Brazil GP Race Report

There were umbrellas up and gazebos erected before the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix as it was raining steadily but not heavily.  The drivers did some extra laps to the grid to get a feel for the track; world champion Antonelli went off on turn 12 through the grass, mud and water.  It was the scene of doom for several drivers during qualifying and I wondered how many other drivers would caught out there during the race.

The grid looked nothing like the finishing order in qualifying; there were so many grid penalties.  Lawson would start in third and Hulkenberg in fourth.  Bottas was wheeled off the grid as well as a wheel nut was stuck on his tyre.

Antonelli got a much better start than Norris who ended up in third quickly, behind Lawson too.  Alonso and Linblad (I think, we never went back to look at their start) slid wide and went of the track, slickly rejoining.  Hamilton was in the points by the end of the first lap whilst Verstappen was in eleventh, both drivers starting at the back.    The two of them were battling by the fourth lap.

Hulkenberg was already under investigation for doing something wrong with his practice start.  Verstappen and Albon were scrutinised for being out of place on the grid.  Nothing came of it.

The Ferraris were really battling; good job Vasseur had that chat with them.  The cars were not even in the points but Alonso butted in and got between them.    On lap 15 of 71, after a lot of begging over the radio, Hamilton was the first driver to go on to dry tyres.  A random selection of others followed him.  After one quick sector by Hamilton, a flood of drivers came into the pits.  

Russell managed to spin coming out of the pits in the narrow lane.  Three drivers nearly hit him as he had to spin back around to be pointing in the correct direction.  His tyres looked awful afterwards and he had to scrape them along the wall to get out.  He was back in tenth.

At first the slick tyres looked great but then Antonelli spun off the track and Norris took the lead.  Hadjar was easily past him when he rejoined the track.  Another off gave his third place to Verstappen as he lacked control over the car.  The race was sliding away from him.

It wasn't even halfway through the race when Norris started overtaking backmarkers.  Those drivers included the second Brazilian Camara in his Haas in last place and Stroll, second to last.  Stroll would not last of course.  I think he must have a cause in his contract that if he runs for twenty laps and he is not in a better place than twenty, the team will call on him to pull over to the side of the track and he can go home early.

It looked like Hadjar could hold out in second ahead of his team mate but then they had to swap.  Verstappen may have been faster.  Leclerc let Hamilton past further down the field.  After what happened next, Antonelli was told to let Russell past.  What a world we live in.

We were waiting and waiting for more rain to come and with less than ten laps to go it arrived.  Most drivers pitted for Intermediate tyres.  Hamilton on dry tyres spun and was the last to come in alongside Sainz.

Everyone held it together in the wet conditions to come home and somehow there was no Safety Car, no VSC, no Red Flags and barely any Yellows one during the race.  Everyone made the right decision about when to change tyres.  Perhaps the days of rain spicing up races have come to an end?

The Racing Bulls really held their own during this event and Lawson deserved a higher place than eighth with a side order of worry about whether he will be dropped next season.  Red Bull are back and strong but need to stop this current trend of beginning each season slowly.  Russell had a strong weekend and really let himself down (again) with his pit lane spin, at least he finished one place ahead of Antonelli in fourth.  Piastri was five places behind his winning team mate and must be starting to fear questions about his own future.  The Ferraris extracted nothing from their performance and it was a disappointing seventh for Leclerc and ninth for Hamilton.  Williams also did nothing with the advantage they gained on the grid with Albon in fifteenth and Sainz in nineteenth and one from the bottom.  Camara managed to finish his first Grand Prix, which is a result.  I would like to have seen Alonso in the points not twelfth but he finished so that's something.

Mercedes won the Constructors Championship and would be celebrating.  Norris begged McLaren over the radio to keep up the momentum, presumably for next year.  There is a break now before the end but we come back to another difficult track to manage in terms of time difference and timing of sessions, Las Vegas.  I wonder what will happen there this year to amaze and astound us.

Brazil GP Qualifying Report

There was not much happening in Brazil before Qualifying started apart from storms and Hamilton's engine failing and needing replacing, which meant he would definitely be starting from the back of the grid.  Leclerc had a ten place penalty.  Russell had a five place penalty.  Verstappen would be starting from the back of the grid too.  So whatever happened in Qualifying, it would not be setting the grid.

Just as the first session was about to start the next storm kicked off.  The mechanics had been drying up the garage apron with leaf blowers and rollers, all in vain!  It was proper rain not spitting or drizzle.  An Audi and a Haas just pulled up at the end of the pit lane to be wheeled back for extreme wet tyres.  After five minutes the session was Red Flagged and stopped as drivers were complaining about aquaplaning.  It was only Alonso and Verstappen who decided not to go out at all, the best decision possible.

The crowd whooped when the drivers finally took to the track.  Bortoleto was the first driver to go off the track and it was muddy, his tyres slew up the water and I was surprised the electrics still worked.  Stroll then did the same thing perhaps he felt the Brazilian was trying to steal his crown as the king of cock-ups.  Bearman waited until the dying seconds to ruin drivers' last flying laps with Yellow Flags.  I was surprised that with engine power somewhat negated due to the conditions more drivers did not outperform their car or benefit from mistakes of those with superior ones.  Colapinto, Gasly, Stroll, Bottas, Perez and Bortoleto (whose rear wing could not be fixed after his off) went out.  New-for-this race, Camara, went through two places ahead of his team mate, Bearman, a real triumph for the Brazilian who had never raced at this track before.  Alonso was in sixth.  Norris was the fastest ahead of Russell who has everything to prove.

Linblad had to retire his car a few minutes into the second session because "it was fucked".  He was carefully able to pull it right off the track.  Half way through, Alonso made the call to go on to Intermediate tyres first.  Drivers were trying to set one final fast lap in the last minute but Camara's luck was out, pushing hard he went off and nose-first into the tyre barrier.  His car would need removing and the barrier fixed so the session was Red-Flagged giving yet another delay.  Hamilton was out in eleventh (but it didn't really matter) followed by Piastri, Camara, Linblad, Sainz and Verstappen.  It was a shame that Sainz could not get ahead of drivers who didn't even finish the session, especially when Albon finished sixth, unless his lap was ruined by Camara?  Russell was fastest this time. 

The final session started late once the barrier was fixed but it started raining again.  It looked like they would need to get a lap in asap before it became intense.  It was a question of skill, experience and choosing the correct tyre.  They went out on Intermediates.  Alonso was first out of the pit lane.  The cameras didn't leave him.  It seemed to be a battle between Norris and Russell.  

They got about three minutes driving in before the rain meant it was all over.  Russell was furious that he missed out on pole position because he was told to back off as he would get another lap.  He handed the pole to Norris.  Behind them was Antonelli, new father Leclerc, Lawson, Hulkenberg, Hadjar, Bearman, Alonso and Albon.  The last two would be disappointed.  

Qualifying took two and a half hours and by that point, I don't think I would have watched all the interviews even if I hadn't run out of tape during Russell's.  Camara will start in eleventh, which was not to be predicted and could throw a spanner into the starting works if he makes a mistake off the grid.  The Williams start ninth and thirteenth, which is exciting for me, as the Williams Fan.

It is predicted to be a wet race too so let's hope that gives us an unusual winner.  If I had to choose, I would pick Albon, Sainz, Alonso but Hadjar or Lawson for the LOLs.

Mexico GP Race Report

The question hanging over the weekend was not whether Antonelli could win the drivers' championship but what on earth Sky TV would do with their build-up in the next race if he didn't.  Eventually we did get on to the race in hand and found out that Lawson had been disqualified from Qualifying for some safety regulation infringement that I can't quite follow.  His boss, Alan Pomaine, said that Lawson had messed it up.

Apart from a few Mexican Day of the Dead figures hanging around there was no one on the grid to be interviewed. Ferrari were at the front and had had a strong weekend so far; it was now a question of how the team would Ferrari it up. Hamilton locked his wheels up on the formation lap and gave himself a flat spot on his right front tyre - ouch,

There was a little funky madness at the start. Hamilton went well, Russell worse and Leclerc steamed ahead. Leclerc wanted the lead and went for it but drove wide and whilst he did Verstappen got past Hamilton which meant that he would need to lose two places if he gave the place back. He did not. In the background, Hadjar spun off. It was a tricky situation and at times the cars were four abreast.

A few laps in there were questions: what would Ferrari do, what would the stewards do, did Russell send Hadjar off the track and why were there two Aston Martins in the pits? The first questions were not answered immediately but Alonso was called to the pit lane to retire and then Stroll was told to stop at the side of the track. Of course, that called for a Virtual Safety Car. No one used the opportunity to pit for fresh tyres. Finally Leclerc was given a five second penalty which would be fine if he could maintain that gap at the front. It was lesser than him giving away those places. Russell however was given ten seconds.

There were mysterious early pit stops. We didn't know why Gasly had fallen four places at the start. Not to mention the astonishing fact that Haas have replaced Ocon with a thirty-two year old in Hirakawa. It was a Halloween spooky spectacular.

The front runners stopped just before halfway through and reassembled from fourth down. Others went later and there were some slow stops about perhaps some ghoulish gremlins hanging about in the pit lane causing mischief. Those that hung about waiting for a Safety Car opportunity had forgotten that Stroll had already retired from the race.

It was Lap 45 when the beleaguered Bottas spun after a suspension failure, crashed and brought out the Safety Car. It was bad news for Antonelli who had only just pitted; he did jump Hamilton though. As the Medical Car came around to check him out, the race was stopped with a Red Flag as the barriers needed repairing. Bottas had given a thumbs up to say he was okay and it took a long time for him to get out of his chassis and for us to see a replay, you could hear the crowd gasping.

Hamilton came on the radio to say that "we have problems. Big big problems." He stomped off into his pit when he got out of the car. From absolute delight with the team the previous day, he was now embittered. The cameras were trying to get as far into the Ferrari garage as possible.

Poor Gasly was not having any luck in the race as he lost power at the start and then, as he exited the pit lane under the Safety Car the exit traffic light turned red just as he was crossing it and was under investigation.

The race director decided to go back an extra lap to take the order for the race restart. Verstappen got away well from first place despite Red Bull's launches being abysmal this year. Leclerc was second but the dirty side of the track did him no favours and he lost the place to Hamilton in third. Then he locked up and got large flat spots on his tyres which left him vulnerable to those behind him and it wasn't long until Antonelli was past. Somehow he held Norris and others off despite everyone reporting that the holes were down to the canvas. I don't know if this is real canvas or just what we refer to as canvas these days.

Verstappen was investigated for being over the white line at the restart but was cleared. Further back Hulkenberg collided with Bearman, running straight into the back of him and putting him out of the race. He got a ten second penalty for that.

On lap 59 of 71, another Safety Car came out because Linblad had pulled over in his Racing Bull after coming together with Piastri and being sent into the air. The Medical Car came to get him.

Verstappen backed them right up for the rolling restart. No one made an overtake. It stayed that way until the finishing line. And there we were, the first words came from Bonno as Antonelli cried. He is the youngest ever world champion and spoke to Nico Rosberg whilst Verstappen, the winner and Hamilton, the runner up, watched on. Russell had made his way over from wherever the also-rans parked to congratulate his team mate, probably knowing he would get a little bit of TV coverage. Hamilton had chilled out a bit by the time he was interviewed so Rosberg poked the bear. It must have galling to lose the win in a Ferrari watching his replacement take the ultimate prize. Everyone is babying the new champion - there were lots of cuddles and lifting him, then Hamilton gave him another in the cool down room before Verstappen sorted out the confetti on his face by wetting a towel...the youngest champion ever.

There are a few more races to enjoy this season and Antonelli can sit back to enjoy them and watch things implode around him. How is Russell going react and will he finally get some wins now the pressure is off? What will be said in the Ferrari debrief? Will there be anymore fallout from the Ocon debrief debacle? Will Bottas be sacked having survived the imploding car? Will Stroll finally be sacked? Will we have some new race winners this season? It's still all to play for.

Mexico GP Qualifying Report

All the focus for the weekend should have been on Antonelli becoming world champion (potentially).  However, other people wanted to steal the limelight.  The dead were trying to have their day with the Mexican Día de los Muertos.  I remember the real spectacle that it was when we returned to Mexico in 2015 now it's less of a novelty.  Talking of dead men walking, Ocon was sacked in the middle of the weekend, following Free Practice 2 for talking back to the team.  Obviously there must be more to the story but Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa will be benefiting this weekend.  Where eyes should have been on Mercedes, they turned towards Haas.

Alonso had also made a big splash with a comment about drivers at the back of the grid (probably directed at Albon) being substandard.  Albon said he was disappointed but still looked up to Alonso.  That was more frustration coming out.

Before that a number of drivers had missed the press day or been ill earlier in the week including the championship contender.  It had been blamed on this race being the second triple-header in a row.  I think it's the same lurgy that we're all getting passed on aeroplanes between Texas and Mexico.

When in Mexico though, all attention was on Checo Perez.  Cadillac capitalised on this by announcing that his contract was renewed for the next season.

In Free Practice 3 there were more divas wanting their share of the attention: Lawson and Verstappen were given conflicting advice over the radio about what the other was doing and crashed into each other.  This was followed by some very harsh comments from Verstappen about what a driver "who is fighting for their seat" should be doing.  Both drivers were given a one place grid penalty.

There was more going on with Red Bull drivers, Hadjar also received a warning from stewards after pushing a paddock guest who aggressively approached him for a selfie when he was running late for Free Practice 1.  In the olden days he would have gotten away it but with people catching footage for social media everywhere, he did not.

If you really want people to see you then you need to do what Alonso did in the middle of the first Qualifying session and pull over to stop your car in the middle of the stadium section of the track.  40,000 people were present and the session was Red Flagged and stopped.  He did not know why they stopped the car like that.

Leclerc and Norris had been quickest during Free Practice but Hamilton was the fastest in the first Qualifying session.  The slowest six cars were Albon, Alonso, Hirakawa, Stroll, Perez and Bottas.  It seems likely that this will be Bottas' last season in Formula 1.  I don't understand how Stroll could not beat his team mate when his team mate did not even have a car.  When will it be his last season?  Alonso would even be reprimanded for not replacing the steering wheel correctly when he stopped.

The second session passed without event although we started to see some drivers have lap times deleted.  The drivers that didn't go through were: Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Piastri, Bortoleto, Bearman and Sainz.  If Alpine are going to have a good day, someone in a top team will go out and today it was Piastri.  It was a pretty big scalp when McLaren were looking good at this circuit.  Ultimately the team made a poor choice with tyres.

In the final session, drivers were pushing.  Hadjar crossed a white line at the pit lane entry and became under investigation.  From nowhere, with a minute to go, Russell took pole position from Leclerc.  He had not been mentioned at all thus far into the coverage.  Hamilton quickly took it off him.  Leclerc, who had been so strong, could only come back to third place.  Antonelli was not quick and then Verstappen locked up his tyres as Norris was in his way.  The dying seconds did not see anyone put in a quick lap.  The top ten were: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Verstappen, Antonelli, Norris, Hadjar, Lawson, Linblad and Gasly.  Verstappen and Lawson will both take a one place grid penalty, remember.

Hamilton was overwhelmed and almost hugged his car.  Russell and Hamilton both need to finish near the front in the race if they are to take Antonelli's championship bid on to the next race.  It looks like a good line-up and I'm actually exited to watch the race.

 

US GP Race Report

It was almost a clean start apart away from the grid apart from a tiny tap between the two Ferrraris and the US GP was underway.  Antonelli was off into the distance.  Leclerc took third and then second place from the Red Bulls and then Verstappen took it back.  This argy-bargy meant that Antonelli left them far behind and was over two seconds clear after the first lap.  There was a very quick Virtual Safely Car to clear some debris; no time to make a pit stop.  Alonso was the only real loser at the start and dropped five places, the debris had come from Albon's car as it came past him.

After only eight laps, Piastri was asked to let Norris through.  They were both on medium tyres with no other discerning difference between the cars, it may have been unfair although Piastri was told they were on different strategies.  This didn't seem to be put back later and Norris went for some risky strategies to stay ahead and finished fifth.

Russell, who is one of the few drivers who could challenge Antonelli for the championship, was given a five second penalty for leaving the track at the start.  It seemed petty.

The first round of stops were very early.  I felt we had only just begun.  Norris was served poorly with a long stop and Hamilton came out behind Lawson.

In between quite a lot of overtaking, Bearman was given a ten second penalty for a collision with Gasly at the beginning of the race.  He received an unusual radio message from the team telling him they were happy to retire the car on lap 26.

Antonelli made one stop whilst many others were going for two.  He made it pretty much in the middle of the race and came out in fourth between the Ferraris and bequeathing the lead to Verstappen.  After the second round of stops everything was refreshed and he was back at the front.

On lap 52 of 56 a Virtual Safety Car was called because Bottas had come to a stop at the side of the track.  It had all been a bit racy up front and now the race was put on a freezehold.  Apparently, Antonelli was going to make a stop but he didn't ,which seemed like the right thing to do.  He had 19 seconds at the end of it.

Ferrari finally came good, having lost direction in Qualifying, and Leclerc finished second.  Verstappen took third place, which he wasn't unhappy with and then it was Hamilton, Norris, Hadjar, Piastri, Russell, Lawson and Gasly.

It was an awful outing for Cadillac and Williams with Aston Martin coming out ahead at the back.  Further up it was a real mixed bag with team mate quite far apart from each other.  Antonelli did everything he could to secure the championship at CotA: pole position and race winner.  Hamilton and Russell were both only one place away from handing it to him.  Has he won it this year or did everyone else lose it?