Up next / Stress Test
Previously / Straight Line Fever
A rain-free 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix would have been a perfect copy of so many other Grands Prix this season; either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg would have grabbed the lead in the first turn and never looked back.
Instead, it resembled a classic 70’s era F1 battle against the elements, full of incredible uncertainty, otherworldly determination and failure at any instant. No one was safe nor did they know what the next second might hold for them. If the last 16 laps of this amazing motor racing day could be bottled and opened at each F1 venue, the Sports’ worries of shrinking attendance and interest would be a thing of the past.
Hamilton, Rosberg and Verstappen are rain masters who found something extra in the rain that the remainder of the field missed.
As it was, Lewis Hamilton captured victory in Brazil amidst rain-swept chaos ahead of teammate, title rival and championship leader Nico Rosberg to extend their see-saw Formula 1 title battle to the final round in Abu Dhabi. It was the reigning world champion’s 9th victory of the season and his 52nd career win. The Mercedes teammates are now just 12 points apart with 25 available at the Yas Marina Circuit.
While Hamilton won the laurels, Max Verstappen grabbed the headlines with a scintillating charge from 16th place to the podium.
Hamilton, Rosberg and Verstappen are rain masters who found something extra in the rain that the remainder of the field missed.
With rain lashing the track, the start was delayed 10-minutes in the hopes the standing puddles and flowing “rivers” would drain. It would be of little value to Haas F1’s Roman Grosjean, as he slid off on the reconnaissance lap, breaking his left front suspension and ending his race before it started.
Fortunately, it was an omen taken seriously. The FIA chose to start the race behind the Safety Car, and the field slithered around in the blinding spray at tire-cooling pace until the beginning of lap 8 of the 71-lap Grand Prix. When the Safety car pulled off, it was Hamilton who led Rosberg into Turn 1, as Max Verstappen instantly knifed inside the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen to claim third place.
Hamilton began inching away from Rosberg, with Verstappen closing up behind the German. Several drivers copied Kevin Magnussen’s quick change to Intermediates including Fernando Alonso, Jolyon Palmer, Marcus Ericsson and both Williams drivers, but they then had to cope with aquaplaning on the standing water at the beginning of the rising pit straight. On lap 12, Ericsson’s Sauber had enough and speared the outside wall near the same section that had caught out Grosjean.
The Safety Car was deployed because Ericsson’s wrecked car had come to rest in the middle of the pit entrance. Verstappen had dove in for intermediates just moments before the race control closed the pitlane, but his teammate Daniel Ricciardo had committed to also coming in and ended up taking a five-second time penalty for pitting during the closure.
The FIA chose to start the race behind the Safety Car, and the field slithered around in the blinding spray at tire-cooling pace until the beginning of lap 8 of the 71-lap Grand Prix.
The race resumed on lap 20, but only long enough for Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari to loose control on the front straight, hitting the outside wall and spinning into the inside barrier, narrowly avoiding being hit head-on by Verstappen and Manor’s Esteban Ocon. The race was red flagged while Raikkonen’s car was retrieved; the halt lasted 35 minutes. In the interim, the rain increased, and the FIA decided that the Safety Car would once again lead the field out for the start of lap 21. That period lasted just long enough to convince the race stewards that the rain was too heavy and the race was halted again for a further 25-minute period. The decision was met with thousands of downturned thumbs as the Interlagos spectators showed they were running low on patience and dry clothing. The field would follow the Safety Car for an additional four laps until lap 32. Free of the SC, Verstappen decided he had spent long enough cooling his heels and drove around Rosberg on the outside of Turn 3 to take second place.
While Verstappen looked secure in second, teammate Ricciardo, on intermediates began setting fastest laps. Red Bull, looking for a chance to undercut Mercedes on a drying track, called Verstappen in for intermediates, gambling that the easing rain would allow the youngster to pick up speed. He dropped to fifth, but immediately had the pace to catch Rosberg should the track stay as it was.
Not on this day.
On lap 48, Felipe Massa crashed out as he too aquaplaned over standing water on the front straight. The Brazilian’s car came to rest blocking pit entry, and the Safety Car was sent out for the third time. During the eight laps it circulated, the rain intensified, forcing both Ricciardo and Verstappen to stop again to take on the full wet extreme rain tires; Red Bull had asked Verstappen if he thought he could gain some positions if he took on the full wets. He responded a full-throated, “yes!” When the race restarted for the last time on lap 56, Verstappen who had been contesting for the lead had now rejoined in lowly 16th place.
That’s when the magic started to happen.
Red Bull, looking for a chance to undercut Mercedes on a drying track, called Verstappen in for intermediates, gambling that the easing rain would allow the youngster to pick up speed.
The slow pace of the Safety Car had caused the field’s rain tires to cool and loose pressure, and Verstappen with warm deep-grooved wets decided to put on a driving demonstration that harkened back to Messrs Senna and Schumacher. He began attacking, seemingly finding grip where there wasn’t any, eating up cars under braking with incredible precision. One-by-one, inside or outside, he surged past Ricciardo, Felipe Nasr, Nico Hulkenberg, Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz. The field was helpless to defend against his attacks. The Dutch ace didn’t stop until he passed Force India’s Sergio Perez to finally reclaim a podium place with just two laps to go. In all, he gained 13 positions in 16 laps.
Perez hung on to finish fourth, followed by Vettel, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Nasr and Fernando Alonso.
Felipe Nasr’s ninth place points at his home race were his and Sauber’s first of this season, ensuring the struggling team will recoup many millions in constructor performance payouts.
“I have no words to say how happy I am at the moment, said Nasr. When I saw the weather forecast for today, I knew it could be an opportunity. The opportunity came, and I was ready to go for it. There is no better feeling than scoring these two important points on home soil. I could not have hoped for a better Sunday back home in Brazil.”
This was the retiring Felipe Massa’s final Grand Prix in front of his Interlagos fans. After he had crashed out on lap 48, he pulled a Brazilian flag from his suit to salute his home fans. As he walked into the pit lane, the emotion of the moment became too much; he was awash in tears. It was then that Mercedes spontaneously formed a guard of honour clapping as he passed, followed by his former team members at Ferrari; the entire team lined up to embrace him. His wife and son met him just as he reached his Williams team. Held in high regards as a racer, Felipe Massa is most certainly held even higher as a man. He remembers coming to Interlagos as a child to watch Piquet and Senna. Somewhere in the crowd is a young man who will say the same thing about Massa one day before he starts his first Brazilian Grand Prix. It was a touching and fitting send off for one of F1’s best-loved drivers.
When asked whether it was one of his toughest wins, Hamilton replied: “Probably one of the easier ones, it was a very easy race. Usually in the rain here it’s the hardest. Winning here at Interlagos has been my dream since the first time I watched Ayrton [Senna] race when I was like five or six years old.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said Max Verstappen is redefining the laws of physics after watching his impressive drive to third. Verstappen is also redefining what F1 drivers get paid to do. He was in second, on intermediates and floating like a boat while waiting for a crash. Red Bull asked if he could take the fight forward with full wets. He didn’t hesitate. His stirring drive from 16th to third was peppered with thrilling overtakes and mature race craft. He truly is a talent of nature and demonstrated today that he not only can be an aggressive driver but also an incredibly intelligent driver with absolute car control. He’ll take to the faster 2017 cars like a veteran. World Champion at 20? Don’t bet against him.
Asked how he’ll approach Abu Dhabi, Hamilton said, “I’m hunting, and all I can do is do what I’m doing right now. The team has been giving me a great car, and finally, the reliability has been really good, so the results have really shown that. I’m going to go and give it everything I’ve got.”
Now it’s on to the finale in Abu Dhabi, the final Grand Prix for the current F1 technical specifications.
