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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Michael Butler

F1: Brazil Grand Prix – as it happened

Nico Rosberg wins the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg wins the Brazilian Grand Prix. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Summary

“Degradation was important, we saw Lewis dropping off in the second section,” Rosberg cheekily says in his post-race interview. There’s a wry smile from Hamilton. That was a dig and no mistake.

So Rosberg gets a second successive win, and secures second place in the drivers’ championship. It’s certainly still frosty between him and Hamilton, I hope that the two retain this level of animosity next year.

The one driver I am most intrigued about, though, is Verstappen. His Toro Rosso isn’t the quickest, and the 18-year-old made mistakes and only finished in 10th, but he showed a couple of glimpses again here that he is a future world champion in the making, his move past Grosjean on Lap 32 in particular was breathtaking. He did it again past Nasr, too. What a guy.

Thanks for reading, and for your emails and tweets. Hang around for Paul Weaver’s race report, which will be on the site shortly. The Brazilian fans, who have been going absolutely potty all race, sing Senna’s name as Rosberg celebrates on the podium as samba music blasts across the speakers. Tchau!

Updated

Elsewhere, congratulations must go to Williams, who have secured third after Bottas’ third finish and Massa coming home in eighth on his home circuit. Red Bull, in fourth, can’t catch them now.

Updated

The top ten:

1. Rosberg
2. Hamilton
3. Vettel
4. Raikkonen
5. Bottas
6. Hulkenberg
7. Kvyat
8. Massa
9. Grosjean
10. Verstappen

Updated

Mercedes tries to console their world champion. “Unlucky Lewis. We all know how hard it is to keep pace on this track, never mind overtake.”

Radio silence from Hamilton. He’s evidently not happy.

NICO ROSBERG WINS THE BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX!

That guarantees him second place in the drivers’ championship. He finishes 7.7secs ahead of Hamilton.

Updated

Lap 70: “My tyres have gone off,” complains Hamilton. He’s about 6 seconds behind as the drivers enter their final lap …

Updated

Lap 69: Rosberg has pulled way ahead of Hamilton. Unless he crashes, he’ll take the win today!

Lap 68: Verstappen moved into the points! He takes 10th from Maldonado. That could be crucial in the constructors championship, gaining one for Toro Rosso and taking one away from Lotus. The two are just six points apart remember.

Updated

Lap 67: Perez is pipped by Ricciardo at turn one. We’ve seen so many passes today down that home straight. DRS has proved so important.

Updated

Lap 66: “How are our brakes temps?” Button asks. “I can smell brakes...”. The McLaren man is currently in 15th.

Updated

Lap 65: “Just wondering, Michael, is your phone a McLaren? Might explain it” quips Tim Pearson, from Victoria, BC, Canada.

My inability to master predictive text means I’m hardly the fastest finger in the journalism game.

Lap 64: Massa, in eight, is three seconds behind of Hulkenburg in sixth and has been told that he has the pace to pass both Kvyat in seventh and the German. That would be an excellent finish!

Updated

Lap 63: Verstappen does it again!

Updated

Lap 62: Rosberg is pulling away from Hamilton at the front of this race: the Brit is now 2.6secs adrift. Rosberg will be 31 points ahead of Vettel in the drivers’ championship if things stay like this with one race remaining. Second place would therefore be sewn up.

Nico Rosberg, of Germany is pulling away from Hamilton.
Nico Rosberg, of Germany is pulling away from Hamilton. Photograph: Andre Penner/AP

Updated

Lap 61: Ricciardo passes Nasr. This is turning out to be a miserable race in front of the Brazilian’s home fans.

Updated

Lap 60: Nasr is falling through the field: Sauber’s two-stop strategy for the Brazilian doesn’t appear to be working. Nasr is now 13, with Ricciardo right up behind him.

Lap 59: Vettel hears from Ferrari that the rain should relent until the end of the race at least. It would change things monumentally if it did start to pour.

The crowd watch third placed Sebastian Vettel.
The crowd watch third placed Sebastian Vettel. Photograph: Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Updated

Lap 58: “Just manage the gap...” say Mercedes over the radio. “Don’t talk any more” responds the German. 1.5 seconds is the difference between him and Hamilton, who has just been told that his floor is a-OK.

Updated

Lap 57: Hulkenburg says he sees evidence of some rain on the track. It’s certainly quite gloomy light around the Interlagos. Maldonado flies past Nasr into ninth. He served a five-second penalty for a collision with Ericsson earlier.

Updated

Lap 55: Hamilton locks up but manages to negotiate those tight turns in the middle section of the lap. “I think I’ve damaged my floor”, he tells his team over the radio.

Lewis Hamilton locks up his brakes.
Lewis Hamilton locks up his brakes. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Updated

Lap 54: It’s getting tight at the top, we’re set for an exciting finish!

Lap 53: BRAZIL WATCH. Massa is still up in eighth, following a nice pass over Grosjean. The other Brazilian, Nasr in 11th, is under pressure from Maldonado.

Lap 52: “Stop talking to me in the braking zone,” Button moans down the radio at his McLaren boys. “You had the whole straight to talk to me.” Jenson pits.

Jenson Button seems irritated by his McLaren Honda team during the race.
Jenson Button seems irritated by his McLaren Honda team during the race. Photograph: Hoch Zwei/Corbis

Updated

Lap 51: Vettel is a good 12 seconds behind the Mercedes duo so it doesn’t look as though he’s mounting too much of a challenge. Hamilton is now just 1.2secs behind Rosberg.

Lap 50: Rosberg leads Hamilton by two seconds. Both have made stops in the time that I was away. So it’s foot-to-the-floor racing for the remaining 21 laps of this race.

Updated

… and I’m back. I promise I tried to log in from the car park, but my phone’s 3G service isn’t what it used to be.

We’ve had a fire alarm go off here in Guardian Towers … I’m being forced to step outside. Trying to fight the security guard but he’s having none of it. Hopefully I will be back soon to report on the rest of this race. Apologies …

Lap 37: Grosjean comes into the pits, and comes out cleanly, passing Perez. Hamilton comes into the pits and emerges to post the fastest lap.

Alonso, meanwhile, is fuming at McLaren.

“Box now no? We have been lapped this lap. I don’t know what we are waiting for, or if you want me to lose even more time...”

Lap 36: Vettel is on the march …

Lap 35: Mercedes are scrambling. Vettel’s move to the pits and onto the softies appears to have worked. He’s just posted this race’s fastest lap!

Lap 34: Rosberg is the first to react, he comes in to take medium tyres. Hamilton takes the lead.

Lap 33: Intriguing move from Vettel, who was making ground on Hamilton. He pits again, and is onto the soft tyres. How will the others react?

Vettel’s tactical visit to the pit.
Vettel’s tactical visit to the pit. Photograph: Sutton Images/Corbis

Updated

Lap 32: Verstappen moves past Grosjean on the outside, and whilst he can’t move ahead of the Frenchman, has the nerve to hold his line and hangs on to take Grosjean on the inside on the next corner. What a move! That is quite fantastic stuff from the 18-year-old. Future world champ.

Lap 31: Vettel is closing the gap on Hamilton, he’s now just over six seconds behind the Brit. You can see why Hamilton is worried.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is closing the gap on Hamilton.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is closing the gap on Hamilton. Photograph: Miguel Schincariol/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Lap 30: Ricciardo, who was in 14th, has pitted again. He’ll be on a three-stop race for sure. Ericsson, meanwhile, comes up Alonso’s inside to take 14th with a slick move.

Lap 29: You can understand why Perez is getting frustrated, he is in an almighty battle with Verstappen and Grosjean.

Lap 28: Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens of Manor Marussia are causing problems for the drivers at the back of the pack. “They are not getting out of the way,” screams Perez, who is currently in ninth.

Lap 27: “The switch to Plan B isn’t working” says Hamilton over the radio. Whatever that is. The Ferraris are playing their part: Vettel is a good eight seconds back but it is obvious that Hamilton isn’t comfortable.

Lap 26: Here are the standings …

Lap 25: “Impossible to follow this track”, wails Hamilton over the radio. The Brit is still within touching distance of Rosberg, but appears very unhappy with his tyres. “Degradation looks very low on all cars, including ourselves,” Hamilton is told over the radio. Hmmm. Two conflicting opinions there.

Updated

Lap 24: Huge roars from the crowd as the two Brazilian make passes. Nasr passes Button to take 14th and Massa also has some joy: he uses the DRS to zoom pass Maldonado and take eighth.

Felipe Nasr, right, passes Jenson Button.
Felipe Nasr, right, passes Jenson Button. Photograph: Dunbar/LAT/Rex Shutterstock

Updated

Lap 23: We’re nearly at the 1/3 point of this race. 71 laps in total, remember.

Sainz has been talking to the cameras after he retired on the first lap. “I went to do the practice start and the engine turned itself off. We pushed it off, and as soon as the race started, the engine broke again. Let’s see if we can avoid a penalty. We are having infinite problems on the engine. In a rookie season, that is difficult to take.”

Lap 22: “My tyres are not going to last” says Hamilton over the radio. He’s been pushing hard this last few laps, and that appears to have taken it out of his rubber.

Lap 21: By my reckoning, Maldonado is the only driver that hasn’t visited the pit lane. He was the only driver to start on the medium tyres, apart from Sainz, who rolled off the track in Lap 1.

Lap 20: Hamilton well within DRS range. The zones are on the home straight and the big straight between turns three and four.

Lap 19: Hamilton is catching Rosberg, he’s less than 0.5 secs behind! “Lewis is trying quite hard” Rosberg is told over the radio. Shock.

Updated

Lap 18: And Hulkenburg passes Maldonado to take sixth! The Venezuelan doesn’t put up much of a fight.

Lap 17: Hulkenburg complaining that the back of his car is unstable, but that doesn’t seem to be affecting his race at present. He’s running very nicely in seventh at the moment.

Lap 16: Looking good at the top of the pack. Rosberg leads Hamilton by 0.9s and then follows Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas, Maldonado, Hulkenberg and Kvyat, who have all made their visits to the pits.

Daniil Kvyat locks up his brakes on a turn before pitting.
Daniil Kvyat locks up his brakes on a turn before pitting. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Updated

Lap 15: Hamilton responds, pitting in 3.6secs, slightly faster than Rosberg. It’s not quick enough though, and Rosberg zooms past Hamilton as he re-emerges from the pit lane.

Updated

Lap 14: Our leader, Rosberg comes into the pits. It’s not the cleanest stop. Hamilton takes the lead, but for how long?

Updated

Lap 13: Raikkonen ain’t happy. “I had no front grip in the last corner and the rears are sliding!” He comes into the pits.

Lap 12: The Brazilian crowds are going mad in the stands, by the way. Massa and Nasr the home favourites of course.

Lap 11: Yep, Massa pits, as does Kvyat, Perez and Grosjean. All will go onto the primes. Hulkenberg also pits and comes out in front of Kyvat!

Updated

Lap 10: Ahead of Verstappen and Grosjean, Massa and Perez are battling it out for 8th. Expect pit-stops soon though. The boys and girls in the pit lane might play a big part in what happens in this race’s midfield.

Lap 9: Ricciardo is slowly starting to make his way through the Manors. His team urge him forward on the radio. Extremely frustrating start.

Lap 8: Verstappen and Grosjean are going at it for 10th, the teenager just 0.2 seconds ahead. Toro Rosso and Lotus are very tight in the constructors championship at present, just six points between the two.

Lap 7: After that early pit, Ricciardo is about five seconds behind Stevens at the back of the pack. It is a long way back for the Australian.

Lap 6: Rosberg meanwhile has just moved outside the DRS range from Hamilton, he’s 1.1 secs ahead of his team-mate.

Lap 5: Grosjean flies past Nasr on the straight, he got perfectly into the Brazilian’s slipstream and used the DRS well.

Updated

Lap 4: Hamilton is within a second of Rosberg, with Vettel 1.5 secs behind in third. Ricciardo has pitted! He’s onto the medium tyres.

Lap 3: It’s as you were at the top. But there are plenty of chances to overtake on this circuit. There will be plenty of movement. It’s a relatively short course though. Bottas got an excellent start off the grid, he’s up to 5th from 7th.

Lap 2: Sainz is out of the race. Looks like his rear axel went completely. He’s teetering on the edge of the track, but there’s no flag at present. Button has made a good start, up from 16th to 13th, whilst Ericsson has fallen from 13th to 18th.

Lap 1: Rosberg gets away cleanly, Hamilton tries to come up around the outside – the two touch! – but both ride it out. It is a short straight to turn one and that’s probably what saved the German there.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton make contact at the start.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton make contact at the start. Photograph: Sutton Images/Corbis

Updated

LIGHTS OUT!

We’re off!

Rosberg sits on pole – he won from this position here last year – although four of the last six wins at Interlagos have been won by the driver starting in second place. Encouraging news for Hamilton fans.

Two minutes to go. Email me with your predictions, your memories from Brazilian races of the past, or anything else that you fancy.

michael.butler@theguardian.com or @michaelbutler18

The top 10 are on the soft tyres as they were in qualifying, but Maldonado (15th) and Sainz (starting in the pit lane) are the only ones on the prime medium tyres. There’s about a 30% chance of rain, so that could well play a part.

Updated

There’s some debate about whether this is going to be a two-stop or a three-stop race. Verstappen has just told the camera he “has no idea” what is going to happen with that. The track is divided between long straights (look at that elevation) and a very tight middle section in which the drivers are forced to slow to 40mph at some points. That constant acceleration and deceleration will have an effect on the tyre durability. I would personally expect three stops for most drivers, especially as the track temperature rises, it’s 40 degs out there at present.

Updated

We’re to have a minute silence for the victims of road traffic accidents and for the people that lost their lives in Paris on Friday. There have been other examples of support for the French throughout the weekend, too.

Updated

Carlos Sainz has been pulled back into the pit lane on his practice lap, which almost certainly means he’s going to have to start from the end of the pit lane for the start of the race. Not good for the Toro Rosso boys.

Felipe Massa, who was leading the 2008 race, was robbed of winning his first world championship in front of that home crowd. Hamilton pipped him that year by just one point and that’s the closest we’ve had to a Brazilian world champion since Senna, who is the undisputed legend of this circuit.

Lewis Hamilton has never won in Brazil, but it was here that he has arguably his greatest moment in the 2008, when he won his first world championship at the age of 23. Hamilton needed to finish fifth or higher at Interlagos going into the race but coming into the last lap, he was sixth. Then this happened …

Make sure you watch to the end to see the Ferrari boys mistakenly celebrating at the end of the race, completely unaware that Hamilton had in fact finished in fifth. Heartbreakingly wonderful stuff.

Maybe I’ve been a bit harsh on Gabe. He has a man cave. He owns over 200 horror films. He creates soundscapes.

Today’s grid

1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
4. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
5. Nico Hulkenberg Force India
6. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull
7. Valtteri Bottas Williams
8. Felipe Massa Williams
9. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso
10. Felipe Nasr Sauber
11. Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso
12. Sergio Perez Force India
13. Marcus Ericsson Sauber
14. Romain Grosjean Lotus
15. Pastor Maldonado Lotus
16. Jenson Button McLaren
17. Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia
18. Will Stevens Manor Marussia
19. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull
20. Fernando Alonso McLaren

Preamble

Who wants to be a team player? It’s the kind of thing you put on your CV to try and fill out the blank A4 piece of paper. Marge Simpson is a team player. Gabe from The Office (US) is a team player. Phil Neville was a team player. These characters might make a family, or a workplace tick along but there’s little depth, no cunning, no Machiavellianism. We want Bart. We want Dwight. We want Gazza.

Which is why most F1 fans breathed a sigh of relief to hear that Lewis Hamilton will not be towing the party line to help his team-mate/long-time adversary Nico Rosberg finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel for second place in the drivers’ championship. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed that “the primary objective is to make Nico score a lot of points to secure second in the championship. Lewis is absolutely aware this is a team exercise”. Balls to that, Hamilton responded, in so many words. “We are racing as far as I am concerned.”

There may be little to play for going into the Brazilian Grand Prix, this season’s penultimate race – Hamilton has already won his third world title, Mercedes have wrapped up the constructors’ crown – but thank goodness that Lewis hasn’t lost his edge. Rosberg, 21 points clear of Vettel, will have to earn that second place on his own. And that’s the way it should be.

Lights out: 4pm GMT

Updated

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