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.

Brazil GP Race Report

After a tumultuous Qualifying earlier in the day; Albon wasn't able to get his car fixed in time and would not be starting.  The other four Red Flag causers all did little enough damage to be grid-ready for the race.  Last time Albon couldn't start they gave him Sargeant's car, I suppose the Argentinian money must be talking and also the driver is significantly better than his predecessor.   Sainz was going to be starting from the pit lane.

As the drivers set off on the formation lap, Alonso deliberately held up the rear end of the field.  Following this his team mate, Stroll, spun, got back going, then spun again and got himself beached in the gravel.  The start was aborted; all the drivers should have stayed where they were however Norris set off.  Several drivers followed him but lots remained behind believing themselves to be in the right and then some of them decided that they would go after all.  Norris was investigated for some kind of infringement and all the drivers and their mechanics regrouped at the grid and got ready to try again after a few minutes.  The Brazilian GP event was going from absurdity to absurdity.

This time, Verstappen held up the field to disadvantage those at the front who would have to sit for longer, tyres getting colder.  As they drew up to the grid, the top dogs at the pit wall stuck their hands out from under their shelters to feel if it was raining, it was.

Russell made an excellent start and took Norris into the first corner.  They immediately put some clear air between themselves and Tsunoda.  Perez spun but managed to get going again in last place.  Verstappen made up 7 places on the first lap, including getting past Hamilton.  As the everyone was on Intermediate tyres, there wouldn't need to be a pit stop for a while.

By Lap 10, Verstappen was behind Piastri in 7th.  Having already given Norris a solitary point (and a Sprint win) this weekend, he could now give his team mate even more by holding the Red Bull up for as long as possible.  Unfortunately he wasn't able to.  The next driver he needed to get past was Lawson, who very compliantly moved over for his stablemate.

Meanwhile, Bearman was given a 10 second penalty for coming together with Colapinto, which we didn't see until the Stewards had completed their investigation and the TV directors decided it might be worth showing.  Colapinto lost no time over it through and was then battling Hamilton for 12th place.  Even though the Mercedes had just gone off the track and over the grid, it was a straight battle and the Argentinian made it stick and the crowd roared.

A few other drivers had been added to the list of those being investigated for getting it wrong at the start.  It was announced that it would be investigated after the race, confirming that the Stewards have a partiality for allowing themselves to decide the winner of a race after it has finished.

Eventually, Sainz started to make up some places but ran very wide when he tried to overtake Colapinto, nearly running into Hamilton.  The Mercedes driver was really struggling to keep his car on the track.

Halfway through the race, the rain started coming down much heavier and this was also in a pit window.  The order was changing up and down the field.  LeClerc was pitted and came out behind Hamilton and could not overtake him.  Norris was very close to overtaking Russell for the lead.  Suddenly, Hulkenberg got his Haas stuck on a bump and a Virtual Safety Car was called.  Norris had to slam on the brakes as Russell hit the speed limiter.  Lots of drivers pitted and Perez was the first driver to change to Wet tyres.  

Whilst this was happening, it was revealed that the Mercedes cars were being investigated for changing their tyre pressures on the grid.  As the VSC ended, Russell and Norris both pitted, too late.  They came out behind Gasly in 5th in torrential rain.  Russell struggled on his new tyres and Norris was able to overtake him.  Ocon led the race as the Safety Car was called to try and mitigate the rainy conditions.

Colapinto pitted and came out with new tyres.  He didn't cope well with them and had a big spin, which stopped the race with a Red Flag.  It was an awful weekend for the Williams team.

The body language of Norris and Russell as they walked down the pits (and the radio) was furious, as Verstappen and Ocon had been handed a free pit stop.

Bizarrely, I had noted that Hulkenberg pitted for new tyres, which I thought was odd as he was out of the race.  It turned out that 4 marshals pushed him back into the race, which isn't allowed, so he was served a Black Flag as he sat on a chair during the Red Flag period.

The race stoppage did allow us to catch up with everything that had happened.  Piastri had run into Lawson and been given a 10 second penalty.  He took the opportunity to go down to RB to apologise.  There had never been so much activity during a Red Flag before.

It was a rolling start to get the race going again; Ocon would be in charge.  Before he did though, Bearman and Zhou went off over the grass but got back on track straight away.  The drivers were struggling on an unknown track.. Norris went off and let Russell get back ahead of him, then LeClerc did it as well.

Again, Bearman spun off and kissed the tyre barrier with his nose intact.  Unlike his team mate he was able to get going again under his own steam.  A lap later he went off again.  Then Sainz spun and smashed his rear wing against the barrier and the Safety Car came out.

Ocon did restart the race well but Verstappen easily took him; so it was Alpine second and third.  A number of drivers were able to put in an overtake but Norris went off and ended up 7th behind his team mate.  Again, Hamilton went backwards.

The remaining laps were dry and, whilst drivers were still battling with each other, where relatively quiet.  Alonso was in a lot of pain at the end of the race, with the bumping caused by the poor track resurfacing.  Verstappen kept putting in Fastest Laps.

It was a shame that the RBs wound up 8th and 9th, whilst the Alpines got the podiums but you have to make the most of days like this.  It was telling on a day when Verstappen went from 17th to win, that his team mate didn't finish in the points.  Surely Perez cannot be kept on at Red Bull next year.

Alpine made a huge leap in the Constructors Championship and everyone must be thrilled with the result for them, even if you support one of the teams that they leapfrogged or think Ocon is a little bit creepy and weaselly.

Brazil GP Qualifying Report

Due to torrential rain and lightning storms at the circuit, the original time slot for Qualifying was a wash out.  It was delayed until early morning, 7.30am in local time.  It would be a very long day for the teams with the Race to follow at 3.30pm (adjusted to fit around the weather but giving the teams less time to set up).

When the first session started, the drivers were queued up as rain was predicted 15 minutes later.  It was tricky going from the off, with spray and Yellow Flags quickly out for Lawson.  The flags continued to flash green and yellow.  Stroll could not keep it on the track at all.  With 8 minutes to go, Colapinto crashed his Williams into the hoarding, ending covered in Rolex signage.  The session was stopped with a Red Flag.  If they didn't restart the session, his team mate, Albon, both Saubers and both Mercedes would be out.  The mechanics were very disappointed, particularly because they would only have a short time to reset before the race.  It restarted fairly quickly but the rain was falling harder.  Some drivers were improving but Russell was struggling to stay on track, going off and cutting back on in front of Albon.  As they were on wet tyres they were able to stay out and put in lap after lap.  Hulkenberg also went off and over the grass.  Then lap times started to be deleted.  This included Norris, who was caught amongst traffic whilst being in 17th place.  The last corner and straight was do or die; he pushed Hamilton out, just staying safe.  Vestappen was quickest followed by Albon and Russell.  It was lap by lap, minute by minute, to succeed on the track.  Hamilton was 16th, then Bearman, Colapinto, Hulkenberg (out-qualified by his rookie team mate who had never driven in the wet in an F1 car before) and lastly, Zhou.

In the second session, less to no rain was forecast.  The track got quicker and quicker and Intermediate tyres were put on.  It was being discussed how late drivers could come out to try and get the latest and fastest time.  However, with 6 minutes to go, Sainz took a slow spin off the track and his rear-end thudded into the wall.  It would be a bigger job for his mechanics than Colapinto.  The Red Flag came out and this session was stopped.  Every driver was lined up to leave the pit lane when the session restarted.  By this time there were two minutes left, Alonso was quickest.  The stewards let a number of drivers complete laps under double-waved Yellow Flags, as Stroll was stuck at a corner, having spun off.  Two drivers who did not get to finish a fast lap were Verstappen and Perez.  With less than a minute to go, the session would not be restarted.  Out went Bottas, Verstappen (who will also receive a five place grid penalty for an engine change), Perez, Sainz and Gasly.  It was felt that the Red Bulls went past the crash as it happened so must have known that they could not complete that lap as they should have dropped pace at the start of their final lap and would not have been able to go quicker than any previous times set.

Back in the pit lane, Sainz went around and apologised to everyone in the garage.  Stroll took a drink and went for a chat and smile with one of his engineers.

Even with a delayed time for the third session, drivers started queuing up very early.  This was because it was starting to rain.    After another few minutes, the session was Red Flagged for Alonso going nose-first into the wall.  It would be a busy and expensive afternoon for Aston Martin.  At that moment Norris, Albon and Piastri were the top three.  The worst smash then came for Albon, who was okay but the car was not going to be able to be fixed before the race.  This was the first off that caused the Medical Car to come out, so it was a much greater impact.  He had said he was okay on the radio but didn't look it when the medic got him out of the chassis.  There was a lot of debris to clear.

Norris was given a message that seemed very good advice; there was no need to go fast when not starting the race if your car couldn't be fixed in time was also a possibility.  After five Red Flags, this was pertinent.  Norris hammered home the point that he was the quickest driver out there by continuing to put in pole lap after pole lap.  Second was Russell, putting in one very quick lap.  Following him was Tsunoda, Ocon, Lawson, LeClerc, Albon, Piastri, Alonso and Stroll.  Despite both cars crashing, it was a good result for Aston Martin and Williams.  The RBs outshone their sister team, Red Bull.  Unfortunately, Tsunoda was being investigated by the stewards for not following the race director's instructions.  The commentators felt that was due to him not knowing where he should have been parking his car and were hoping he would be exonerated.

Brazil GP Sprint Qualifying

With only one practice session and a new track surface, there was quite a bit of jeopardy going into this first competitive outing of the event.  Bearman was back driving again, replacing Magnussen who was ill.

In the first Qualifying Session, the Haas continued to look good again, finishing in 7th and 8th.  The Williams' took 3rd and 9th too.  Out went Alonso, Ocon, Tsunoda, Stroll and Zhou.  It seems that Aston Martin are going backwards in their progress, they are urgently needing Newey's input.  Norris took 1st place comfortably.

In the second session, Red Bull messed things up for Perez by not sending him out soon enough to cross the line for a final hot lap, he qualified 13th.  Hamilton was also out in 11th.  Bearman beat his team mate, as Hulkenberg finished 12th whilst he went through.  Colapinto was 14th and Bottas 15th.  Norris again was fastest.

The final session brought a surprise though, with Piastri pulling a lap out to take pole.  Norris aborted his final lap and held 2nd place.  LeClerc also found something extra and got 3rd.  Verstappen, once again, ran out of steam and came in 4th, ahead of Sainz, Russell, Gasly, Lawson, Albon and Bearman (another good drive by the new super sub).  Piastri seemed to be contemplating a win but surely will need to give any points to Norris if he is in a position to do so.

The bumpy track made it hard for the drivers to see and Hamilton had found it painful.  It wasn't known how this would affect the drivers and their vehicles during a long race.  There was a lot of talk about possible wet weather and different tyre usage across the teams.

When the Sprint came, Alonso, Stroll and Zhou all started from the pit.  Piastri admitted going to the grid that he probably wouldn't be allowed to win.

It was touch and go off the start.  Norris made a great one but couldn't get past Piastri and Verstappen was nearly past LeClerc but he held him off.  By lap 7, Norris was on the radio wondering why Piastri hadn't let him past already.  Given that he had been complaining to the media about being asked about the Drivers' Championship; either he wants Piastri to help because it is important to him or he has given up and shouldn't be asking the team.

Nothing much happened for most of the race but with a couple of laps to go, Hulkenberg's engine blew and he pulled up at the side of the track.  McLaren's hand was forced and Piastri was told to switch places with Norris before any action was taken to bring out a Virtual Safety Car, Safety Car or Red Flag, which would mean they couldn't maximise Norris's points.  This proved wise as a Virtual Safety Car was called, which meant that the drivers had to hold position.  This ended with a couple of corners to go.  Piastri had allowed Verstappen to get too close during this and was nearly overtaken.  It was important that Norris gave his team mate DRS.

Lawson, the Williams and Hamilton were unluckily just outside the pits.  Before the race, everyone had said that Ferrari were streets ahead of Red Bull but this didn't prove to be the case in the Sprint, let's hope that they have more in the tank for the actual race.

As soon as the drivers were out of the car, a notice came from the Stewards that Verstappen was being investigated for a Virtual Safety Car Infringement.  He also carries a five place grid penalty for an engine change.  Perhaps the new engine is what helped him challenge Ferrari in the Sprint.  We would see in Qualifying and, more so, in the Race, if Red Bull just needed a little power boost.

Brazil GP Sprint Shootout & Sprint Report

It was a sunny day in Sao Paulo for sprint day.  It was going to be a very different qualifying from the day before.

In SQ1 it was all plain sailing for the first 11 and 1/2 minutes, then Ocon lost control of his car, "got out of shape" and went into and over Alonso, the Alpine went spinning into the wall, causing a  lot of damage and the Aston Martin got a puncture and dragged his car, sparking, back to the pits.  There was a Yellow Flag and then the session was stopped, which really damaged the laps for a lot of drivers who were putting in a quick lap including Albon and Sargeant who finished last.  Also out went Ocon, Stroll and Zhou.

Alonso was out of SQ2 with damage so qualified 15th.  Ahead of him and out went both Haas, Gasly and Bottas.  Notably great lap times were made by Norris, first and Ricciardo, fourth.  Perez was ahead of Verstappen but took two shots to get there.

The first half of SQ3 was particularly dull as no cars went out.  It was all or nothing at the end and fingers were crossed for no Red or Yellow Flags (by the teams if not the spectators).  The first time was set by Piastri but the field was quicker behind him.  Norris took the Sprint pole for his first time, followed by his friend Verstappen, then Perez.  Behind them was Russell and Hamilton, Tsunoda, LeClerc, Ricciardo, Sainz and Piastri.

Remarkably, Ocon's car was prepared in time for the Sprint race.  Our prediction for the race was Verstappen from Norris and that was the case by the first corner.  In fact, Russell was also past Norris by the end of the first lap.

DRS handed positions back and forth between drivers as they overtook each other.  There was overtake after overtake until the end, where Verstappen finished in front of Norris and Perez.  For once the Alpha Tauris were fighting near the front, which was great for them, with Tsunoda finishing in the points.  There was a lot of swearing from Danny Ric on his radio as he couldn't make up as many places as he wanted.

Norris felt he had been too cautious and not made the best of his opportunity.  There's always a reason he doesn't do better and they're not excuses but they need to stop happening.  It's all set to be a great race tomorrow, with tyre degradation being quite high, teams who have saved tyres will be rewarded.

Brazil GP Qualifying Report

Once again the hot topic of the weekend, is whether Perez will keep his contract for next year.  Or even until the end of the season.  The Qualifying session was delayed as there was debris on track which the marshals slowly swept away.

There were spits of rain towards the end of the first session but it didn't slow down the last laps the drivers put in.  Both Alpha Tauris went out, Tsunoda one place higher than Red Bull wannabe Ricciardo.  The Japanese driver felt impeded by Hamilton.  Both Alfa Romeos were out and Sargeant in his Williams too.

The second session was dry and uneventful.  Albon, who was in contention, had a lap deleted so went out in 15th, not attempting to put in a qualifying lap in this session.  Both Alpines and both Haas were out too.  Norris was in first.  

At the start of the final session, Ted could feel rain in the pit lane and Ferrari told LeClerc that it would come in 7 minutes.  There were definitely dark clouds in the sky.  Piastri was the first driver to be caught out and was sent drifting across the grass.  Sainz was also  off the track and those who hadn't put an early lap in would not get a good lap in before the rain came down and the session was red flagged.

As the rain fell down, teams were allowed to close their garage doors and Verstappen held pole, LeClerc second and Stroll in third.  The Aston Martins did well getting out quickly, with Alonso in fourth.  Next was both Mercedes, Hamilton then Russell.  Finishing the top ten were Norris, Sainz, Perez and Piastri.

The drivers were interviewed in the Safety Car pit as the thunder rumbled outside.

Brazil GP Race Report

Following a shaken up Sprint, Russell looked confident on pole.  Otmar, team principal of Alpine, told us that he has advised his battling drivers that they need to be cognisant that there are a thousand people working to get them on the track and not to push each other off it.

Hamilton, notably, did not sing along with the Brazilian national anthem, tut tut for an honourary citizen.

Russell got off to a great start and maintained his lead ahead of his team mate.  It looked like everyone was clean away until, Ricciardo, out for "points and fun" and starting 11th, tagged pole winner Magnussen, who spun and came back round and took him out of the race.  The Safety Car came out.  No one pitted at first but Albon came in eventually for some new Medium tyres.

Russell managed to hold the lead from the restart but behind him old foes, Hamilton and Verstappen came together with the Red Bull needing a new front wing.  Hamilton: "You know how Verstappem is."  Immediately LeClerc and Norris tagged each other, sending LeClerc into the wall but able to escape and rejoin the race in 18th, right behind his championship nemesis this year.  Ferrari were able to recover the podium place from Norris with Sainz overtaking him.

Despite these incidents all looking like racing incidents, Verstappen and Norris were both awarded 5 second penalties.

Just as LeClerc put in Fastest Lap, Ferrari called him to the pits for new tyres, in a very Ferrari move.  There was a lot of potential pit stop overtakes but nothing of note.  The displeasure with Alonso at Alpine manifested itself in a very long pit stop for him.  Au revoir.

When Hamilton passed Perez for second place, the crowd went wild.  I don't think anyone would mind a Mercedes victory at this race to feel reassured that there are a number of drivers that can win a race.  An angry Hamilton came in for a third set of tyres as did Perez, then Russell.

Having soldiered through 52 laps, trying not to vomit or poop in in his pants, Norris lost power on his McLaren and came to a stop on the track.  He sat dejectedly by the side of the track.  A Virtual Safety Car was set then a real one came out.  The McLaren was cleared and Russell was ready to lead the restart.  He checked with his team whether he was racing Hamilton, who was right behind him, or whether they were going to hold position to maintain the 1 2.

Further back, Ocon was given firm instructions not to fight his team mate Alonso.  Russell was clean away at the restart, then the main fight was Perez and Sainz, with Perez holding the place initially then losing it.  Ocon "let" Alonso through, with Vettel falling back.  LeClerc had finally made it back up to the place he started despite his team endlessly pitting him.  Russell slowly pulled out enough of a lead to be out of hte DRS zone ahead of Hamilton.  Perez became a sitting duck, with even Alonso taking 5th place from him.  Vestappen was fighting back from calamity and easily took his team mate.  LeClerc pushed and pushed for Sainz to give him the podium and extra championship points.

With Russell taking the win, I expect this means him and Hamilton will be bitter rivals next year.  Somehow Hamilton took Driver of the Day, despite many other stronger contenders.  Is this the surprise winner of the year that we've been waiting for?  Not really, in my book.  Verstappen was told to give the place back to Perez and refused.  Examples up and down the parc ferme of how team mate relationships differ.  I think the happier dynamics of this year will be gone next season.

Brazil GP Qualifying and Sprint Report

It was a doozy of a Qualifying session, interrupted by rain but without endless red flags and pauses.  The headline, of course, was Magnussen getting pole to the shock and immense joy of his Haas team.  He was rewarded by doing a shed load more press.  This is the nearest thing we've had to a surprise winner, the first season I can ever remember not having one underdog race winner.

A red flag was brought out when Russell misinterpreted the advice of visiting the beach whilst in Brazil and beached his car in the gravel.  Verstappen, whom some would consider the natural pole-sitter, was second and Russell kept third place, as his red flag, followed by the rain, meant that no one else could set a quicker lap than the initial laps set.  Williams managed a creditable 11th place, just ahead of a frustrated and sarcastic LeClerc.  Once again Ferrari, Ferraried things up again, by being the only team to send a car out on wet weather tyres on a dry track.  Norris took 4th place despite having been suffering from a bad bout of food poisoning and looking like the shell of a man.  Unfortunately this all set the grid places for the shorter spring and not the main race, which would have been much more interesting.  

A new day and a new event, the Sprint...Magnussen held his position off the start, with Russell challenging but ultimately not taking second from Verstappen.  Carlando were battling in 4th and 5th.  Alonso's team mate pushed him off the track,  The inevitable happened on the third lap and Red Bull were in the lead, by midway through the Great Dane was 6th.

With the one (world champion-driven) Alpine having to pit for a new wing and tyres and ending up at the back of the pit, the Aston Martin drivers battled with Stroll pushing the (world champion-driven) Aston Martin off the track.  Stroll was given a 10 second penalty for the event, so doubly bad for the team.

Verstappen and Russell (miraculously) were able to battle it out for the lead.Whilst Albon spun his Williams and, having qualified 11th, will start last (Alonso starting next to him).  The Mercedes were absolutely storming, Russell able to take the lead and Hamilton battling for third from Sainz.

Did Verstappen have a fault with his car from the beginning of the race or was he playing it safe (very off-character if so), as not only Russell got past but Sainz too, damaging the Red Bull front wing in the process.  Next, Hamilton was cleanly past on the main straight, to the delight of his countrymen.  I suppose if Verstappen can have several home tracks, then Hamilton can scoop this one up through his honoury citizenship.

Not really a maiden win for Russell but glory nevertheless.  Perez asked if Verstappen would give him the place to get himself an extra point, which he needed in his championship battle again LeClerc.  I don't understand why Red Bull didn't put team orders in place for this.

Then the post-race shenanigans happened.  Zhou, Ricciardo and Hamilton were being investigated for a starting procedure infringement.  Gasly was called to the stewards for breaching some kind of speed limit.  Gasly was now close to having too many penalty points and being awarded a race ban.  Stroll denied any wrongdoing, as did Ocon, who is clearly now just riding out his Alonso experience.

With Verstappen starting 4th on the grid for the main race, the grid wasn't too "back to normal" after the sprint.  It's set for an interesting race, if only at the start.

Brazil GP Race Report

A full crowd in Brazil as the world gets back to normal.  The lights went out very speedily, which caught out some of the drivers.  Norris immediately went into a space that wasn't there and had a big off, giving himself a puncture from a Ferrari.  The corners kept catching the drivers out, including the leader of the start, Bottas.  Having already let Verstappen past, this let Perez past too.  In one lap, Hamilton went from 10th to 6th.  Even Sainz was an easy pass for him on lap 3.  It wasn't long before he was past LeClerc and then Bottas let him through to third position.  Whilst this was happening Stroll crashed full on to Tsunoda, who had to pit for lots of new bits.

With a Safety Car out to clear up all of the Alpha Tauri's old, smashed bits, Hamilton cheered Bottas on by telling him over the radio to stick with him.  Although, I don't think he could hear him.

At the restart, Verstappen bunched the pack up dangerously close.  He had Perez as a buffer between himself and the Mercedes.  Suddenly Schumacher's front wing was under his car after tangling with Raikkonen.  Somehow he was able to keep going but there was a Virtual Safety Car.

Lap 17, Hamilton was on the tail of Perez, took him and immediately lost him to a DRS pass.  Both drivers were thinking quickly and cleverly.  Lap 19 saw Hamilton take him on a different corner and made it stick.  With Hamilton in second and heading after Verstappen, it was up to Bottas to now take Perez, although his engine was not as new and shiny.

A third into the race, the pitstop window opened.  Hamilton went aggressively for the undercut with Red Bull responding immediately.  It didn't get him past Verstappen but it did close the gap.  Perez then went for the undercut on Bottas, who didn't respond.

Before you could take a breath, out of nowhere shards of carbon fibre flew off Stroll's Aston Martin following it's earlier contact with Tsunoda.  A Virtual Safety Car was ordered and Bottas took his stop, earning him 3rd position.

Then the second pit stop window opened after no time at all.  I could see we were barely half way through the race with a long time to go but all the action seemed to have happened.  Hamilton was asked over the radio about which tires he would like.  Red Bull panicked about the undercut and brought Verstappen in.  Bottas was brought in to cover that.  Verstappen was now behind Hamilton and Perez, Bottas behind LeClerc.  The undercut worked.

Two thirds through the race and the battle was finally underway.  Hamilton had caught Verstappen on the track with no more pitstops to go.  As Lewis went for the overtake they both went wide and through a run off area.  Did Max push him off the road?  We waited to see if he would get a penalty.  After being "noted" by the stewards, "no further investigation necessary."  #LetThemRace

The crowd went wild as Hamilton finally made it, finishing the race 10 seconds ahead with Perez taking new tires to steal Fastest Lap.  He was clearly overjoyed, stopping to collect a Brazilian flag.  Red Bull put it down to "damage limitations".

Brazil GP Qualifying and Sprint Report

So it seems that when you lack any kind of personality outside of your job you grow a moustache...Verstappen, Ricciardo...

It was a poor first qualifying session for Williams with both drivers out alongside Stroll and the Haas.  With Latifi outqualifying his team mate (who is shortly heading for the Mercedes seat).  Then there were no shocks in Q2 with the remaining Aston Martin out, Ocon, Tsunoda and both Alfa Romeos.

Thank heaven it is a sprint weekend as the final Qualifying session was equally as dull.  Hamilton easily came in first with his championship rival, Verstappen behind him.  Followed by the other Mercedes and then the other Red Bull.  Gasly got 5th again, he is showing strong as best of the rest.  Two Ferraris, then two McLarens and then Alonso.  Very predictable.

Into the Sprint and there were two shock announcements.  Verstappen had been seen poking at the Mercedes rear wing in Parc Ferme and was handed €50,000 fine.  Which Red Bull will pay anyway because he now gets a bonus for being on pole because...Mercedes rear wing was a little to big and a ball on a stick went through it.  So he was disqualified from Qualifying and starts the Sprint at the back of the grid.

Bottas got the better start over Verstappen with the softer tires.  Sainz also got up to second quickly, tripping the Dutchman into going wide and over the curbs.  Raikkonen had a lovely big spin too, being tipped by his team mate and giving Alonso, who had a front row seat a leg up.

Hamilton carved his way through the pack, at half way through he was half way through, ending up in 5th place.  Sainz qualified his Ferrari in 3rd, which is good for them and with LeClerc in in 7th, they are dominant over McLaren again (6th and 11th).

To finish the day Felipe Massa gave the top three a laurel wreath.  Sainz promptly gave his way and no one dallied on the "podium".

Brazil GP - "absolutely bossed it"

This was a "redemption" race...and Verstappen led from pole position to victory.  I didn't have any notes until the last ten laps.  It was a heart-pounding final ten laps.  LeClerc and Vettel collided as they raced for fourth place.  The race was going very well for Albon, heading for a second place finish but hot-headed Hamilton took him out.  Gasly was the star, holding out and finishing second for an amazing podium for Toro Rosso.  The most amazing thing of the race though was Hamilton admitting, straight out of the car, that the crash was his fault.  Wonders never cease.

Brazil GP - Results

1. Evel Marque - 1,071*
2. Je suis Charlie - 1,048*
3. PickedInAHurry - 997*
4. The Hope Fulls - 990*
5. BottHaas - 958*
6. Jack the Lad - 842*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 756*
8. Hippy F1 - 666*
9. Ferrari Rocher - 656*
10. Francesco Bernoulli - 528*

* Home track played

Brazil GP - "That's it"

This was a race full of potential.  Huge potential for cuteness from the overall-clad mascots at the anthem.  Potential grid penalties for Vettel and Hamilton after qualifying...that never materialised.  Potential rain in qualifying. 

Early potential for Verstappen to win, lost on Lap 44 when he collided with Ocon.  Halo, baby! asked me predict this race win and I said Hamilton.  I am going to stop predicting.

There was potential for Mercedes to win the constructors championship.

Potential for violence from Verstappen, talk on the radio followed by pushing in the pit lane.

Potential for hair loss embarrassment for Hamilton, covered up by wearing his balaclava like a turban before receiving his cap.

Potential for a great last race?  Low.

Brazil GP - Results

1. Give it some Gasly! - 1,116*
2. Two World Champions, Two Future World Champions, and, um, Two Other Guys - 1,078*
3. Maximum Attack! - 1,065*
4. Evel Marque - 1,064
5. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 846*
5= Hasstag#FaceBull - 846*
7. The Hopefulls - 789*
8. No Vices Now - 772*
9. The Pitstop Princess - 647*
10. Spa Day with a Shooey - 643*
11. Halo, baby! - 640*
12. Wheels on Fire - 576*
13. Hippy F1 - 573*
14. Jack Johnson - 569*

* Home track played - all home tracks played

IF YOU HAVEN'T PAID UP YET, PLEASE CAN YOU LET ME KNOW!

Brazil GP - Results

With one race left and all home tracks raced, it's tight at the top...

1. No Vices Now - 1,136*
2. Two World Champions, two future World Champions and, um, two other guys - 1,134*
3. Moneyball - 1,133*
4. The EvePitstop Princess - 1,030*
5. Evel Marque - 1,029*
6. Hoping for an Indian Summer - 1,021*
7. Jenson's Whinging Legacy - 1,008*
8. Bernie is a hobbit - 1,000*
9. Even more hopeful - 991*
10. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 862*
11. Burn After Racing - 855*
12. Slightly Slower Racing - 719*
13. BOT-RAI-PER - 709*
14. Hippy F1 - 641*

*Home track played

Brazil GP - "Daddy, we are so proud of you"

This weekend saw a cracking race.  It got off to a good start with Hamilton in the pits.  Lap one saw Ocon and Grosjean come together, then Van Doorne and Ricciardo triggered a safety car.  There was lots of overtaking but I have no notes from the race??!  I think it was just of a standard we haven't seen in a long, long time.  Even after Vettel crossed the line, there was the battle between Massa, Alonso and Perez to enjoy.

Brazil GP - "Terrific drive, Lewis, brilliant"

Sky's coverage got off to a jaunty start with a really good interview with Nico Rosberg.  This is unusual because it wasn't a feature about Lewis Hamilton.

Then it rained.  If anyone was wondering why this is late published, it took us two sittings to get through the entire race.

Grosjean crashed out just getting his car to the grid.  Button must be pleased as this bests his top failure of crashing on the parade lap when he drove for Williams.  Put out to Pastor's team are basically an indicator of who would do badly this race/season.

The rain delay meant that there was lots of shots of rain falling into puddles (if this is popular, I say again, Knockhill GP) and sponsor logo close-ups.  Wet races used to be the exciting ones.

Then Hamilton got water in his eyes.  Angus also does not like getting water in his eyes.  I wonder how the person who washes Lewis's hair tricks him?

On Lap 7, Verstappen performed his first overtake, showing no fear.

Lap 11 saw Vettel aquaplane and then have problems with his wheel gun.  Where was all this bad luck a couple of years ago?  The next big aquaplane was Ericson on lap 14 and Verstappen had to avoid, a hairy moment as he was now on inters.  By lap 20, I couldn't take any more as Raikkonen spun on the pit straight.  Clearly getting old and becoming a mother has affected me more than I'd care to admit.  This brought the red flags out and Massa got a snack bar.  Hamilton gave his jacket to a shivering flag girl.

Everyone went racing again.  Kvyat and Palmer had a near miss which led to the Russian swearing and shouting: "that's a big one", whilst the Brit kept his stiff upper lip and reported some damage.

There was a red flag on lap 28 but I don't know why.  The fans didn't either and they booed and pointed their thumbs downwards.  I started another bout of fast forwarding.  Boulier cryptically told us: "Don't trust the messages on the radio."

Eventually the racing got back underway with a few mishaps here and there before Massa spun on lap 48.  This guaranteed him his moment in the sun (rain).  He was crying (and posing for photos).  Croft commented that: "This is not how Felipe Massa would have wanted to end".  As a Williams supporter, me neither but when has he really brought us any points?  The teams came out to in to the pit lane to give him a cheer.  Do the successful drivers ever get this response?

FoM is clearly trying to appear to a younger market, broadcasting images of Gutierrez having a row with his boss and stomping off.

In the end though, Verstappen brought the show to Brazil.  How much longer until we hate Verstappen the way we hated Vettel and Schumacher?