Brazilian Grand Prix: Things to watch out for

Brazil is hosting the penultimate (18th of 19) race of the 2015 Calendar. After being shifted to a end of season round, Brazil has always been a venue for title deciding races. Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have had at least one of their titles decided at this race only. Last year, Nico Rosberg took the win, to force a title decider at Abu Dhabi. However, this year, Lewis and Mercedes have long secured the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship. Thus, the battles are for finalizing Constructors’ positions and other positions on the Drivers’ Championship.

Brazilian drivers have been fairly successful here, will Massa and Nasr be able to entertain their home crowd?

The talking points for the race are:-

1. Rosberg to challenge for the win

Rosberg finally got the elusive Grand Prix win at Mexico despite strong performances in qualifying over the last few races. Many attribute it down to bad luck (which has also indeed played a part) and his inability to handle the pressure in tight situations, that drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso are able to do so, and that’s whats hampered his title challenge in 2015.

Last year, the race for the title went down to the last race of the season, after Rosberg took the win at Brazil 2014 and will no doubt want to win here once again, winning this and the race at Abu Dhabi, to salvage something from the season.

Given Lewis Hamilton’s illness and the hype around his accident, it’s probable that Rosberg will be in an overall, better state of mind and in better physical conditioning and has nothing to lose. He can secure 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship this year, if he manages to outscore Sebastian Vettel by 4 points.

If he keeps up his qualifying form he should be able to easily take pole (and incidentally, he won the FIA pole trophy last year, at this very race), and now will be confident he can take a race win from pole.

2. Will Massa come good at home along with Williams

Compared to the brilliant season they had in 2014, this has not been a season for Williams. However, the Brazilian Grandprix is a track that should be suiting their car set up with more longer straights and less high speed corners. Massa is also one of the best performers at Brazil, with 2 wins and a total of 5 podium finishes, including 3rd last year, he will be hoping to put up a podium on Sunday, as he will be the driver, along with Felipe Nasr to have a massive fan support here.

However, Williams can also wrap up third place in the constructors for the second consecutive season, if Red Bull fail to score more than 28 points in this race. While Williams have fallen a bit behind Ferrari and their overall performance, the money they will receive from 3rd can go a long way to help develop a more competitive ride for 2016.

3. Can Ferrari get another podium here

Mexico was a disaster for Ferrari with their first double DNF. They will look to bounce back at Brazil, which is one of the favorite tracks of Sebastian. He also has a strong record of performances, with 2 wins, a second place and has always finished in the top 6 at Brazil. For him, he won his 2012 title here by finishing sixth. Last season, in a Red Bull car that was far off the pace of the Mercedes and Williams machine.

This time he is in a competitive Ferrari car, the only car in the 2014 V6 Turbo Era that has successfully beaten Mercedes head on and not through capitalization of the misfortunes of the team. He has mentioned he looks forward to taking victory in the last 2 races, it’s a long shot but not out of the question.

Kimi has had a better 2015 Season, with 123 points compared to his 55 last year. While he has faced more problems than Vettel, he will be looking to make the podium as well. He currently trails Bottas by 3 points in the Drivers’ standings and is ahead of Massa by 3, and will want to ensure he will finish ahead of them, to finish 4th in the Drivers’ Championship.

4. Force India should wrap up their best constructors position

Force India might be set to finish in their best ever position in the Constructors’ standings. Having a 41 point lead over sixth placed Lotus, they can seal fifth place if they outscore Lotus by 2 points (although, who would think Lotus are going to even get a 1-2).  Fifth place will see them earn more in the Constructors’ table, along with the larger prize pot, which should help the team that has been struggling financially.

Force India have grown and maybe in a few years it could be highly possible that they might be more consistent podium challengers, given their upward trajectory of performances.

5.  Aston Martin set to return to F1

Aston Martin and Force India are set to enter into a partnership. The British Supercar manufacturer is set to make its return to Formula One in over 50 years, having last competed in 1960. If this arrangement goes ahead, the Team will be rebranded as Aston Martin and changing their livery to a blue-gold scheme as Johnny Walker is set to enter as a sponsor. The teams will be using a Mercedes engine, under the Aston Martin Brand (Mercedes own a 5% stake in Aston Martin).

All the parties involved are said to be happy, with Team Principal Vijay Mallya saying he will have no regrets on sacrificing the name of Force India if it makes his team more competitive. Sergio Perez, while praising Force India’s success on their limited budget says he is looking forward to racing under the Aston Martin name, which through the partnership should increase the financial muscle of the team and make them more competitive on track.

The deal is not yet confirmed but it is widely expected to be announced prior to the conclusion of the season.