The F1 drivers are flocking to São Paulo this weekend for the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace for the penultimate Formula One Grand Prix of the season. British driver Lewis Hamilton may have sewn up his sixth Drivers’ World Championship title last time out in the United States, but Hamilton will be looking for two more wins from the last two Grand Prix rounds.
At the time of writing, the world champion is the 11/8 favourite to win at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace this Sunday, while teammate Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen are both currently available at 11/4. With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc facing a 10-place grid penalty, the Monaco-man is priced at 14/1 to win his first Grand Prix since coming out on top in Italy back in September.
Next Race: Sunday, 7th November 2021
The Brazilian Grand Prix will next race on 7th November 2021. Tips will be added shortly before qualifying starts.
Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Map
Race Info
This weekend’s Grand Prix in Brazil is the second from last race of the season, with the final round taking place in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Bay Circuit on 1st December. This will be the 48th running of the Brazilian F1 GP. Hamilton, who lifted the title in the States two weeks ago, heads to São Paulo as the favourite to claim an 11th race victory of the season.
Hamilton has won just twice in Brazil, while Frenchman Alain Prost is the most successful driver of the Brazilian Grand Prix, winning it on six occasions during his illustrious career. The title race is done and dusted, but the battle for third between the two Ferrari drivers and Red Bull’s Verstappen could go to the wire.
| Round | Country | Circuit | Race Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20/21 | Brazil | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace | 306km / 71 Laps |
Schedule
| Date | Start Time | Finish Time | Forecast Conditions | TV Coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri 15th Nov | 14:00 | 15:30 | Wet / 21° | – |
| Practice 2 | Fri 15th Nov | 18:00 | 19:30 | Wet / 21° | – |
| Practice 3 | Sat 16th Nov | 15:00 | 16:00 | Dry / 22° | – |
| Qualifying | Sat 16th Nov | 18:00 | 19:00 | Dry / 22° | Sky F1 |
| Race | Sun 17th Nov | 17:10 | 19:10 | Dry / 24° | Sky F1 |
Last Season’s Result (2018)
Hamilton raced to glory at the 2018 Formula One Grand Prix in Brazil a year ago. The British ace won from pole position, beating Red Bull’s Verstappen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to first place. With Bottas finishing in fifth position, Mercedes won a fifth successive Constructors’ Championship, which they made six in a row this season.
Lewis already had the title in the bag, but the Stevenage-born star got lucky in Brazil. Verstappen was on course for an excellent win at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, but his collision with Esteban Ocon gifted the race win to Hamilton. That was the Brit’s second victory in Brazil having also won in 2016. Let’s hope for plenty more fireworks in São Paulo this time around.
| Position | Driver | Car | Grid Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 5 | 18 |
| 3 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 11 | 12 |
| 5 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 2 | 8 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 8 | 4 |
| 9 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 10 | 2 |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 12 | 1 |
Analysis: World Champion to Claim 11th Race Win
The Interlagos circuit runs anti-clockwise at a high altitude, which can be very tricky for the drivers. We have seen plenty of thrills and spills on this track over the years, none more so than last year when the leader was taken out by a backmarker in the latter stages. The Brazilian crowd love their Formula One, and the Sao Paulo public will pack into this famous course on Sunday.
Hamilton is a racer, and the 34 year old will be gunning for an 11th race victory of the season in South America. With Michael Schumacher’s seven titles and 91 Grand Prix victories in his sights, the six-time world champion will not let up. This track, like most, will suit Mercedes’ superb car, and we can see Hamilton securing a second consecutive victory at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Back the champion to prevail on Sunday at decent odds of 11/8.
Max to Gain Ground on Leclerc in the Race for Bronze
As we mentioned, 22 year old Leclerc will have a 10-place grid penalty in Brazil. The Ferrari ace needs a new engine after suffering an engine failure in the last Grand Prix, which will take him over the allowed number of parts for the season. Leclerc’s engine failed during practice in Austin, Texas a fortnight ago.
Because of that, Leclerc is a 14/1 shot to win the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday. More importantly, it gives Verstappen and Vettel the chance to claw back some points on Leclerc in the race for the bronze medal. Having picked up a handy third place in the US, Verstappen will fancy his chances of finishing on the podium for an eighth time this term at the weekend. The Red Bull man is priced at 1/4 for a top three finish.
Both Mercedes’ Men on the Rostrum
Hamilton and Bottas have finished on the podium together on a staggering 14 occasions this season, including in the United States last time out. Mercedes have been the dominant force in 2019, and they are available at odds of 4/6 to have a double podium finish in Brazil at the weekend.
About the Brazilian Grand Prix
Few F1 circuits have seen the drama that Interlagos has been able to serve up over the years. The track has been famed for both starting and finishing the F1 calendar year at certain points, so it really has seen it all.
It’s been about since 1940 and in that time has seen the Grand Prix split between that if Interlagos and Jacarepagua. But, it’s been run at Interlagos since 1990 and has been one of the few stable fixtures in the calendar over the past few decades.
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
The track at Interlagos is famed for being at high altitude. This not only makes it tough for drivers as the air is very thin, but also for the cars as the way in which the air reacts to the car is very different from what they have to deal with at most tracks. The word ‘Interlagos’ means between the lakes, is located 16 km south of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
The 15 corner track, high altitude and a special carnival atmosphere that greets the drivers make it one of the most popular spots on tour. The track has a number of elevation changes throughout, with up to 43m in places. Even though there has been no Brazilian World Champion since Ayrton Senna, the local’s love for the sport and passion make it as popular as ever.
The cars cross the start finish line and head into turn 1 at speeds I excess of 340kph. The turn is tricky to navigate as it heads downwards, almost making it blind. It then drops immediately into the ‘Senna S’ and cars often struggle with oversteer as the track is very uneven, meaning that they also need to feather the throttle before fully getting back on it, making sure the back end is in place and traction is full.
The cars are absolutely flat through turn 3 and into the first DRS zone. This straight gives drivers the opportunity to check the system and make any adjustments that they may need for the upcoming sections of the racetrack.
Turn 4 is another high speed corner with a short apex as drivers are required to simply kiss the kerb and use as much as the track as possible into turn 5. Again, this is another part of the track where the “rollercoaster” feel to the race takes shape as they bob up and down on the straight into turn 6.
Turn 6 and 7 are again more fast corners that sweep throughout the track. Cars are almost at full throttle again, although it will depend on tyre wear here, as is an ongoing issue throughout the race. Cars then need to break hard before turn 8 requiring great accuracy as the cars immediately drop into to the next hairpin.
Turn 10 is another long apex corner that requires the driver to use the lateral load to move the car across the tarmac and ensuring that the correct lines are taken for the following corner.
The car then sweeps through turn 11 before it starts its accent back up towards the finish line. The driver simply needs to choose his line that will give him least resistance in making their move up towards the start. This may including clipping an apex, but such is the beauty of this part of the track, there are a number of lines that they are able to take.
Cutting past the pit lane entry, the cars enter another DRS zone and with it are full throttle across the line at the end of the race. The track often rewards the brave and the winner is usually the driver who is able to get the most grip throughout the mid to late section of the track, taking advantage of the fast, sweeping bends and being able to fend off any challengers that mat be pursuing.
HISTORY
The land for the track was originally purchased in 1926 and the plans were set out to build accommodation and housing on the plot. The stock market crash of 1929 meant that these plans were put on hold before it was eventually decided that a racetrack would be built instead.
Work on the track didn’t start until 1928 and it took two years before it was officially opening in 1940, prompting the love affair that the Brazilians have motor racing. Formula 1 didn’t start there until 1972 when at the time it was raced as a non-Championship race. The first World Championship race was held just 12 months later in 1973.
2009 – JENSON BUTTON SEALS FIRST WORLD TITLE
2009 was an iconic moment not just for Jenson Button, but also Brawn. The outfit were the first to win in tehri maiden season since Mercedes-Benz almost 50 years prior to that. Button, in finishing 5th, did just enough to become World Champion for the first time sparking huge celebrations and singing down the intercom after crossing the line.
1991 – SENNA WINS
In 1991 finally managed to win his home Grand Prix for the first time, defeating Riccardo Patrese by almost 3 seconds. He became the first Brazilian winner of the race in 1986. Senna was so exhausted after the race that he had to be helped out of his car, even having to get someone to remove his hands from the steering wheel.
2008 – HAMILTON V MASSA
The 2008 grand Prix might just go down as one of the most fascinating races of all time. Hamilton came into the race on 94 points, with Massa on 87 points (10 points for a win) knowing that 5th or better would secure the championship.
Massa ended up winning the race and with Hamilton lagging in 6th place with just a few corners left, sparking wild celebrations in the Ferrari garage. But, Hamilton managed to pass Timo Glock in the last corner to come over the line in 5th and Ferrari’s elation turned to despair with incredible scenes within Hamilton’s camp.