Rain, Rain and more rain is forecast for the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. It's a race often effected by inclement weather and in recent years has also been a dramatic finale for the Grand Prix season. It won't end anything this year but it will still be crucial in deciding who is world champion by the end of the Abu Dhabi weekend.
The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo is a mixture of fast straights and a tight twisty infield. Set up will be a compromise especially with the weather predictions being rain all weekend. The DRS zone may not come in to it if it's too wet but there is one on the start finish straight and between turns three and four. Pirelli have brought the medium and soft compounds but again at the time of writing it's unlikely they'll be used much. If they are they should offer decent grip and the degradation should offer us at least a two stopper for the 71 lap race.
I'm not sure either title contender wants a mixed up race this weekend, they just want a straight fight for the title. Lewis Hamilton has won and lost a championship here in mixed conditions, but it's certain he won't do either this year. In a normal season, one not potentially tainted by double points, then he would be on the verge of sealing it.
The likelihood is that once again both Mercedes cars will be heading the pack, in this case all Lewis needs to do is finish second both in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to take the title. We all know he's not going to settle for second though, not if he's close behind and senses an opportunity to make the pass.
I think as always this year it'll be extremely close between the pair, but I can see Hamilton taking pole and the win and extending his title lead this weekend leaving us on tenterhooks as to whether double points is going to leave a bitter taste if something were to go wrong for Lewis.
It doesn't matter who wins as long as double points doesn't affect the outcome. Ideally if Lewis just finishes second to Rosberg then it'll be fine with the current points gap. If Rosberg is within seven points at the end of Brazil then again whoever is first and second in Abu Dhabi won't matter. Although looking at the season as a whole, with ten wins to Rosberg's four it seems inconceivable that Hamilton should not be the rightful winner. But Rosberg is up there for a reason, he's kept himself in the battle and driven some great races. It's all to play for still and with the weather not looking great, Brazil is going to be a very exciting chapter indeed in this thrilling title fight.
Behind the championship duo, I expect Felipe Massa to put in a strong performance for Williams at his home race. In 2006, '07, '08 he was quite simply superb and should have had a hat trick of victories. He'll certainly be one to watch, his team mate Valtteri Bottas is going to have to be at his very best to beat Massa this weekend. However, Williams have not had the best pace in the rain and if the forecast is right, then they may struggle.Which will leave Red Bull as the main challengers, or the ones most likely to finish third. Again you would have to pick out Daniel Ricciardo as the man most likely to, he's been fantastic all year. I'm still expecting a stand out showing from Sebastian Vettel at some point, but he's running out of time to really leave a mark this season before he leaves Red Bull.
If the weather is wet, then again you cannot go wrong by predicting that Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for Ferrari and McLaren respectively will be up there. Put Nico Hulkenberg into that category too, they are all brilliant in mixed up conditions and could play a major part in the final result.
Alonso has still not announced where he's driving next year, but he looks more and more certain to go to McLaren with Kevin Magnussen most likely to be his team mate. This leaves Jenson Button fighting to stay in Formula 1, but although Porsche have denied it, there are still strong rumours he might go to the World Endurance Championship next season. I think Button still has a few more good years left in him in Formula 1 and this race could be ideal for him to showcase why.Sauber have signed Felipe Nasr, currently second in GP2 this year and Williams third driver. He'll partner Caterham's Marcus Ericsson. It is to be presumed both have backing but Nasr is a fast driver and deserves a chance in Formula 1. It of course leaves both current Sauber drivers Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez without drives for next year. They'll be going all out to secure seats for 2015.
Jean-Eric Vergne has been doing that since it was announced Toro Rosso had signed Max Verstappen. It's not inconceivable that he might end up staying put, and the way he's been driving recently has shown just what a great racer he is. In the wet he's brilliant so keep an eye out for him.
Marussia and Caterham's continued absence means we still have just 18 cars. Even though the Austin race was very good, it still looked a lot emptier out on track and that is not a good thing. There needs to be more seats in the top echelon of motor sport so the stars of tomorrow can learn. But these smaller teams need more money from the sports authorities to survive so that can happen rather than taking pay drivers.
It looks like there may be a deal going on with CVC (Formula 1's owner) potentially offering $100million to be split between the smaller teams. There is good news of sorts with both Marussia and Caterham lodging entries for next season despite still being in administration while Marussia definitely hopes to be back for Abu Dhabi. Hopefully we'll have a full complement of cars soon.
Anyway, driver moves and the cash crisis are still likely to be high on the list of talking points, but it's the fight for the championship that'll be everyone's headline. In the wet of Brazil, it's about to get ever more intense.
#ForzaJules
all photos taken from autosport.com
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