Categories: FeatureFeatures

Chris Medland's Brazilian Grand Prix preview

17 down, two to go. The Brazilian Grand Prix has been the scene of numerous dramatic title showdowns in the past but this year both championships have been settled weeks before. That won’t prevent a carnival-like atmosphere at Interlagos, where the two Felipes - Massa and Nasr - will receive very vocal support from the Brazilian crowd. There remains the potential for fireworks between the Mercedes drivers as well after Lewis Hamilton claimed the team was having to work hard to keep Nico Rosberg happy, hinting he may have had his own chances of victory in Mexico hampered as a result.

FORM GUIDE

Mercedes will be seeing the weather forecast as its most likely threat this weekend, but it will hope Hamilton is on good form after delaying his arrival in Sao Paulo on medical advice due to a fever. Ferrari feels its pace in Mexico was masked by a “disastrous” race which saw both cars retire, leaving it confident it will be able to remain ahead of Williams and Red Bull. The latter could struggle due to a lack of high-speed corners and the need for good engine performance on the run up to the finish line, but rain could help its cause. Even despite that long uphill stretch, McLaren should be more competitive than it was in Mexico where the altitude really hurt the Honda power unit.

2014 RESULT

Pole position: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 1:10.023

Top three: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Felipe Massa (Williams)

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 1:13.555

SESSION TIMES (All times local)

FP1: 10:00 - 11:30

FP2: 14:00 - 15:30

FP3: 11:00 - 12:00

Qualifying: 14:00 - 15:00

Race: 1400

TYRE CHOICES

WEATHER FORECAST

Formula One race weekends have seen a lot of wet weather recently, and that trend is set to continue in Sao Paulo. Humid conditions are forecast to give way to thunderstorms on both Friday and Saturday with a strong chance of qualifying taking place in the wet. Race day should be a lot more settled, with temperatures dropping on Sunday and the current forecast only predicting a 20% chance of rain for the grand prix itself.

PODIUM PREDICTION

1st - Sebastian Vettel

2nd - Nico Rosberg

3rd - Lewis Hamilton

2014 BEST SHOT

'In F1 you discover a whole new person in yourself' - click here for the full Carlos Sainz interview

Click here for an exclusive Q&A with Jolyon Palmer

Use the red tabs on either side of the screen to scroll through more Formula One news and features

Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

11 mins ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

49 mins ago

Sainz left puzzled by double crash drama in rainy São Paulo

Carlos Sainz was left scratching his head after a disastrous Sunday at the Sao Paulo…

2 hours ago

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

3 hours ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

18 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

19 hours ago