We assess the main talking points from qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton beat title rival Nico Rosberg to pole position.
The result represents a continuation of Hamilton’s end-of-season resurgence, though the fact remains that Rosberg will clinch the world championship with victory on Sunday.
Away from the title battle, there were a number of headlines, most notably Kimi Raikkonen’s impressive third place and Red Bull’s struggles. Here we attempt to dissect the conclusions from qualifying.
Hamilton’s red-hot form continues
The championship battle may be entirely out of his hands, but Lewis Hamilton is certainly doing all he can. He was pushed hard by his teammate, eventually winning out by just a tenth of a second, but, in truth, he’s had the upper hand all weekend and looks to be at the top of his game. It’s performances like this which lead us to believe that, in a straight fight, Hamilton is ultimately the faster of the Mercedes drivers.
That said, the race will certainly not be easy. The forecast rain will prevent a Sunday afternoon cruise and likely propel Red Bull into contention, but only victory will do for the pole-sitter as he looks to keep his waning title hopes alive. Rosberg, meanwhile, will still be well-placed if he takes second place, but his qualifying performance suggests he is far from coasting to the finish, having looked capable, just for a moment, of snatching pole position. One cannot help but feel that with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix generally a processional affair, Sunday’s race represents the best opportunity for a last-gasp curveball.
Mercedes break yet another record
The latest record to fall amidst Mercedes’ enduring dominance is that of the most poles in a single season. This may be the longest season in F1 history, with Red Bull’s previous best of 18 poles coming in the 19-race 2011 campaign, but the Silver Arrows have emphatically dismissed the pre-season expectations of a far more challenging year with perhaps their most commanding charge to the title yet.
Raikkonen’s strong season continues
I, for one, disagreed with Ferrari’s decision to overlook Sergio Perez and retain Kimi Raikkonen for the 2017 campaign, but ever since the news broke in July, the Finn has more than justified his team’s faith.
His latest accomplishment was an impressive third place in qualifying, the so-called ‘best of the rest’. Though only time will tell whether he can hold station in Sunday’s race, he certainly looks to have an out-of-sorts Sebastian Vettel rattled of late.
Red Bull reliant on rain to challenge Mercedes
Every weekend, we seem to be telling the same story. Red Bull are within a couple of tenths of Mercedes on a Friday, and we hope they will able to ruffle the Brackley outfit’s feathers in qualifying, but then Mercedes crank the power up and open up a comfortable gap over the field, leaving the Bulls trailing in their wake.
In qualifying at Interlagos, however, it was not only Mercedes but also Ferrari who stole a march on the four-time world champions, leaving them battling for a podium finish on Sunday rather than victory. They have suffered from the lasting deficiencies of their Renault, or rather ‘TAG Heuer’ power unit this weekend, particularly on the final blast up the hill and are therefore banking on rain on Sunday if they are to challenge for their third win of the season.
Grosjean reminds us of his quality
All-in-all, though he has scored 29 points this term, it’s been a frustrating year for Romain Grosjean as he has ben plagued by perennial balance issues. He was perhaps the star of qualifying, however, as he took a superb seventh place, outpacing both the Force Indias and the McLaren of Fernando Alonso.
It is a widely accepted view that Grosjean moved to Haas in a bid to engineer a move to their partners Ferrari and though that particular avenue appears to be closed, the Frenchman remains one of the sport’s unsung heroes.
Disappointment for Massa on home turf
It’s a highly-emotional weekend for Felipe Massa as he prepares to bid farewell to Interlagos, a circuit where he has excelled in the past, buoyed by the phenomenal support from the grandstands. Saturday, though, was a day to forget for the Brazilian as he crashed out in Q2 despite an improvement in the dying stages of the session, surely dashing any underlying hope of a sensational podium.
Massa may not have too much trouble gaining ground in the dry, bolstered by his mighty Mercedes power unit, but rain could well deny him a points finish – far from a happy ending to a remarkable story.
Tough times for Jenson
If indeed the next two races prove to be Jenson Button’s last ahead of his F1 career, he may well be relieved to hang up his helmet. There is no doubting the veteran’s quality but balance issues and general misfortune have made for a nightmarish string of races. At three of the last four events, he has fallen at the first hurdle in qualifying, notching just four points since the summer break. Even Jenson will struggle to put a brave face on this one.
Wehrlein out to show Mercedes what they’re missing
Esteban Ocon’s promotion to Force India has very much split opinion, with the overlooked Pascal Wehrlein out for answers. There are reportedly concerns over the German’s attitude, though there are no such doubts over his pace, as he demonstrated again in qualifying by getting the better of Ocon once again. That’s six-two in Wehrlein’s favour in their Saturday battle. Another year at Manor nevertheless awaits.
More misery for Sauber
Time is running out for Sauber to climb off the foot of the Constructors’ Championship, needing only a single point to overhaul Manor. Their qualifying woes, a back-row lock-out to be precise, suggest that provided the expected rain doesn’t make for a chaotic race, they will miss out once again this weekend.
They should be stronger next year following their mid-season injection of funds, but this has unquestionably been the worst season in Sauber’s topsy-turvy history.
Don’t trust the weather forecast
We were promised rain. We didn’t get it. Throughout the season, it seems, we have been teased with predictions of rain, only for the sessions to be bone-dry and, and rather underwhelming. In future, we ought to wait until the rain actually arrives before we get excited, but what a race we could have on our hands tomorrow if the heavens open.
