Piastri, Hadjar, Russell, Lawson, Bearman, Gasly and Hulkenberg,  Norris is really reigning supreme in Sao Paulo.  LeClerc is still showing that he is better settled in Ferrari than Hamilton, even as we approach the end of the season.  It was a shame for Bearman that his last laps fell behind others.  It was a good showing for Alpine with Gasly and Hulkenberg gave Sauber something to be happy about.

It all seems pleasantly shaken up for the race although there are no murmurings about interesting weather.

Brazil GP Sprint Report

Overnight it had rained in Sao Paulo but it was dry and the torrential downpour predicted was nowhere to be seen for the Sprint.  There were plumes of water off the track as they set off.  Norris got off pole cleanly and Antonelli shot straight across the track in a punchy move that saw him secure second.  Verstappen got past Alonso by the first couple of corners.  Towards the back, Lawson tapped Bearman who spun.

Tsunoda and Sainz started from the pit lane having had awful Sprint Qualifying sessions.  For six laps everyone went about their business, trying to keep within DRS of the cars in front of them.  Then, out of nowhere, Piastri hit a wet curb, dragging water onto the track, went into a spin, into the barrier and out of the race.  Right behind him, Colapinto and Hulkenberg did the same thing.  There were two cars right at the side of the track, the medical car was triggered and a Safety Car brought out before they stopped the race with a Red Flag.  Antonelli told his team that it was Norris who had splashed water onto the track.  Hulkenberg got his car back to the pit lane where it could be worked on.

Verstappen and his engineer, JP, had another married couple tiff about how Turn 1 could be bettered on the radio, to entertain the crowd during the halt.  There would be a lot of work for Alpine to do for Colapinto's car to be ready for Qualifying.

It was a rolling start and behind Norris, who left them behind, there were plenty of battles.  Alonso pushed hard at Verstappen and Russell went for Antonelli, neither were successful.  Albon did get ahead to tenth.  Then everyone held their places until, with three laps to go, Antonelli finally caught up with Norris.  It seemed he couldn't quite do enough though.

On the last lap, the commentators could see a huge crash for Bortoleto but it wasn't shown until everyone knew he was okay.  Unusually, the race kept going under waved Yellow Flags.  We also weren't shown LeClerc getting past Alonso.  When we did see the crash, we saw that he was full throttle down the straight and it was very high speed, high impact collision.  Hadjar was sprayed with debris and Albon scooped up the big bits under his car.  None of them were near the points though.  The mechanics would be working very hard for a couple of hours.  Colapinto and Bortoleto, who were the only home town heroes in Brazil, would be catching up in the medical centre.  The Brazilian was later seen running back to the pit lane.

The top eight were Norris, Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, LeClerc, Alonso, Hamilton and Gasly.  These were great points for Alpine and Mercedes and Ferrari all need points for the Constructor's Championship.

Brazil GP Sprint Qualifying Report

The rain that had been forecast for this event had not arrived on the Friday.  Brazil, a traditional circuit feels like a mad choice to host a Sprint.

The first session was bog-standard.  Norris, Verstappen and Alonso (nice) were fastest.  Disappointingly, Sainz was last, not putting in a final quick lap.  He said it was the worst execution ever.  I don't really know what that means...his fault?  The teams fault?  The four ahead of him but still out of the competition were Colapinto in 16th, Lawson, Tsunoda and Ocon.  Colapinto has signed a new contract for next year, I wonder if Tsunoda will get the same, this kind of performance...

There was a little more drama in SQ2, in the dying seconds LeClerc spun on the track and came to a complete halt before getting going again.  This brought out waved yellow flags which meant cars needed to slow down.  His team mate, Hamilton was the first victim to this.  Out went Hamilton, Albon, Gasly, Bortoleto and Bearman.  Alonso was quickest, followed by Norris and Russell.  Norris seemed to have the upper hand on his team mate and main championship rival, Piastri.  Verstappen was heavily criticising his car.

At the end, there was a final push from all ten drivers in the last couple of minutes.  Norris held pole at the time, followed by Antontelli.  Piastri finished first and couldn't do better than third.  Norris did not better his time but did keep pole, as Antonelli also couldn't do better but neither could anyone else.  Verstappen went purple for the best time in the first sector and then did personal bests in the second two sectors and it appeared that he would take pole for this but actually finished seventh.  There's a real shake up in the line up; I wonder if some teams are playing it safer with engines and parts for the Sprint and others are really going for some cheap points?  The top ten are Norris, Antonelli, Piastri, Russell, Alonso, Verstappen, Stroll, LeClerc, Hadjar and Hulkenberg.

Aston Martin have found something in Brazil and it can't be put down to Alonso's talent as Stroll made the top ten too.  There was a lot of booing for Norris and I don't understand why.  I hope it'll be a great wee Sprint but it might not be short, there is the danger there will be more sitting in the pits than racing.  Fingers crossed.

Mexico GP Race Report

The question that plays on my mind as we enter this race is why are we all suddenly rooting for Verstappen to win the Driver's Championship?  Surely, we want anyone else but him to win...to prove that it is possible?

The circuit was showing itself to be tricky over the weekend, there were various directives about which way you should go if you happened to veer outside the white lines and it was also a little slippery, not to mention the high altitude (please no one mention the high altitude anymore).  There were lock-ups going to the grid and Verstappen's drinks bottle was leaking unless he clamped his teeth down on the straw.  I think this is just the kind of racing impediment that Ecclestone was looking to bring in to spice up the racing.

The start was both absolute chaos and not really chaotic at all.  Verstappen went wide and cut back in, then giving places gained back.  But not to Russell.  Stroll Strolled at the back.  Norris had a gap big enough to avoid DRS by the end of the first lap, out in the lead.  Bearman made up three places and Piastri dropped two.  

On lap two, Lawson pitted for a new front wing but it wasn't long before he had to retire the car.

Then something happened as we were watching the replays of the start.  It was hard to tell what because it was hard to tell if we were still watching the replays or live racing.  Verstappen went off, Bearman got to fourth, Russell dropped to seventh and Hamilton went off over the grass (BBC Five Live kept saying that drivers were "cutting the grass", this irked me because they are racing highly-sophisticated pieces of tech not ride-on mowers).  Then drivers seemed to go off again, or was this a replay, with Bearman getting past.  The coverage was very confused, at no point did they show a long enough shot of one continuous piece of action for you to get the full picture of what happened but cut to other angles or what was happening elsewhere.  They couldn't have known it was too soon to go back to replay the start but actually, they could see that the drivers were still going three or four wide into corners.  Ultimately, I still have no real idea what happened in these two early incidents, one of which resulted in Hamilton getting a ten second penalty and his promising race ruined.

Tsunoda did a good enough job of holding up Piastri for his team mate but by lap eleven, he was passed.  Meanwhile Norris was setting fastest lap after fastest lap but Antonelli and Russell seemed to be in freefall.

Williams gave Sainz a five second pit stop but the limiter was broken on his car so he received a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane too, which happened again towards the end of the race.  As he was out of the points anyway, he came in and took it with no work happening on the car so that it wouldn't be carried over to the next event.

And now we get to half way through the race, phew!  Russell was getting angrier and angrier on the radio that he was not being assisted to get past his team mate ahead of him.  Contender for radio comment of the season is his engineer who, when told that Russell felt he was quicker than Antonelli, told him he was free to race.  This went on and on until Mercedes capitulated and they switched places, which was tricky going because Piastri was right behind the pair.  It was then clearly pointlessly risky as they pitted Antonelli and McLaren also bought in Piastri.  This seemed like madness as it had been labelled a one stop race with no need to change for fresh soft tyres.  Russell and Bearman also went for it, with Bearman giving up his third place to Verstappen.  The question is whether Bearman secured fourth place or lost third?

At this point Aston Martin retired Alonso, with Hulkenberg having stopped in his garage earlier in the race.

We were nearly at the end now when Sainz stopped in the baseball stadium section, there were two laps to go when it was decided that a Virtual Safety Car was needed, which halted a fierce battle between LeClerc (who had held second for the whole race) and Verstappen.  By now Norris had a thirty-five second lead.  Even though Verstappen might think he was denied a short time to try and get past LeClerc, I would contend that it also game him time not to make a stupid mistake.  He is starting to look hot-headed again as the championship is now in his sight.  Unfortunately, Bearman was fifteen seconds behind, so even if he did something stupid and was given a ten second penalty, it wouldn't promote the Haas driver.  He would be voted Driver of the Day though.  It makes me want to check whether Ocon's contract is secure for next season as he has been so thoroughly trounced by his rookie team mate.

Norris finished the Mexican event as championship leader again and he looked calm, despite the booing.