Grand Prix of Brazil – Race

No great surprises in Qualifying.
Provisional grid was: ROS, HAM, VET, BOT*, RAI, HUL, KVY, MAS, RIC*, VES; NAS*, SAI, PER, ERI, GRO; MAL, BUT, RSI, STE, ALO
*BOT 3-spot penalty; RIC 10 spots; NAS 3 spots for blocking MAS.

Before the dummy grid even forms up, SAI has been towed into the pit lane.

Air temperature 28°C; Track 48°C; overcast but hot

Grid: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, HUL, KVY, BOT, MAS, VES, SAI, PER, ERI, NAS, GRO, MAL, BUT, RSI, STE, RIC, ALO
SAI will start from the pit lane

Looks like everyone except SAI and MAL starting on options (soft compound)

Tyre warmers off; mechanics clear the grid
ROS leads everyone away on the formation lap
SAI is still in the Toro Rosso garage; apparently the engine keeps cutting out
ROS fairly quick to return to the grid – he’ll have a long wait for the tail-enders

01/71: ROS holds P1 into Turn 1
Good start from BOT – he’s up to P5
SAI left the pit lane but shortly after the rear axle is locked and he’s stopped partially off-track

02: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, KVY, HUL, MAS, PER, VES
Yellow flags protect SAI

03: ROS fastest lap 1:16.717
ALO up to P16

04: HAM f/lap 1:16.361
RIC pits; no sign of a problem

05/71: ROS f/lap 1:16.211
GRO uses DRS to take P11 from NAS

06: ROS f/lap 1:16.080
ROS has opened a 1.1sec lead over HAM
ALO takes P14 from MAL; he’s now behind BUT

08: GRO closing on VES

09: ROS leads by 1.5sec

10/71: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, KVY, HUL, MAS, PER, VES, GRO, NAS, BUT, ALO, MAL, ERI, RSI, RIC, STE; retirements: SAI
HUL pits from P7; clean stop; rejoins P16

11: Radio for MAS – “box this lap”
KVY, MAS, PER, GRO all pit
HUL holds off the rejoining KVY

12: BOT pits, as does VES

13: RAI pits from P4; clean stop
BUT and ERI pit too
Radio for ROS – “box, box, box”; reacting to RAI and presumably VET stopping soon

14: ROS pits from P1; slow, 4.4sec stop
VET pits, as does ALO
BOT past MAL

15/71: HAM pits from P1; not quick, 3.6sec stop

16: Most people have made a stop; order is ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, MAL, HUL, KVY, MAS, PER

17: ROS f/lap 1:16.025
MAL now the only one yet to pit

18: HUL past MAL for P6
Radio for RAI – going longer than planned on this stint

19: VES harrying PER over P10
HAM suddenly 0.5sec behind ROS
Radio for ROS – “Lewis is trying quite hard”

20/71: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, HUL, MAL, KVY, MAS, PER
ROS-HAM gap opens to 0.8sec; HAM is ~6sec ahead of VET

22: Radio from HAM “at this rate my tyres aren’t going to last”
MAS inside MAL for P8

23: HAM still under 1sec behind ROS
Radio for HAM – (tyre) degradation low for all cars

24: NAS inside BUT to steal P14 into Turn 1

25/71: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, HUL, KVY, MAS, MAL, PER
Radio from HAM – “impossible to follow this close”

26: MAL pits; he did 26 laps on primes

27: Radio from HAM asking for a different strategy, to give him a chance to pass ROS

28: Radio for HAM discussing options; go long on this stint but final stint they’ll be on the same tyres

29: ERI takes P14 from ALO

30/71: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, HUL, KVY MAS, PER, VES; GRO, NAS, BUT, ERI, ALO, MAL, RIC, RSI, STE; retirements: SAI
MAL passes ALO

32: VES all over the rear of PER
VES attacks; side by side but VES takes P9
GRO follows VES through

33: VET pits; swaps to options

34: ROS pits; primes
Radio for HAM telling him ROS pitted

35/71: HAM pits; primes too – why not go for options?
HAM rejoins behind ALO
MAL dives inside ERI; MAL takes too much kerb, runs into ERI

Half distance

36: HAM past RAI for P2
Radio for ROS – going to plan B; ROS asks about HAM’s stint; told he couldn’t keep up with the pace
Incident involving MAL and ERI under investigation

37: HAM f/lap 1:15.350
MAL closing on NAS

38: GRO past PER for P12
MAL cleanly past NAS for P9

40/71: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, KVY, HUL, MAL, NAS, MAS; VES, GRO, PER, RIC, BUT, ALO, ERI, STE, RSI
KVY pits, followed by NAS

41: VES tries to defend but GRO takes P10
5-sec penalty for MAL (for collision with ERI)

42: BOT pits
Radio from VET – stay out a bit more, tyres are good

43: KVY dives inside MAL to take P7

46: MAL pits; he’ll have to serve his penalty

47: RAI pits from P4; rejoins still P4

48: VET pits; primes
Radio for ROS – “box, box, box”

49: ROS pits from P1; good stop
RIC past PER for P11
Radio for HAM – “box, box, box, box”

50/71: HAM pits from P1; good stop; options, same as ROS
VET f/lap 1:15.294
Radio for ROS – “lot of traffic to get through”

51: ROS f/lap 1:15.149
Radio from ROS – “has he stopped?”; “Yes, he’s 2 seconds behind you”

52: HAM f/lap 1:14.832
Radio for BUT; BUT says stop talking to me in the braking zone

53: PER and BUT pit

54: RIC pits, as does ALO
MAL all over the rear of NAS
VES pits

55/71: HAM still under 1sec behind ROS

56: MAS pits
GRO pits too

57: MAL finally takes P9 from NAS
Radio from ROS – “don’t talk anymore”

58: Radio for HAM – “aero data looks fine”
VES inches from the rear of NAS

59: VES outside NAS into Turn 1; inside line for T2; VES takes P11
GRO takes P9 from his teammate

60/71: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, HUL, KVY, MAS, GRO, MAL
Radio from ROS asking about the weather forecast; told it’ll be dry to the end
PER past NAS too

61: RIC lining up NAS now
RIC takes P13

63: HAM dropping back to nearly 3sec behind ROS

65/71: VET is 11.6sec behind HAM but is lapping ~0.5sec/lap quicker

66: VES closing on MAL

67 = 5 laps left: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, HUL, KVY, MAS, GRO, MAL; VES, PER, RIC, NAS, BUT, ALO, ERI, STE, RSI; retirements: SAI
RIC takes P12 but PER fighting back; RIC keeps P12

68: VES still harrying MAL for P10
VES makes the move – takes P10

69: HAM continues to slip back from ROS; now more than 5sec behind
Radio from HAM – “my tyres have gone off”

70/71: Smallest gap is BUT ~1.2sec behind NAS

71 = final lap: ROS takes the chequered flag
HAM is over 7sec behind in P2
6.4sec further back is VET

Provisional result: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, HUL, KVY, MAS, GRO, VES; MAL, RIC, PER, NAS, BUT, ALO, ERI, STE, RSI
DNF: SAI

11th Mercedes 1-2 finish of the season