Grand Prix 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

It all comes down to the final race, sort of. There is no ‘versus’ this year, in terms of the WDC or the WCC – RBR have them both in the bag.

Alonso is safely second in the driver’s championship and, realistically, third place will go to either Hamilton or Webber – with Rosberg as a long shot if Hamilton and Webber fail to finish. Mark Webber usually excels here, and as this is his last race in F1, he may decide to go out in a blaze of glory and capitalise on Hamilton’s lack of luck in Brazil.

Second place in the WCC is as equally exciting, with Mercedes and Ferrari contending for the honour and cash. On paper, it should be Mercedes with two strong drivers; however, Massa sometimes does well at his home track, winning in 2006 and 2008, and may yet be inclined to pull his finger out again for his home fans!

Rumour has that the circuit is one of the most demanding for the drivers, and that it is loved by teams and fans alike but is that enough to create an exciting race when there is sod all at stake except for individual drivers who are still looking for next year’s seat?

Interlagos has been part of the F1 circus for 40 years, becoming a permanent fixture in 1990 and has been the venue for many deciding battles – sadly, not so this year – but it could yet throw up a stonking race.

 

[downforce]

2013 was the worst F1 season I've watched.

 

[Mephistopheles]

F1ang-o I don't give a shit what that dick head DC says about the incident at Spa, Lewis himself said that he was at fault and that is why I brought it up....

 

[Fenderman]

You shouldn't eat things that upset your stomach Mephistopheles

 

[LifeW12]

Can we just go back to Hungary and call that the last race of the season?

 

[Lewywo4]

This year at Brazil, Lewis is given a drive through penalty by the stewards for clashing with Bottas, and last year at the same track, Hulkenburg crashes into Hamilton while he's in the lead, and takes him out of the race without receiving any penalty.....

I guess it all depends on who is officiating at the time.

 

[Incubus]

Actually Hulkenberg did receive a drive-through penalty as a result of that collision.

 

[KekeTheKing]

After yesterday's disgraceful decision to call off qualifying right after trimming the field down to the best 10 runners, Charlie and his traveling circus heaped more shame upon themselves when they issued a drive-through to Massa today. Simply appalling. And the Hamilton decision was predictable yet equally unwarranted. If that was a tussle for position then maybe you could entertain the notion of a drive-through, but Lewis had already paid a mighty price. Bottas was nowhere today, and his result was completely unaffected.

Once again the highlight of the GP for me was after the flag with Webber, Vettel, and Massa literally and figuratively giving the FIA a big **** you by rewriting the cool down lap regulations.

 

[Lewywo4]

Actually Hulkenberg did receive a drive-through penalty as a result of that collision.

 

[LifeW12]

 

[Dizzi]

Well done to Max, no mean feat to bring home an F1 car every race, especially when you're one of the more economically challenged teams.
To sum up the race, I dropped off to sleep at various times, a bit like the entire season.
Genreally boring and predictable & the odd tussle we had tended to get spoilt by external forces (stewards).
I was apalled at Massa's penalty & entirely agreed with his vociferous opinion. Sometimes I wish the stewards would look at the whole picture and not just the rule book. Was it dangerous - no. Did the punishment detract from the race...by gosh it did. We were enjoying a lovely tussle between Felipe & Lewis & it got spoilt. There was precious little else in the race as exciting.
IMO the Lewis/Bottas punt was just a racing incident.
I have seen a lot worse get unpunished & I couldn't see why Bottas was trying to unlap himself, it's not like the Williams is a faster car than the Merc & could've kept the place. An unwise & unrealistic attempt but Lewis should be old enough & experienced enough to anticipate rookie manouvers, I do see how annoyed he must have been at practically losing 3rd in the WDC because of such a silly incident. Just about sums up his year.

Congratulations to Seb on another record, well driven. It's just a shame the predictability is driving fans away, after the first two laps I wandered off elsewhere to do jobs around the house & just had it on as background....there was a time I would have been glued to the TV all race.

Really happy for Mark, a podium finish to end your F1 career is always nice & I'm going to miss the forthright Aussie.
Seb, Felipe & Mark get my thumbs up for entertaining the fans after the race, donuts should be allowed at the last race & special occasions (like winning your WDC).
Hat off to Jenson & Sergio for probably McLaren's best race of the year. A year to forget for them...
Well, dare we hope for another 'Brawn' next year? It doesn't feel like there were 5 different winners this year.
I usually feel slightly bereft at the end of a season but this year I'm nonplussed. That I find somewhat sad.
Let's see if we can make the off season gossip more interesting than this year's on track action

 

[pirateplunder]

I also thought it was a real shame that the stewards stopped us having an enjoyable race today. Both Massa's and Hamilton's drive-thrus today were crazy. Overall I'm not convinced that it made much difference to lewis' result as I think that Massa might have had the car to beat him if neither penalty had stood - it would certainly have been close. That penalty just seemed to kill massa's race.

Bottas was a bit dickish - he was never going to make that corner, had space to move over further but even so it was just a racing incident. All weekend people were saying he was on a mission to impress and he just tried to hard. You're a lap down on forth, unlap yourself safely or don't unlap yourself. In fairness the DRS just shouldn't work for cars unlapping themselves. I'm surprised there isn't something in the regulations that lapped drivers (and those being lapped or even unlapping themselves) should ensuire that they don't negatively impact other peoples race - that should be imo their key concern. If you're having to unlap yourself there, using DRS to do it, and not making it before the turn then its going to negatively impact other peoples race, and be a waste of time.

That 4th place for Jenson is hailed as a remarkable success by some in a race where 2 cars were given harsh drive thrus, one renault died and the other was chugging around with Kovi at the wheel (so that 4th would under normal conditions be a less than wonderful 7th) just shows how bad things are for the McLarens. Seemed to me that Perez also had a better drive than Jenson but I suspect thats entirely the wrong message.

I really wish it had rained, It was the last hope for anything approaching excitement.

 

[F1ang-o]

@Lewywo4
Apologies....my post 85 in this thread I've said that Hulk didn't get a drive thru penalty for punting LH out of the lead & out of the race last year, apparently he did.
I shouldn't have presumed..............LH has had so many crap decisions from the stewards.

 

[FB]

Personally I think the drive through for Hamilton was as much a message to the Mercedes team as it was to him as they should have been shouting at him on the radio to get out of Bottas' way. He had nothing to lose by letting the Williams through but appeared to try and slow his progress as they approached the corner where they touched.

Just my three penn'th. Waits to be hung, drawn and quartered

 

[F1ang-o]

Post race
Ross said "We should have kept Lewis informed of just how quickly the Williams was closing, even though it was a lap down."
Bottas said "I didn't know that I was one lap behind him, I thought we were racing."
LH said "I was catching Fernando, so I could at least have had a chance of a fight with him."

Perhaps next year there will be a way of stopping DRS being used by backmarkers to unlap themselves.

 

[sushifiesta]

Isn't DRS a bit of a non-issue if he was closing in anyway? When I first saw it I thought 100% Hamilton's fault but I see it as more of a racing incident now as Hamilton did leave a car's width.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Mercedes team

Lewis was slowly catching the Ferrari ahead. Don't know why Merc would order their driver to fall in behind a Williams that was completely out of contention all day. Bottas was having a particularly miserable GP, and would have cost Hamilton several seconds if he had to follow him for even a lap.

This was a carbon copy of the Kobash incident when Lewis found a car in a completely hopeless position for seemingly no other reason than to give the appearance of being in a race with him, which neither actually were.

 

[The Pits]

Well, at least we have something to discuss during the closed season.

 

[Plutus]

After yesterday's disgraceful decision to call off qualifying right after trimming the field down to the best 10 runners, Charlie and his traveling circus heaped more shame upon themselves when they issued a drive-through to Massa today. Simply appalling.

No Massa had received multiple warnings. He had obviously ignored the warning and was rightfully handed a penalty for repeatedly crossing the line. The issue with the white line had been made clear by the stewards of the course of the weekend, other drivers were reprimanded as the only cross the white line in free practice.
The rule is in place to secure drivers safety when entering the pits.

And the Hamilton decision was predictable yet equally unwarranted. If that was a tussle for position then maybe you could entertain the notion of a drive-through, but Lewis had already paid a mighty price. Bottas was nowhere today, and his result was completely unaffected.

I have had my say on that issue. This penalty was fair as well.
Hamilton did take two penalties by puncturing his tyre in the incident and serving the drive-through. However, you cannot apply two set of rules when penalising a driver, in some instances the driver who caused a collision gets away undamaged and can continue without problems. Therefore both instances have to be penalised, when a driver cause a collision without damaging his own car, and when a driver causes a collision and damages his own car.

 

[KekeTheKing]

I maintain that they were both pathetic penalties that will only serve to disenfranchise people further with the often unsatisfactory way that Charlie and the boys run Grand Prix meetings.

But I will actually say their most embarrassing moment of the weekend came on Saturday afternoon.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

I seem to recall other drivers hasve been penalised for crossing that white line in the past - is this the case?