Formula 1 Grande Premio Heineken Do Brasil 2017 Preview

After Max Verstappen took a dominant victory in Mexico as Lewis Hamilton came home ninth and secured his fourth World title, the penultimate round of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship returns to the popular Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brasil for the Formula 1 Grande Premio Heineken Do Brasil 2017. This marks the 45^th running as a round of the world championship since its inception in 1950 and the 34^th event to be held at Interlagos.

A look at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace

The Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, known by its former name Interlagos is a permanent racing circuit located in the city of Sao Paulo in the neighbourhood of Interlagos. The circuit was renamed after Brazilian Formula 1 driver Carlos Pace who was tragically killed in a plane accident.

In 1938 a huge plot of land was bought in Sao Paulo by two property developers whose intention was to build accommodation. Following difficulties partly due to the 1929 stock market crash and one part of the land not being suitable for housing, they decided to build a racing circuit instead. Construction began in 1938 and the track opened in 1940. Sao Paulo grew at a rapid rate and the circuit was quickly surrounded by houses.

In the 1970s when legend Emerson Fittipaldi began to have international success, the Brazilians wanted to host a Grand Prix. In 1971 and 1972 Interlagos hosted non-championship races but in 1973 the track staged its first Grand Prix as part of the world championship.

The track quickly became the locals’ lucky charm, with Fittipaldi and Carlos Pace claiming victories in the 1970s. Interlagos was the scene of Pace’s first and only Formula One victory, and following his death in a plane crash the circuit was renamed in his honour.

In 1978 it moved to the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio de Janeiro, but in 1979 Interlagos reclaimed the race back for a couple of years. By 1981 however, Rio de Janeiro had taken the Grand Prix back. When an agreed $15m investment to shorten and smoothen the circuit was made due to recent success of Sao Paulo native Ayrton Senna, the race made its return to Interlagos in 1990 and has stayed as the home of the Brazilian Grand Prix ever since.

The Autodromo Jose Carlos Paces’ natural contours provides a challenging combination of technically demanding medium and low-speed turns linked with high-speed straights and bends. The topography of the circuit means many of these are off camber, increasing the challenge.

A major car setup consideration is the altitude. At 800m, Interlagos is the second highest altitude circuit of the year after the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico and the thinner air in the past led engines to produce 7-8 per cent less power but the 1.6L turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrains have the advantage over its naturally aspirated predecessors due to the turbochargers being able to spin faster to compensate for lower atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes. The altitude levels also effects aerodynamic performance too as such teams will run higher downforce packages to cope with inefficiencies. The lack of aerodynamic grip also means that the importance of good mechanical grip is emphasised. The other variable is the weather and conditions at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace which can be hard to predict at times.

The Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace is 4.309km (2.677 miles) in length with 15 corners and runs in an anti-clockwise direction.

Race distance is 305.909km (190.067 miles) in length with 71 laps in total.

Juan Pablo Montoya holds the fastest lap record at the circuit with a 1:11.473 set in 2004 in his Williams BMW FW26.

Four-time World Champion Alain Prost holds the record for most Brazilian Grand Prix victories with six.

McLaren are the most successful constructor at the Brazilian Grand Prix with 12 victories.

The Last Five Winners

2016: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2015: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG F1. 2014: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG F1. 2013: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing. 2012: Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes.

Tyres

Pirelli will be bringing with them to Brazil, the red-branded Super-Softs, the yellow-marked P-Zero Soft tyres and the white-branded Medium rubber along with the green-branded Intermediate and blue-marked Full Wet tyre compounds in case of rain.

World Champions Mercedes have gone with a slightly more conservative approach to rival Ferrari with the Silver Arrows selecting eight sets of the Super-Softs and four sets of the Softer compounds for both newly crowned Driver’s Champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas meanwhile the Maranello-based squad have opted for nine sets of the Super-Softs and three sets of the Softs for both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.

Red Bull has gone with a split strategy for both its drivers with Mexican GP winner Max Verstappen going with the same sets as Ferrari while team-mate Daniel Ricciardo follows the Silver Arrows selection.

Every other team on the grid other than Red Bull have gone with identical tyre choices for both cars.

Midfield teams Williams and Haas went more aggressive on the Super-Soft tyres selecting 10 sets of the faster rubber.

The whole grid will have just one set of the harder white-branded Medium rubber at their disposal as no one added another set of the harder compound available for the race weekend.

DRS Zones

As in 2015, there will be two DRS Zones at Interlagos. The first detection point is at the apex of turn two, with the activation point 20 metres after turn three. The second detection zone is 30 metres after turn 13 with the activation point 30 metres after the final corner.

Pitlane Speed Limits

Pitlane speed limits will be 80km/h during practice, qualifying and the race.

Obrigado Felipe

This weekend marks Felipe Massa’s last home Grand Prix in Brazil as the Sao Paulo native announced his retirement from Formula 1 for a second time at the end of the 2017 season.

Massa who has the sixth most starts in F1 history with 267, was initially set to leave the F1 grid at the end of last season but opted to stay on another year with the Grove-based squad.

Williams confirmed last month that Massa was one of the few drivers under consideration for a seat alongside Lance Stroll, but the 36-year old has confirmed the final two rounds at Interlagos and the Yas Marina will be his last.

“As everyone knows, after announcing my retirement from Formula One last year, I agreed to return this season to help Williams when the call came,” Massa explained. “I have now enjoyed four great years with the team, but my career in Formula One will finally come to an end this season. Once more, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this time: my wife and my father, my whole family, my manager Nicolas and all my friends, colleagues and sponsors,”

“I would also like to add a huge thank you to all of the fans who have been incredibly supportive and passionate over the years. I take so many great memories with me as I prepare for my final two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, and although they will be emotional, I am looking forward to ending on a high note and preparing for a new chapter in my career.” Massa concluded.

The Situation

Lewis Hamilton returns to Interlagos with the Driver’s Championship all wrapped up and sits on top of the standings with 333 points and a 56-point gap over nearest rival Sebastian Vettel who is second on 277 points and Valtteri Bottas is third on 262 points and a further 15 points behind the German with second place in the Driver’s Championship still up for grabs.

Mercedes comes to Interlagos with the Constructors Championship sealed and is on top of the standings with 595 points and 140 points clear of nearest rival Ferrari who is second on 455 points and Red Bull Racing is a further 255 points behind the Silver Arrows in third on 340 points.

Massa who has spent 14 and a half seasons in Formula 1, has raced for Sauber, Ferrari and Williams taking 11 victories, 16 pole positions, 41 podiums and 15 fastest laps. His best championship finish was runner up in 2008 when he was narrowly beaten by Lewis Hamilton in the most dramatic finale to a title-fight in history at Interlagos.

2017 World Drivers Championship Standings – Top 10

1. Lewis Hamilton – 333 Points
2. Sebastian Vettel – 277 Points
3. Valtteri Bottas – 262 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo – 192 Points
5. Kimi Räikkönen – 178 Points
6. Max Verstappen – 148 Points
7. Sergio Pérez – 92 Points
8. Esteban Ocon – 83 Points
9. Carlos Sainz – 54 Points
10. Lance Stroll – 40 Points

2017 World Constructors Championship Standings

1. Mercedes AMG F1 – 595 Points
2. Scuderia Ferrari – 455 Points
3. Red Bull Racing – 340 Points
4. Force India F1 Team – 175 Points
5. Williams Martini Racing – 76 Points
6. Scuderia Toro Rosso – 53 Points
7. Renault Sport F1 – 48 Points
8. Haas F1 Team – 47 Points
9. McLaren-Honda F1 – 24 Points
10. Sauber F1 Team – 5 Points

The Formula 1 Grande Premio Heineken Do Brasil 2017 weekend kicks off Friday November 10 with Free Practice 1 and 2, then Free Practice 3 and Qualifying Saturday November 11 and the 71 lap Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday November 12.