Sebastian Vettel mobbed as Red Bull win team title

Source: FiftyBuckss

Jenson Button BBC Interview About His Armed Attack Before Brazil F1 GP 2010

Source: f1videos10

Brazilian GP: Vettel wins as Bulls dominate

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber claimed yet another 1-2 as Red Bull won the Constructors' title in Brazil, Fernando Alonso's lead in the Drivers' was cut and Jenson Button dropped out

Vettel and his team-mate were quick to overtake pole-sitter Nico Hulkenberg and storm into the lead as the Williams rookie caused problems for Alonso and Hamilton. While Alonso finally got by him out on track, Hamilton had to wait until the German pitted - and all the time the two Bulls were pulling away at a rate of knots.

There was an interesting move in the mid-field as Jenson Button pitted on lap 12 - the very first man in. His stop sparked a move from others and it quickly became apparant that McLaren had made a good call as those pitting after Button, including Hulkenberg, Kubica, Barrichello and Massa all lined up behind the reigning World Champ out on track.

When the pit stops, which ranged from lap 12 to lap 28, finally played out, Vettel was leading by 2.7s over Webber with Alonso a further 10s adrift. Hamilton and Button were next in line. The race was rather stagnent from there, promising so much but delivering so little. At least until lap 51.

Drama unfold as Tonio Liuzzi suffered a huge shunt bringing out the Safety Car. McLaren was the only one of big teams to bring their title rivals in for fresh rubber with the two Bulls and Alonso staying out.

But when the race re-started on lap 56, F1 fans still did not get the battle they wanted as although second in the race, Webber had two cars between himself and Vettel on the track at the re-start - and they didn't exactly get out of the way all that fast. This allowed Vettel to easily pull away without any pressure. Alonso, Hamilton and Button also had to fight backmarker traffic which nullified the potential tussle we could have had for the lead.

Pity for F1.

The race ended with Vettel taking the chequered flag ahead of Webber, Alonso, Hamilton and Button. It also ended with Red Bull winning the Constructors' Championship, Alonso's lead in the Drivers' cut to eight, Hamilton's hopes hanging by a thread and Button out of the title race.

Results:

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h33:11.803
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 4.243
03. Alonso Ferrari + 6.807
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 14.634
05. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 15.593
06. Rosberg Mercedes + 35.300
07. Schumacher Mercedes + 43.400
08. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
09. Kubica Renault + 1 lap
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Massa Ferrari + 1 lap
15. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth + 2 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth + 2 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. Senna HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. Klien HRT-Cosworth + 6 laps

Did Not Finish
Di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 63
Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 50

Source: Planet-F1

Qualifying: Maiden pole for rookie Hulkenberg

Williams' rookie driver Nico Hulkenberg claimed his first-ever F1 pole position in impressive style in Brazil on Saturday



Qualifying began on a wet track, however, as the hour progressed, the dry line became more prominant, allowing the drivers to push and finally swap to slick in the final five minutes. This caused problems for some with Robert Kubica and Mark Webber both sliding around the track.



But for Hulkenberg is it perfect.



With his Williams race-seat reportedly on the line, the rookie moved to the top of the timesheets and continued on for another lap while his rivals put in their best efforts, crossing the line behind him.



Vettel, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton all took a turn in the P2 slot, however, none of the Championship rivals were able to better Hulkenberg's time.



But that didn't stop the German from completing his final flying lap - one more than the rest - to extend his lead to 1.049s over the chasing pack.



First pole position for the German rookie and it couldn't have come at a better time.



Vettel was second quickest, ahead of Webber, Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.



Meanwhile, Jenson Button was the big casualty from the title five as the McLaren driver could only manage 11th place, dropping out in Q2.



Times

01. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:14.470

02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:15.519



03. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:15.637

04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.747



05. Alonso Ferrari 1:15.989

06. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:16.203



07. Kubica Renault 1:16.552

08. Schumacher Mercedes 1:16.925



09. Massa Ferrari 1:17.101

10. Petrov Renault 1:17.656



11. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.288

12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:19.385



13. Rosberg Mercedes 1:19.486

14. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:19.581



15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:19.847

16. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:19.899



17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:20.357

18. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:20.830



19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:22.130

20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:22.250



21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:22.378

22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:22.810



23. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:23.083

24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:23.796



Source: Planet-F1

Practice Three: Kubica tops a wet session

Red Bull's rivals were relishing the rain in Sao Paulo on Saturday morning, although no one more than Renault's Robert Kubica

The Polish driver defied the odds to take the P1 slot in the Brazilian GP weekend's final practice session with a 1:19.191, beating Sebastian Vettel by 0.309s.

Next in line in the wet practice was Lewis Hamilton, who had already stated on Friday that he expected McLaren would do well on a wet Interlagos circuit.

Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were fourth and fifth, finishing ahead of Vitaly Petrov and Sebastien Buemi. Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button were the final two drivers to get within a second of Kubica's P1 time.

As for Mark Webber, the Aussie, who is second in the Drivers' Championship, could only manage the 11th best time in the rain.

Report: The third and final practice session for the Brazilian GP got underway under laden skies and on a rather wet Interlagos circuit with light rain falling. Heikki Kovalainen led the field out for the wet installation laps with plumes of spray trailing behind his Lotus. With all 24 drivers having ventured out for a lap or two, silence decended as they waited for the track conditions to improve at least a little bit.

With the rain easing up, Timo Glock put in the morning's first lap time, a 1:24.642 for the Virgin Racing driver. Nick Heidfeld was next into the P1 slot, followed by Sebastien Buemi, Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg with the latter dropping the P1 time to a 1:21.277.

Jenson Button climbed to second place behind Hulkenberg, who was down to a 1:20.535. However, the reigning World Champ soon lost the position to Lewis Hamilton, who in turn lost out to Mark Webber. Sebastian Vettel claimed fifth place ahead of Michael Schumacher, Petrov and Rubens Barrichello.

But it was all chance as Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari up into the P1 slot, improving from 16th place. It was a 1:20.200 for the Championship leader. Webber followed him up the order, second quickest, 0.137s off the pace. Alonso continued lapping, lowering the benchmark while Hamilton took second place ahead of Webber and Nico Rosberg.

Felipe Massa took over from his team-mate at the top, a 1:19.735 for the Brazilian. Vettel climbed to fourth ahead of Sebastien Buemi, who was having a fantastic run on the wet track. Vettel moved up to the top of the timesheets, 0,235s up on Massa.

With the track drying out, there was plenty of action in the final few minutes with the drivers pushing hard, resulting in a few slides and a few off-track moments. Hamilton moved up to second place, 0.036s behind Vettel. However, it was Kubica who overhauled the Red Bull driver, posting a 1:19.191 to finish the session fastest of all.

Times
01. Kubica Renault 1:19.191 16 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:19.500 + 0.309 16 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:19.536 + 0.345 18 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:19.735 + 0.544 9 laps
05. Alonso Ferrari 1:19.791 + 0.600 9 laps
06. Petrov Renault 1:19.887 + 0.696 22 laps
07. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.009 + 0.818 24 laps
08. Rosberg Mercedes 1:20.056 + 0.865 13 laps
09. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.164 + 0.973 24 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:20.320 + 1.129 13 laps
11. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:20.337 + 1.146 6 laps
12. Schumacher Mercedes 1:20.421 + 1.230 18 laps
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:20.452 + 1.261 21 laps
14. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:20.535 + 1.344 12 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:20.541 + 1.350 26 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:20.546 + 1.355 19 laps
17. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:20.613 + 1.422 19 laps
18. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:20.985 + 1.794 25 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:22.326 + 3.135 17 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:22.449 + 3.258 26 laps
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:22.874 + 3.683 20 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:23.194 + 4.003 21 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:23.358 + 4.167 20 laps
24. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:23.650 + 4.459 19 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Rain forecast for Brazilian qualifying

Red Bull's opponents are looking to the skies, grateful to see the rain falling on Saturday morning at the Interlagos circuit

They feel the rain could be the only way they will be able to close the gap to the season's most dominant team in the race that could decide the Formula One title.

"Yes, we need rain," Lewis Hamilton said. "In terms of pure pace in the dry we can't really compete with the Red Bulls, they are ahead."

He added: "Our car is quite good in the wet so hopefully it will make it a little easier for us."

The Bulls were quickest in the dry on Friday with Sebastian Vettel leading Mark Webber in both practice sessions.

However, Fernando Alonso, who is leading the title chase ahead of Webber and Hamilton, wasn't too far off, finishing in third place.

But still, he is also hoping for more rain in qualifying.

"I think a wet day can be an advantage for us," Alonso said. "There is very little to lose for us at the moment."

Saturday's final practice looks set to start on a wet track while the radars have more rain coming through Sao Paolo later in the day.

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Bulls dominance continues

Red Bull continued to dominate in Brazil on Friday as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were once again the pick of the drivers

Vettel finished the session in the P1 slot and, for the second successive session, he edged team-mate Mark Webber. This time, though, the gap was only 0.104s as opposed to the half a second he was up by in Practice One.

Fernando Alonso came back from his earlier woes to set the third best time, 0.360s behind Vettel, while Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest.

As for the fifth chap in the Drivers' Championship, Jenson Button, he was P7, finishing behind Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica.

Report: The track temperature was sitting at 44'C as Friday's second practice got underway with a bit of cloud cover building over the Interlagos circuit. Christian Klien was the first out, crossing the line with a 1:19.965 but was soon down to a 1:18.504 before he was dropped by Kamui Kobayashi, who was back on track after crashing as a result of a puncture in Practice One.

Nick Heidfeld took over at the top only to lose out to Nico Hulkenberg before retaining the position. The two changed positions a few times, although their tussle ended when Lewis Hamilton went quickest with a 1:13.603. Jenson Button claimed fourth place before he was dropped by Robert Kubica. Michael Schumacher improved to second place only for Hamilton to further his advantage, which was now sitting at 0.770s. Button climbed to third while Kubica moved back up into second place.

It was all change as Mark Webber took the P1 slot with a 1:12.923 and Felipe Massa second. The Brazilian, though, quickly fell to fourth place as Hamilton improved to P2 and Fernando Alonso went third only for Massa to take the position off his Ferrari team-mate. Schumacher remained fifth ahead of Kubica, Heidfeld and Button.

Webber extended his lead at the top to a 1:12.387 as his team-mate Sebastian Vettel slotted into second place, 0.5s off the pace. Are we on for another Red Bull 1-2? Vettel continued lapping and although he closed the gap he was not able to dislodge Webber. Button ventured out again, climbing to fifth place while Kubica and Schumacher traded blows in a battle for seventh place. The Polish driver eventually won. The two Bulls also returned to the action, however, there were no changes in positions as the drivers put in the laps.

Massa had a small moment at Decida do Lago, running wide before continuing on his way. No improvement for the Ferrari driver, who pitted after two more laps. Heikki Kovalainen was another to run wide. Heidfeld, using the softer option tyres, leapt up to fifth place, 0.8s of the pace. Massa on his super softs also improved, taking third place. But seconds later the Brazilian stopped out on track, bringing out the yellow flags.

Meanwhile, Webber put his soft tyres to great use, lowering the benchmark time to a 1:12.072. Alonso slotted into third place behind the Bulls with Hamilton taking fourth. Button improved to seventh, the slowest of the Championship contenders. Alonso finally split the Bulls, second quickest with a 1:12.328. Vettel headed out and found the edge over his team-mate, taking the P1 slot by 0.104s.

The final few minutes saw the entire field out on track with Alguersuari having a spin, Kobayashi sliding, Schumacher taking off Alguersuari's front wing and Vettel finishing quickest of all.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:11.968 28 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:12.072 + 0.104 34 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1:12.328 + 0.360 36 laps
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.656 + 0.688 33 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:12.677 + 0.709 19 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1:12.882 + 0.914 37 laps
07. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.206 + 1.238 33 laps
08. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:13.222 + 1.254 40 laps
09. Rosberg Mercedes 1:13.333 + 1.365 34 laps
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:13.346 + 1.378 36 laps
11. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:13.520 + 1.552 37 laps
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:13.610 + 1.642 41 laps
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:13.725 + 1.757 39 laps
14. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:13.741 + 1.773 32 laps
15. Petrov Renault 1:13.818 + 1.850 26 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:14.045 + 2.077 37 laps
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.304 + 2.336 33 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.578 + 2.610 37 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:14.984 + 3.016 47 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:15.101 + 3.133 43 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:15.433 + 3.465 35 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:16.070 + 4.102 42 laps
23. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:16.082 + 4.114 38 laps
24. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:16.150 + 4.182 35 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Four on top, one on the side

Four of the 2010 title rivals took the top four positions in Practice One in Brazil while one, Fernando Alonso, didn't see the chequered flag

With just two races remaining this season, the battle for the World title has reached crunch time with five drivers still in the hunt.

Sebastian Vettel set the pace, clocking a 1:12.328 to easily finish ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. The two McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were next in line, both within a second of Vettel's P1 time.

However, the fifth driver in the title race, Fernando Alonso, could only manage the 13th best time, 1.918s down on Vettel. Pace, though, wasn't his only problem as the Ferrari driver also finished the session sitting on the sidlines after an apparent technical failure.

Report: Blue skies greeted the drivers at the start of Friday's first practice session at Interlagos, although a gathering bank of dark clouds could soon move towards the track. Sebastien Buemi got proceedings underway, leading out the pack for their installation laps. The Toro Rosso driver opted to stay out, setting a 1:27.979 as the early benchmark time. And although drivers continued to venture out, it was for short run of two laps, which meant no times were set for more than half an hour. And when that lap time finally came it was once again Buemi, now with a 1:21.025.

Vitaly Petrov joined the action, setting a new benchmark time of a 1:17.098. The Renault rookie continued lapping, dropping to a 1:14.659 with Jaime Alguersuari and Christian Klien slotting in behind him. Rubens Barrichello was the next to lead the way with a 1:14.152 while Michael Schumacher took third place behind Petrov. Schumacher improved to second place with Mark Webber taking third place as the big guns finally ventured out.

Robert Kubica briefly took control of the session before losing out to Webber, who went top with a 1:13.168 as he put in a long distance run in his RB6. Lewis Hamilton slotted into second place and Sebastian Vettel, third. As for Fernando Alonso, he was P10 while Jenson Button had yet to set a time.

Hamilton overhauled Webber at the front, 0.030s up on the Aussie. However, he then lost out to Vettel, who went a further 0.494s quicker. Button, finally setting lap times, quickly climbed to fourth place. Finally, some action as Alguersuari ran off the track, spinning on the grass before getting back into the running. Webber moved up to second place behind his German team-mate, 0.482s slower.

Timo Glock, the only driver yet to set a lap time, hit the track with just 20 minutes remaining. The Virgin Racing driver clocked a 1:17.810, slowest of the pack.

Petrov became the first retirement of the session when the Renault driver lost the back end of his car, forcing him off the track and into the barriers. Game over for the Russian, who thankfully was not hurt in the shunt.

With the yellow flags lifted, the drivers put in their final runs, however, that proved to be very final for Alonso as he came to a stop on the side of the track. Seconds later Kamui Kobayashi suffered yet another accident after making contact with Glock, which punctured his tyre, and sent him hurtling into the barriers.

The session ended with Vettel fastest, followed by Webber, Hamilton, Button, Kubica and Nico Rosberg.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:12.328 23 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:12.810 + 0.482 27 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.845 + 0.517 24 laps
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.267 + 0.939 23 laps
05. Kubica Renault 1:13.370 + 1.042 23 laps
06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:13.516 + 1.188 25 laps
07. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:13.546 + 1.218 25 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1:13.643 + 1.315 24 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:13.918 + 1.590 25 laps
10. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:14.000 + 1.672 22 laps
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:14.004 + 1.676 23 laps
12. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:14.155 + 1.827 28 laps
13. Alonso Ferrari 1:14.246 + 1.918 20 laps
14. Massa Ferrari 1:14.267 + 1.939 25 laps
15. Petrov Renault 1:14.370 + 2.042 23 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:14.487 + 2.159 25 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.618 + 2.290 29 laps
18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.734 + 2.406 28 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:15.603 + 3.275 24 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:15.860 + 3.532 20 laps
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:16.057 + 3.729 25 laps
22. d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:16.707 + 4.379 27 laps
23. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:16.839 + 4.511 18 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:17.360 + 5.032 29 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Massa: “the Brazilian people make Interlagos special”

Today’s FIA press conference at the Interlagos circuit was an all-Brazilian affair, with the two “new boys,” Lucas di Grassi and Bruno Senna, joined by their senior colleagues, Rubens Barrichello and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s Felipe Massa. Indeed, it was an all Paulista affair as the four are from the city of Sao Paolo.

Asked to look back at this season, Felipe singled out his qualifying performance as the worst feature of 2010. “This year’s results have not matched my expectations, especially in qualifying where I struggled to put together a good first lap on fresh tyres,” he said. “It’s true there have also been some races where I failed to finish in the points and then there was Singapore, where a qualifying problem meant I had to start from the back.”

As to this weekend’s home race, Felipe shared his fellow panelists’ enthusiasm for the Interlagos circuit. “I have great memories from here with two wins and poles in 2006, ’07 and ’08, which was the last time I raced here. Then going even further back, at the start of my career, I won here twice in Formula Chevrolet. This track has many interesting challenges and you can be creative with the set-up, while many sections of the track require a very technical approach. It might be a short lap, not like most of the new tracks, but this circuit is very well thought out and there is always overtaking here and some nice fights. But it is really the Brazilian people who make Interlagos special – they are so hot with emotion and they sing all day long in the grandstands, which is great for us Brazilian drivers, giving us some extra power.”

Mathematically, Fernando Alonso has a chance of winning the Drivers’ title on Sunday and Felipe was asked if he felt it might happen. “Well, Fernando is leading right now, so for sure I think he can do it here, but as we have seen this season, everything is possible. My personal aim is to try and win the race and of course I can help Fernando by taking points away from his rivals.”

This week sees the premiere of a film made about the life of Ayrton Senna and all four drivers were asked for their memories of the great Brazilian champion, who died during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. “Ayrton was really amazing and I remember so many of his races,” said Felipe. “But what really stands out in my mind was his ability in qualifying, not only taking pole in so many races, but often doing so with a big gap over the rest. For me, that was his strongest point.”

Source: Ferrari.com

Fernando Alonso says rivals should focus on their own problems

Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari's rivals are "trying to divert attention" from their own problems by playing psychological games in the media.

With just two races still to run in 2010 and Alonso leading the championship, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner this week admitted it would be "frustrating" to lose to the Spaniard after the Hockenheim team orders affair.

Stefano Domenicali hit back by suggesting it is a "miracle" the energy drink-owned team has not already wrapped up the title due to its car advantage, and his driver Alonso has now weighed into the squabble.

"There are some favourite teams, who have not resolved their own problems, trying to divert attention," he said in an interview with Diario Sport newspaper.

"Fortunately for us, we are united as a team, as we show at each race, including my relationship with Felipe (Massa). There are always media strategies designed to make you nervous or put you under pressure," added Fernando Alonso.

In another interview, with the O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, Fernando Alonso insisted he is not concerned that - as he bids to wrap up his third championship this weekend - his personal image within Brazil is not the best one.

"In several countries they say my image is not good, but when I land at airports or go to the hotels or race tracks, what I see is the opposite. I'm not worried about it. My job is to get results at the track and to have the team happy with my work," Fernando Alonso added.

He said he hopes his teammate Massa's home supporters at Interlagos will understand if the Brazilian pulls aside to let him win the race on Sunday.

"Those who will understand know that this sport is complicated, where at least at Ferrari, the team comes first. There will of course be those who don't understand. But my job is not to understand the views of the fans, but to do my job on the track," said Alonso.

He denied that Felipe Massa is the weakest teammate he has ever had.

"No. Felipe is very capable, 100 per cent professional, working from January to December on his goals," said Alonso.

Source: Auto123

Brazilian GP preview - Stefano Domenicali

Source: ferrariworld

Massa's Blog: You can feel the excitement building

In a couple of days, it will be time for me to make the short trip from my home in Sao Paolo to the Interlagos circuit for the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. I can’t wait, because of all the races I had to sit out after my accident last year, this was the one I missed the most. I have been in Brazil since the Tuesday after Korea and it has been a busy time for me, part business and part pleasure, as I was at our home in the countryside last weekend along with all my family for my sister’s wedding. Now I am back in Sao Paolo for what is a long week of promotional and PR events, but I don’t mind as this is always part of the build up to your home grand prix. This afternoon I visited the Ferrari stand at the Sao Paulo Motors Show: it was nice to see a lot of enthusiasm for our cars on display. You can feel the excitement building as the weekend gets closer, even if we have had an even bigger event taking place with the election of Brazil’s first woman President earlier this week. Lula did a good job for Brazil over the last eight years and I hope this continues with our new President.

Even if this race is extra busy for me, I look forward to it as it is a fantastic feeling seeing all the home crowd making so much noise in the grandstands from Friday onwards, cheering me and the other Brazilian drivers. We have four Brazilian drivers on the grid this time, which will create even more interest with the crowd. For Lucas (di Grassi) and Bruno (Senna) it will be their first time racing F1 at home, but the fans here understand the sport well and know these guys are not in the most competitive cars so they should get to enjoy the weekend, because even if Bruno has a big name, the fans understand there is a limit to what he can do with the equipment he has and the same goes for Lucas. As a Brazilian driver, the crowd definitely gives you something extra and I have first hand experience of that, as my last three races here were very strong, so I hope that trend continues this time. I have won my home race twice and I would love to do it again, but it is very difficult to make predictions until we actually start practice. What we can say is that, in the past, even in years when our car was not so competitive during the season, we have gone well in Sao Paolo and I hope that will be the case this weekend. In general, in the last few races in Asia, our car has worked well which is encouraging, but it is also true that Red Bull won here last year and they are bound to be strong again. As the local boy, I can tell you there are no particular changes at the Interlagos circuit this year, which means it has it will have it’s own very special character as usual. I love the atmosphere here and I think in general it is a popular venue on the calendar: the race track itself is fantastic and usually provides good racing as you always see overtaking here. I hope it will be a nice weekend: in terms of the weather it is quite warm, in the mid-twenties, but there is no point looking too closely at the forecast, as it can change for better or worse very quickly here. All I will say is that when it rains in Interlagos, it rains a lot!

In terms of both championships, this is a very important race, but everyone at Ferrari will go about preparing for it just like any other grand prix, as you cannot change your approach. The important element will be reliability, so that we can get all our Friday work completed, before tackling the crucial qualifying, which will be very close, given how short the lap is here. As for the race, the first aim will be to make sure we finish and then we can see where we are at the flag.

Source: Ferrari.com

'Alonso win would be frustrating after Hockenheim'

Red Bull’s Christian Horner has said that a championship win for Fernando Alonso would be ‘frustrating’ for his Milton Keynes team this season, following the Spaniard’s aid to victory at Hockenheim in July.

With Ferrari having decided in Germany that Felipe Massa should give up the race lead for Alonso, the Oviedo man picked up an extra seven World Championship points – an amount Horner would find difficult to comprehend, should the title winner of 2005 and 2006 earn the crown by less than that amount this season.

“It would be frustrating because we've obviously worked under the auspices that team orders have been illegal,” the Englishman told BBC Sport.

“The FIA made the ruling that they did and that's it, it's clear for all. We've just got to get on with it and try and do our talking on the circuit.”

However, Horner is confident that Red Bull – with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel now 11 and 25 points in arrears of Alonso, respectively – can bounce back.

“Both drivers still have a good chance, particularly Mark, to lift the big trophy at the end of the year,” he added.

Source: GP Update

[Video] Seb goes for a lap at Interlagos on RB simulator

Source: Red Bull

Two trips to Brazil for Alguersuari

Visiting the new Korean track was an interesting experience, even if I had hoped for a better result in the race. It was a long flight back on Monday, but now I’ve been at home in Barcelona for a few days, relaxing and training mainly. I’ve only done about three hours training each day, because you need to take it easy at first if you want to get over the tiredness that comes from changing time zones as often as we have done in the last few weeks.

It took me about three days before I could sleep through the night, but by keeping the physical training light, with only low heart-rate exercises, you soon get back in a rhythm. One thing I remembered while lying awake one morning was that it’s my team-mate’s birthday this Sunday, but he will have to settle for his congratulations by phone as I completely forgot to buy him anything. Maybe I can sort him out a cake with the Number 17 on!

I leave for Brazil on Monday morning and I’m looking forward to going there, as the atmosphere is always special, the people are friendly and as a music fan, you’d have to say Brazilian music is great. The track is very interesting, even if it is very hard to overtake there, but I am hoping we might have a few small upgrades on the car which will mean we can target getting some late season points. It’s a shame I won’t get much time there, as we have to leave immediately for Abu Dhabi, but I will be returning to Sao Paolo in December to take part in the karting race which Felipe Massa organises every year.

Source: Nextgen

Rain set for Interlagos yet again

Formula One teams and drivers are braced for a third consecutive grand prix to be disrupted by rain.

Initial forecasts predict a chance of showers over Interlagos on Friday and Saturday with a reduced chance of rain during Sunday's race.

Adverse weather conditions affected the consecutive Japanese and Korean grand prix weekends, adding to the sense of excitement and unpredictability.

Last year's Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying session was badly affected by rain, as was the famous 2008 race which saw Lewis Hamilton snatch the world title on the final corner of the final lap.

And as teams began to set up station at Interlagos on Monday, workers scrambled for cover when a rain storm struck.

Source: ESPNF1

The Brazilian GP timetable

The Brazilian GP, which takes place around the Interlagos circuit, marks the penultimate round of the 2010 F1 World Championship

All times are local (Brazil is GMT -2)

Thursday 4 November
15:00: FIA press conference

Friday 5 November
10:00 - 11:30: First free practice
14:00 - 15:30: Second free practice
16:00: FIA press conference

Saturday 6 November
11:00 - 12:00: Third free practice
14:00 - 15:00: Qualifying
15h00: FIA post qualifying press conference

Sunday 7 November
14:00 - 16:00: Brazilian GP
19:00: FIA post race press conference

Brazilian GP Info
No of Laps: 71
Race Distance:305.909 km
Lap Record: 1:11.473 - JP Montoya (2004)
2009 Winner: Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Source: Planet-F1

Sao Paulo from the cockpit - Red Bull previews the Brazilian GP

It’s a track dear to Mark’s heart after his stunning victory there in 2009, while Seb relishes the unique atmosphere and the challenge Sao Paolo presents. Here are the boys’ thoughts ahead of this year’s Brazilian Grand Prix...

Mark Webber: “Brazil is one of the best tracks of the year in terms of the atmosphere. The Brazilians are fully into their motorsports and have had lot of world champions in the past. I obviously have good memories from last year, it was a nice race to win and we will clearly be trying to get another victory this year. It’s now coming to a pivotal stage of the Championship and we need to make the most of every opportunity we can.”

Sebastian Vettel: “There are a lot of positive things about the upcoming event in Brazil. The circuit is fantastic and the spectators are passionate about racing; the atmosphere during a race is great and the city is interesting. The Interlagos track is a challenging one for the drivers because it’s anti-clockwise which, after a season of racing on clockwise circuits, puts a strain on your neck muscles. Also the big bumps are demanding. The circuit requires good aero-efficiency which should suit the RB6 although the long, uphill start-finish straight will give an advantage to the more powerful engines. It’s always a challenging circuit and the weather often plays a part."

Source: Red Bull

McLaren ‘supporting Button fully’ in Brazil

McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has vowed to continue supporting Jenson Button for a second World Championship title, despite the current holder all but admitting that his chances of retaining the crown are now over after Korea.

Following his non-scoring race at Yeongam, Button lies 42 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso with a maximum of 50 remaining on the table; this means that that third place or lower at Interlagos next weekend would confirm that Formula 1’s Champion has failed to retain his crown for the fourth year running.

“He has vowed to fight on and we will be supporting him fully next weekend,” Whitmarsh is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “Jenson knows you can't lift the title without being a resolute fighter.

“That's exactly why we hired him; he’s a great driver and we will be supporting him fully next weekend.”

Source: GP Update

Sutil and Buemi to drop five places on Brazil grid

Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Force India’s Adrian Sutil have both been handed five-place grid penalties for next month’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

FIA stewards decided Buemi caused an avoidable accident when he collided with Virgin’s Timo Glock at Turn Three on Lap 30 of Sunday’s Korean race. The Swiss driver has already apologised to Glock, saying: “I braked late and locked the front wheels, so I could not turn and ended up going straight on and hitting Timo. I am sorry for him.”

Sutil, meanwhile, was given the same penalty for colliding with BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi at Turn Four on Lap 47. Sutil was additionally fined $10,000 after admitting he had been aware of brake problems throughout the Yeongam race.

The Brazilian Grand Prix will take place at Interlagos from November 5-7.

Source: Formula1.com