Grand Prix 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

One of the biggest factors to shape the way humanity has interacted in the 20th and 21st centuries is Oil. Wars have been fought over it, alliances made and broken, blind eyes turned to shocking human rights abuses in one country while sanctions and threats of invasion are given to another because of the supply.

It’s hard to imagine now but for around 400 years before this, it wasn’t oil that brought misery to many but sugar.

Prior to the 16th century sugar was seen as a valuable spice and something to only grace the tables of the very rich. As methods of refinement improved so the amount of sugar that could be extracted from the cane rapidly increased and soon, the cost of sugar fell.

It was the Portuguese who first introduced sugar into Brazil and by the mid-16th century there were thousands of sugar plantations along the Brazilian coastline. To maximise production and minimise costs, a large amount of cheap labour was required to work these plantations and in 1526, the first slave ships departed West Africa for Brazil. This set-in motion a human trade that by the eventual abolition of slavery, it is estimated somewhere between 11 and 20 million souls were transported across the Atlantic.

I know what you’re thinking. What the Tate and Lyle has all this got to do with Formula 1 ??

Well, in 1959 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a company was formed that would go on to be the world’s largest exporter of sugar and ethanol products. Employing 11000 people and producing a crop of over 70 million tons of sugar cane per year. The name of that company is Copersucar.

In 1974, Wilson Fittipaldi, the brother of the 1972 F1 world drivers champion, Emerson, decided he was going to establish his own F1 team and that effort would be entirely based in Brazil. With a Brazilian designer, parts being manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer; who also donated time in their wind tunnel; and with funding from Copersucar, this was to be a truly homegrown effort.

While driving for his new team, McLaren, Emerson acted as a consultant for his brothers fledgling outfit, something that would be unimaginable today. The new team first turned out ready for the start of the 1975 season but, with only a single car and running Wilson behind the wheel, results were hard to come by. Running 3 different chassis to try and find a working aero package, the season yielded 2 failures to qualify and no points.

For the 1976 season, the team would get a major boost. In a move that shocked F1, including McLaren, the team he was driving for, Emerson quit to join Wilson and state to the world that Fittipaldi would, in a few short years, produce a team that would make Brazil proud.

The teams results gradually improved, 3 points in 1976, 11 in 77 and 17 in 1978 including a genuinely competitive run to 2nd place at that years Brazilian GP. Sadly, for the team, that season marked the high point. With ground effect now ruling chassis design and despite the fact that the team had relocated to the UK to be closer to their gearbox and engine suppliers, they couldn't find the breakthrough needed to push on. Copersucar pulled out at the end of 1979 and, despite taking another podium for the team in 1980, Emerson walked away at the end of that year.

Having hired a young Finn named Keke Rosberg to partner Emerson for 1980, the team were at least able to run two cars for a full season for the first time. Keke rewarded the team by scoring a 3rd place on his debut.

The team struggled on through to the end of 1982 but, despite having a car in production for 1983, Emerson and Wilson were unable to raise the funds to continue for another season and the team closed its doors.

1983 wasn’t all bad for Brazil however, while Nelson Piquet was busy winning his second world title for Brabham, a young Brazilian driver brought home the British Formula Three Championship for West Surrey Racing. His name was Ayrton Senna Da Silva, but that’s another story.

Enjoy the race.
 
Drpl9JUX0AI60Bx.jpg
 
Sorry for being a quiet. Been quite preoccupied with the sheffield derby that only 1 team was interested in winning

On qualifying Sauber probably to use a ted kravitz phrase stars of qualifying. Outstanding lap from leclerc in the rain to get into Q3 & Well done to Ericsson to outqualify leclerc. If he had done that more often

Great lap from Hamilton always pulls it out the bag. When it looks unlikely. But if him & vettel are on the front row ill be amazed. That was potentially dangerous & considering ocon in suzuka amongst others it should be 3 place grid pen. petulance & impatience cost vettel the drivers in monza couldve cost ferrari constructors in brazil. I know it wasnt ideal but it was random & we know F1 teams, If they didn't weigh in changeable weather. They'd deliberately illegally underweigh it for a lap

I take a punt that this could be the grid
1 Bottas; 2 Raikkonen;
3 Verstappen; 4 Hamilton
5 Ericsson; 6 Leclerc;
7 Vettel (or lower) 8 Grosjean;
9 Gasly; 10 Magnussen
 
I'm staggered Lewis escaped a penalty for that. Even the incident with him getting in Kimi's way looked a likely penalty.

(edit) and Sebastian - I thought it was a given he'd get penalised for that but nothing yet.
 
Last edited:
In the case with Sirotkin Lewis and the Russian were not on the quick lap.
Hamilton went out from apex, giving way.
In the case of Raikkonen, Hamilton also giving way to Kimi on the speed line.
And by the way Kimi in this lap showed the best time in the second segment.
So Hamilton didn't ruin Finn's quick lap. So why did he have to be punished?
A comparison with the situation with Vettel at the weigh-in is nonsense.
Sebastian not only broke the scales, he almost hit the steward.
 
Last edited:
in previous years failure to weigh in when called used to be automatic disqualification and basically go home

then they softened it to back of the grid penalty

Getting weighed is completely random and the luck was not on Vettel's side that it had to be him but still what he was unacceptable
 
In the case with Sirotkin Lewis and the Russian were not on the quick lap.
Hamilton went out from apex, giving way.
In the case of Raikkonen, Hamilton also giving way to Kimi on the speed line.
And by the way Kimi in this lap showed the best time in the second segment.
So Hamilton didn't ruin Finn's quick lap. So why did he have to be punished?
A comparison with the situation with Vettel at the weigh-in is nonsense.
Sebastian not only broke the scales, he almost hit the steward.

correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the situation the same in Austria when Vettel got punished?
 
before I start lewis should've got a 3 place pen, so im not being biased. how on earth did vettel get away with that & they say FIA hate Ferrari but he got away with murder yesterday. he showed inpatience petulance & arrogance, all the reasons why he's didnt take the title races to the finale in 2017 & 2018. how dare they randomly check me, he drove on & off under his own power, couldn't get stable reading & he wrecked the fia scales. how many rules does vettel want to break dont tell me that stewards, are biased against Ferrari. as vettel should've had a 5place penalty at least

I do worry that powers at be saw that lewis & vettel on the front row was great "marketing" & didnt want to ruin it by having lewis 4th & vettel 7th or below. but rules are rules. can you imagine 1998 Japanese gp Hakkinen & Schumacher on the front row. Schumacher stalls. but they let him start from 2nd because we dont want to ruin the show
 
correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the situation the same in Austria when Vettel got punished?
Austria GP?
Where did Vettel at first in practice on Friday received a warning from the stewards
for blocking Vandoorn on the way from the pit stop?
Where did Vettel then after considering the protest from the Sainz for a lock in the first corner in qualifying
and after consideration of the situation by the stewards received a fine?
I think the stewards are enough exactly explained its decision...

Decision
Penalty of a drop of 3 grid positions.
(1 penalty point awarded, 6 points in total for the 12-month period).
Reason
The Stewards reviewed the video evidence, team radio and heard from the driver of
car 5 (Sebastian Vettel), the driver of car 55 (Carlos Sainz) and team representatives.
Car 5 had just finished a push lap and was on an in lap, travelling quite slowly into and
around turn 1, on the racing line. The driver conceded that he had passed car 55
between turns 7 and 8 but assumed it had pitted after.
However, car 55 was actually commencing a push lap and closed on car 5 rapidly
along the pit straight and into turn 1.
During evidence, the driver of car 55 stated that he felt the driver of car 5 was
completely unaware of his approach. This was confirmed by the driver of car 5 who
stated he was unable to see car 55 in his mirrors and that his team had not informed
him of its approach, by radio. The latter was confirmed by the team representative.
It is the belief of the Stewards that notwithstanding the absence of a radio call, the
driver of car 5, being aware of the issue of rear vision with his mirrors, should not have
been so slow and on the racing line, during a slowdown lap in Qualification.
Having reviewed all alleged impeding incidents since the beginning of 2016, the penalty
of a drop of 3 grid positions is consistent with all other similar incidents.
All Competitors are reminded of their right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards,
as set out in the International Sporting Code and related regulations, including the time
limits for such appeals.
 
Last edited:
Well apparently Vettel did manage to get his car weighed before the scales was damaged but should have slapped some points on his licence as well for good measure

If the steward got ran over just say .. think how much trouble Seb would have further been in ? Anyone got any Italian press stories because no doubt another Vettel savage criticism is coming
 
Anyone got any Italian press stories because no doubt another Vettel savage criticism is coming

This is translated from gazzeta dello sport

Lewis Hamilton redeems the error of the past year and on the track of the idol Ayrton Senna gets the tenth pole of the season, beating for only 93 thousandths Sebastian Vettel in a qualifying with yellow. Lewis in Q2, while he was warming up the tires, did not see Sirotkin's Williams arrive and the Russian to avoid him was forced to put the wheels on the grass outside the Juncao. Jurisprudence says it should take a penalty (3 places), but English has not even been investigated. Vettel also got away, investigated because in the second phase of the qualification, under the effects of adrenaline, he does not turn off the engine to the weight, where he is called, and breaking down the system: for him reprimand and fine of 25 thousand dollars, but the his first row is safe.
 
If anyone has any doubts that Vettel is (mis)treated in F1 media, compare reporting this weekend on misdeeds in life of three drivers.

Alonso - he went off the track on his own, undoubtedly a driving error of his, yet try to find any headline about it. You will however find VETTEL and his "ERRORS" screaming at you on front pages in capital letters.

In Q2 yesterday his rush while held up on scales, his comments were characterized as TANTRUM, despite DR later commented, what happened to Vettel was actually highly unfair and drivers will ask for rule change. (No weighing of the car unless a driver log at least one hot lap). Vettel of course did not had proper lap logged yet, and rain was coming.

Then Hamilton and his bit**ng about Sirotkin, only to apologies later that he was wrong, yet nothing in headlines about his "TANTRUM".

FiA together with Liberty and media are really giving me a lot to chew on over winter, whether I want to return to F1,
 
Back
Top Bottom