Nico Rosberg’s win at the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix will give his confidence a nice boost going into the title deciding double points bonanza in Abu Dhabi.
Wouldn’t it be the ultimate troll on British F1 fans if Nico could beat Lewis Hamilton to the title with four fewer race wins!
This morning’s 1–2 result for Mercedes AMG at the Brazilian Grand Prix was their eleventh of the year, the best ever in a single season, eclipsing the 10 1–2 results secured by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at the wheel of the legendary McLaren MP4/4 in 1988.
In the post-race presser there was a bit of focus on the history made by Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Also of note are some of Hamilton’s answers where he’s clearly trying to get into the mind of Rosberg as the pair head into the title deciding final race in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, in what’s probably his worst race weekend all year, Daniel Ricciardo remained philosophical: “When I went into Turn One, the car went to the right and I knew there was a problem. I came into the pits and the team told me it was suspension failure and we retired.
“It had been a bit of a boring race, we were close to everyone but not close enough to have many fights. It’s a shame, but I had a pretty good run until now, so I can’t be too greedy. It would be good to finish on the podium at the final race of the season.”
The full press conference transcript featuring Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa can be read after the break.
[Pic: Sky Sports F1]
Nico Rosberg has kept his title hopes flickering by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix this morning. He was fast all weekend, he started the race from pole and he was fast when it mattered most. Lewis Hamilton was second, of course. It’s the eleventh 1–2 finish for Mercedes AMG this year.
Rosberg’s winning margin was only 1.4 seconds and but for a spin early on Lewis Hamilton might have overtaken Rosberg during the second round of pitstops. As it stands the Brit takes a 17 point lead into the final race, with a maximum of 50 points for first, 36 points available for second and so on.
Felipe Massa’s good late season form continued and he was able to overcome clumsy tyre change and a five second penalty for speeding in pit lane to finish third in his home race. Jenson Button reminded Ron Dennis that he’s actually a pretty handy driver by finishing fourth (five places ahead of his teammate Kevin Magnussen).
Sebastian Vettel made a clunky start, losing two places, but clawed his way back to fifth, finishing ahead of the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. There was a moment late in the race where Alonso was behind Raikkonen and clearly the faster of the two. In the past Ferrari would have paved the way for Alonso to stroll past his teammate, this morning though he was made to earn it. There’s no favours now for the wantaway Spaniard.
Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas rounded out the top 10 in a race that didn’t have any major incidents or excitement it has to be said. If you slept in past your 3am alarm call you didn’t miss much.
Daniel Ricciardo’s race came to an uncustomary early finish on Lap 39 when his front left suspension broke, forcing him into only his second retirement for the year. The other was in Malaysia, where he suffered wing damage late in the race.
In better news for Daniel other results from Sao Paulo mean that he will finish third in the world championship this year; he enjoys a 55 point lead over Sebastian Vettel, who now sits fourth ahead of Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas.
The season will reach its climax in two weeks at Abu Dhabi and with Lewis Hamilton’s title chances looking good the bias and focus on his fortunes during the race from the British media and commentary crews will be nigh on unbearable. C’est la vie. Love or hate Lewis, with 10 race wins already to his name, it’s hard to deny him the championship this year.
We’re to believe this animation was used as the opening sequence for the Brazilian Grand Prix by the home TV network. Whoever made it and wherever it was shown it is very bloody cool! Check it out after the break and watch one of the most fun histories of F1 you’re likely to see.
It’s our turn now to pay respects to Mark Webber’s 12-year Formula 1 career. We’re doing so by offering up a pictorial reminder of Mark’s nine grand prix wins. On the one had his maiden victory at the 2009 German Grand Prix seems like it happened only yesterday. Yet, so much has happened since that great day.
Finally, after years of hard toil, Mark had a winning car under him, but did he have a winning team behind him? The first inkling that some in Red Bull considered him an inconvenience, as Mark once described himself, came in the aftermath of his crash with Sebastian Vettel at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix. The front wing swap controversy followed soon after at Silverstone, leading to Mark’s “Not bad for a number two driver” comment following what must rank as one of his most satisfying wins.
The most decisive point in Mark’s F1 career came during a rainy 2010 Korean Grand Prix, when he crashed out in pursuit of Sebastian Vettel. Mark was leading the world championship at the time and solid result at Yeongam would have helped maintain his charge towards the title.
Sadly for Mark, on the biggest stage, he made a vital mistake and, despite being in the hunt right to the final race, a failure to capture the championship looked inevitable. Having to watch Vettel steal the title during an excruciating Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would have only rubbed salt into Webber’s festering wounds.
The Vettel juggernaut continued in 2011 and a disappointing season was salvaged to a degree with a win at Brazil, before reaching high points in 2012 with repeat victories at Monaco and Britain. More than 500 days have passed since Mark’s last win, which just highlights the gap between he and Sebastian Vettel, who has won 17 grands prix in that time.
One final blow up between Mark and Sebastian occurred earlier this year during the Malaysian Grand Prix, when Vettel defied team orders and overtook Webber on the way to victory. Perhaps that was the final straw Mark needed before signing a long-term deal to go endurance racing with Porsche.
For many fans Mark’s career is one that lies in the “what could have been” category. Mark himself says he has no regrets and is not too proud to admit his shortcomings. His own self-reflection is one of the aspects that makes him so universally liked in F1. Ironically, and tellingly, Mark’s greatest detractor in the sport has come from within his own garage in the form of Helmut Marko.
For now, though, let’s put all those thoughts behind us and revisit the nine perfect Monday mornings Mark delivered to Australian F1 fans. Thanks Mark! We’re looking forward to many more happy Mondays following your move to Porsche.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Mark Webber’s Formula 1 career began with an Australian flag on the podium after his stellar debut with Minardi at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix. Twelve years later, after 217 grands prix have eclipsed, it ended in the same fashion at the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Of course, it would have been much better if we were celebrating Mark’s tenth career victory. But it wasn’t to be. Instead we’re left with the memories of what he has achieved and what might have been.
We can’t wait to see Mark join Porsche and breathe new life into the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In the meantime there’s 21 other Formula 1 drivers we have captured below in a gallery of over 130 pictures. Until next year we hope you’ve enjoyed another season of F1 pics.
Following Mark Webber’s second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix here’s your last chance to read what the straight shooting Aussie had to say in one of his last official engagements with F1.
Before you do, this is what Daniel Ricciardo had to say before he steps into Webber’s shoes at Red Bull.
“The conditions were very difficult with the occasional drop of rain,” Daniel said. “From the cockpit, it’s actually quite difficult to judge how much rain there is. You see a few drops on your visor, look at the guy in front of you and if he doesn’t go off, you assume it’s dry.
“We were not very quick from the start and I was struggling with cold graining on the front right. We did try and rebalance it during the race, but we struggled in terms of pure pace, so I was quite happy to come away with a point.”
Young Daniel didn’t forget to say goodbye to his friends at Toro Rosso. “At midnight tonight I become an Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver,” he added. “But for now I just want to say thank you to everyone at Scuderia Toro Rosso, here at the track, back in Faenza and at our wind tunnel for two fantastic years. Thanks guys!”
The full transcript of the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Sebastian Vettel’s record season has been capped with another victory. It’s his ninth win a row, the first time that’s ever been done in a calendar year, and it’s his thirteenth win of the season, which equals Michael Schumacher’s 2004 season. How crucial does that controversial Malaysian Grand Prix win look now?
Off the line both Red Bulls lost ground. Vettel was swallowed up by Nico Rosberg, although restored his natural order by reclaiming the lead at the start of Lap 2. Webber dropped one position to P5, but his race pace was soon apparent and by Lap 13 he had found a way past both Mercedes AMG drivers and Fernando Alonso to earn himself P2.
Mark lost that position due to an uncharacteristic error from Red Bull during his pit stop. Although with new boots Webber was able to catch and overtake Alonso within a couple of laps. He didn’t really make any inroads into Vettel’s lead until another pit stop drama. Red Bull was waiting for Webber to pit, however—anticipating a Safety Car after an incident between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas—Vettel dived into pit lane for his final set of tyres. He caught the team off-guard and half of his 13 second lead was lost waiting for his tyres.
Although, with Mark soon stacked behind Seabstian the impact to Vettel’s lead was minimised to a degree. As the race drew to a close light rain increased as the skies threatened to open. Late drama was averted when the downpour didn’t eventuate and Vettel won the race by just over 10 seconds.
Perhaps finishing second to Sebastian was a fitting result for Mark in his final F1 race. Mark won nine races in his 215-race career, the same number of wins Vettel has strung together in succession at the back-end of this season.
Webber ensured he left the sport with nothing to hide, by allowing the crowd got to see his emotion after he removed his helmet during his cool down lap.
The 18 points earned by Mark for P2, coupled with a drive-through penalty for Hamilton for causing his incident with Bottas, ensured Webber finished third in the drivers’ championship. While Mark didn’t win a grand prix in 2013, third in the title race equals his best season results from 2010 and 2011.
Webber has certainly made his mark on F1, maybe not as much in terms of net results as he would like, but we can’t ever remember a driver leaving F1 with the overwhelming support and grace Webber has enjoyed from his peers. The admiration of his character appears universal. Even on the podium his fiercest rival, Sebastian Vettel, ensured the post-race interviews defied protocol by starting with Mark in honour of his final F1 appearance.
Fernando Alonso will be happy with P3 after a poor end to the season for Ferrari. Although, it emerged he would have moved aside for teammate Felipe Massa had the Brazilian not been pushed down the field following a drive through penalty for crossing the pit lane entry in race conditions.
McLaren, too, finished a poor season well by seeing Jenson Button and Sergio Perez finish in fourth and sixth respectively. Perez qualified in P14, but started from P19 after a gearbox change, which meant Button started from P14. McLaren will no doubt be hoping to see an improvement in fortunes when F1 enters its turbocharged V6 “power unit” era in 2014.
Lotus ended the year in disappointment when Romain Grosjean’s final race with a normally-aspirated V8 engine behind him was over after just two laps when said engine dropped its guts all over the circuit. Heikki Kovalainen, filling in for Kimi Raikkonen, was unable to make an impact at Sao Paulo and finished in P14.
On the positive side, Daniel Ricciardo ended his season and career with Toro Rosso by claiming the single point offered for P10. We look forward to greater things from Daniel when he moves to Red Bull in 2014.
Another year, another title for Vettel. He and Red Bull have collected four championships on end now. Well done them. Yet, with mixed emotions, considering Daniel’s move to RBR, we do hope to see a different script in 2014.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Even in the face of heavy rain Sebastian Vettel cannot be stopped. He claimed his 45th career pole position and ninth for the year at the Brazilian Grand Prix this morning with a blistering lap (1:26.479), almost 0.7 seconds faster than Nico Rosberg (1:27.102) in P2.
The final Q3 session was delayed for around 40 minutes to allow heavy rain to pass and track conditions to improve. Once underway drivers first took to the track in full wets but it soon became clear that intermediates were the best option.
Fernando Alonso (1:27.539) qualified third and said he was no hope of catching Vettel but felt with a better lap he could have eclipsed Rosberg. Amazingly, for a man of Alonso’s talent, P3 equals his best grid position for the year, meaning he has not started on the front row all season.
Mark Webber (1:27.572) was fastest in a compromised FP3, but could only manage P4 in qualifying.”We are where we deserved to be I think, as I didn’t feel that quick in qualifying,” he said. “The car felt slow and I was struggling for grip. It was tricky for all of us, but we’re on the second row and we can still do something from there.”
Lewis Hamilton (1:27.677) will start from P5, ahead of Romain Grosjean (1:27.737) and Daniel Ricciardo (1:28.052). Indeed, Toro Rosso will be well pleased to see Jean-Eric Vergne (1:28.081) starting alongside Daniel after both drivers only just scraped through Q1 in 15th and 16th place.
“It’s the best qualifying the team has had in a long time and I am very happy that both cars are in the top eight,” Daniel explained. “I don’t think there was much between me and JEV today. Tomorrow? The weather will probably decide the story, but anyway, seventh is a great place from which to start. I will be very motivated to convert today’s work into points tomorrow on what will be my last race with Toro Rosso after two very happy seasons with them.”
Felipe Massa (1:28.109) and Nico Hulkenberg (1:29.582) round out the top 10.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
In a dominant season for Red Bull Racing Mark Webber has broken through for his first win of the year in the season’s final race. This is Webber’s second win in Brazil and is the first grand prix he was won more than once. His seventh career win marks the end of a long drought for Webber who hasn’t won a race since Hungary in August last year. As you can see above, it also marks the return of the Leaping Webber!
Both Red Bulls started from the front row and held their positions into the first corner; Vettel’s getaway was cleaner than Mark’s, who had to battle hard to stay in second place. The race settled into an early rhythm with Vettel establishing a comfortable three second lead over Webber.
The two Red Bulls were dominant and there was no genuine threat from behind. However, Vettel soon encountered gearbox issues and Webber was able to overtake for the lead on lap 29, where he stayed for the rest of the race. In the end, Webber enjoyed a 16.9 second margin back to his teammate.
Vettel had enough pace to protect second place, thanks in part to a squabble for third place behind him. Jenson Button finally came out on top in his fight with Alonso to grab the final podium position.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
The Brazilian Grand Prix has been run and won. Red Bull Racing have taken the last of the lollies from the Constructors’ jar; well done them, it’s a ripping effort. Sebastien Vettel’s win at Interlagos made sure the Drivers’ race will go right down to the wire, with Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso his most likely barriers between world title success.
Truth be told, the biggest excitement in Sao Paulo last weekend involved poor old Jenson Button and some masked men. The race itself largely sorted itself out after the novelty of Nico Hülkenberg’s pole position had passed.
You can relive the event after the jump. Unfortunately the pics from McLaren are not available in 2000px super sizing. The good news is, all the others are, so get clicking.
Now, bring on Abu Dhabi!
So it was another Red Bull Racing one-two in Brazil this morning, with the young German Sebastian Vettel taking the win to keep his title hopes well and truly alive. Australia’s Mark Webber came home second and is still the closest man to Ferrari’s Fernando, some eight points behind. Alonso, third, simply needs to finish second or better at next weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to become the youngest man to be crowned a triple World Champion.
The Constructors’ Championship was decided in Sao Paulo with the maximum points haul for Red Bull enough for the Milton Keynes based outfit to deny the chances of McLaren. Cast your mind back to the bits and pieces that were left over from the old Jaguar team at the end of 2004 and consider their reincarnation as Red Bull Racing is now the best team in F1; very impressive given the resources and history of their closest opponents. As Team Principal it is fair and reasonable that Christian Horner was on the podium to claim the team’s trophy, perhaps, though, it should have been Adrian Newey; without him the RB6 may not have been the dominant car in season 2010.
Clearly Fernando Alonso is the odd man out in the picture above, will it be him, or one of the Red Bull men with the broadest smile after the season finale?
You can gauge the thoughts of all three contenders with the full transcript from the post-race press conference below.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]