Brazilian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Mercedes

Preview Quotes - Mercedes


Lewis Hamilton - "Interlagos is one of the real classics - quite short, tough on tyres, with variable weather and a really tricky start to the lap that always seems to bring drama. Then there's the fans. The Brazilian people are so passionate, fun and outgoing. It's a vibrant country, full of colour, and somewhere that's quite special to me. This was the home race for Ayrton, so it was a dream of mine to race in São Paulo when I was younger and I always feel his presence when I'm there. He was such a huge hero in Brazil and it's humbling that I always get such a warm response there. It's amazing to think that it took Ayrton eight attempts to win this race and it's one of the few I haven't yet won myself. If I can change that this weekend it would be a salute to him and another highlight to add to this amazing year, so I'll be going all out to make that happen."

Nico Rosberg - "I'm really pumped to get to São Paulo and get back out on track after a great weekend in Mexico. For a start, Interlagos is one of the classic races on the calendar. It's a tricky circuit that's a really good challenge for a driver, with plenty of overtaking opportunities and crazy weather that always makes for an action-packed race. I have good memories from Brazil, too. I've usually been pretty quick there and last year was a good battle with Lewis, when I came out on top. Standing on the top step after a hard-earned win, following in the footsteps of so many great drivers who have won there and with the passionate Brazilian crowd cheering on - that was a great feeling. I'd love to experience that again, so the aim is to put on another good show for the fans and to carry my form from Mexico into this race. It's always a great feeling to head into a weekend on the back of a win, so I'm confident of a strong performance."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Brazilian GP: Circuit Preview

(Image belongs to brazila1.wix.com - All rights belong to the owner)

The "Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace", also known as "Interlagos" is F1's circuit in the beautiful country of Brazil in South America. The circuit is located in the city of Sao Paulo and first opened back in 1940.

    The circuit runs anti-clockwise, has a capacity of 60,000 and is 2.677 miles in length. The current version has 15 turns and the race runs 71 laps.

    Last year, Nico Rosberg took Pole Position and the win, while Lewis Hamilton finished Second and Felipe Massa finished Third. Retirements included: Romain Grosjean (Power Unit - Qualified As Finished) and Daniel Ricciardo (Suspension)

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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Brazilian GP: Schedule

With two races left to go, it's times for the teams to head to South America for the Brazilian GP. Here is the schedule for the week.

SCHEDULE:

November 12th / Thursday

11:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

November 13th / Friday

10:00 - 11:30 - Free Practice #1
14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2
16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

November 14th / Saturday 

08:30 - 09:15 - Team Pit-Stop Practice
11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice #3 
14:00 - Qualifying 

November 15th / Sunday

12:30 - Drivers Track Parade (Starting Grid)
12:45 - 13:15 - Starting Grid Presentation
13:46 - National Anthem
14:00 - Race Start

(Times subject to change)

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Feature: Star Drivers Of The Mexican GP

Frances Fry (Assistant Writer) - "After the Mexican Grand Prix I've found it incredibly hard to select a star driver. However, after long deliberation I finally decided to give my star driver to winner of the race, Nico Rosberg. Nico Rosberg has found himself second to his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, more often than not this season. This is why it was so fantastic to see see him conquer the field and come out in first place for only the fourth time this year. I imagine that his lack of first place finishes made this victory in particular, so much sweeter. Nico stayed ahead of the field and remained calm and collected until he passed the chequered flag. Congratulations on another win Nico!"

Amy Hawk (Assistant Writer) - "My star driver of the weekend is Valtteri Bottas. He's had a bit of bad luck the last few races, but this time he was able to go out there and get on the podium and of course that's a great result for both him and the Williams team. I think eventually, he will get his first win and it will be a great achievement."

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Feature: Mexican GP - Our Post-Race Quotes

Frances Fry (Assistant Writer) - "The Mexican Grand Prix is officially back on the calendar after 23 years absence and my goodness it's stunning! The section of curves with grandstands on either side is fantastic and the fact that it homes the podium is the cherry on top! Standing on the podium with the incredibly enthusiastic Mexican fans cheering your name must be incredible!

My highlight of the weekend was, without a doubt, the Mexican fans. Yes, the track was wonderful but what's a great track without excited fans filling the grandstands. I can't imagine how Sergio Perez must've felt driving through, screams of support in his path. I very much look forward to next year's Mexican Grand Prix where two Mexican drivers will be back on the grid. Perhaps the cheers will be twice as loud."

Amy Hawk (Lead Writer & Editor) - "I think the Mexican GP had a great comeback to Formula 1! It was a great race, great circuit and the fans were just so excited and happy. Huge congratulations to Rosberg, Hamilton and Bottas. It's gotta' be a great feeling for Rosberg to win somewhere so special to the sport. I'm glad we'll have both Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez driving on the circuit next year. It's so great for them to have a home race. I thought the circuit looked absolutely amazing. The grand stand areas were phenomenal. Next is Brazil and I'm already looking forward to it. It's always an action-packed race! Cheers!"

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Mexican GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

It was a big day for everyone as Mexico made its return to the F1 calendar for the first time in 23 years. The pressure was on everyone to do good, especially Sergio Perez, the lone Mexican driver. He was finally able to race for his home crowd and he was cheered on every time his car passed by the stands.

    The pressure was also on Nico Rosberg, who was starting from Pole Position. It had been quite awhile since Rosberg was able to come away with a win. Lewis Hamilton had just wrapped up the Drivers Championship in Austin and now, all that's up for grabs is winning the final races.

    Fernando Alonso was suffering from many mechanical issues, but started the race out of respect for the crowd/fans. Unfortunately, he had to retire the car after only one lap. It was a difficult day for McLaren altogether, especially with Button starting from the last place on the grid.

    Another team facing an unlucky ending to the race was Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel was not only tagged and spun by former team-mate, Ricciardo, around lap 18, but on lap 52, he lost control of the car and plowed into the barriers. His team-mate, Raikkonen, collided again with Valtteri Bottas, causing the Ferrari driver to have to retire with suspension damage. Neither Vettel or Raikkonen were injured, but their race was over far too early.

    The last retirement of the race was Felipe Nasr, who reported a brake fire during the safety car period, following Vettel's crash. Nasr retired only a couple of laps later and his race was over.

    Nico Rosberg was able to take home the win, while Hamilton finished in second and Valtteri Bottas soared to the podium in third. Both Red Bull's produced great results as well with Kvyat and Ricciardo finishing 4th and 5th respectively.

    Force India also had a double points scoring finish with Hulkenberg in 7th and Perez in 8th. Another great result for the team, that keeps them secure in 5th in the constructors championship.

Here are the race results.

RACE RESULTS:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points
3. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland / + 15 Points
4. Daniil Kvyat / Red Bull-Renault / Russia / + 12 Points
5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia / + 10 Points
6. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 8 Points
7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany / + 6 Points
8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 4 Points
9. Max Verstappen / Toro Rosso-Renault / Netherlands / + 2 Points
10. Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Mercedes / France / + 1 Point
11. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Mercedes / Venezuela
12. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
13. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain
14. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain
15. Alexander Rossi / Manor-Ferrari / America
16. Will Stevens / Manor-Ferrari / Great Britain

RETIRED - Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil / Brakes
RETIRED - Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / Crash
RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Accident Damage
RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Power-Unit Failure

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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Mexican GP: Qualifying - Results

Jenson Button was unable to participate in Qualifying due to multiple mechanical issues with his McLaren. He was also 1 of 3 drivers with penalties. Here are the results after the penalties were put into place.

RESULTS:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany
2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Daniil Kvyat / Red Bull-Renault / Russia
5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia
6. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland
7. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
8. Max Verstappen / Toro Rosso-Renault / Netherlands
9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
10. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany
11. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain
12. Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Mercedes / France
13. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Mercedes / Venezuela 
14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil
16. Alexander Rossi / Manor-Ferrari / America
17. Will Stevens / Manor-Ferrari / Great Britain
18. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain*
19. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland*
20. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain*

* - Fernando Alonso = 15-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple component changes
* - Kimi Raikkonen = 35-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple component changes
* - Jenson Button = 70-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple component changes
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Mexican GP: Free Practice 3 - Re-Cap & Results

The last free practice session was able to get underway without any rain, although not everyone had a good session.

    Besides a few drivers spinning, Kimi Raikkonen stopped on track only 30 minutes into the session due to Power Unit issues & Jenson Button face multiple problems with his McLaren. Button was already set to take penalties for the race, but even more were added as he had multiple component changes to his car.

Here are the times from the session

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:21.083 / Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:21.097 / Mercedes-Mercedes
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:21.201 / Red Bull-Renault
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:21.294 / Ferrari-Ferrari
5. Daniil Kvyat - 1:21.530 / Red Bull-Renault
6. Sergio Perez - 1:21.603 / Force India-Mercedes
7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:21.772 / Williams-Mercedes
8. Carlos Sainz - 1:21.775 / Toro Rosso-Renault
9. Felipe Massa - 1:21.945 / Williams-Mercedes
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:22.010 / Force India-Mercedes
11. Max Verstappen - 1:22.039 / Toro Rosso-Renault
12. Pastor Maldonado - 1:22.042 / Lotus-Mercedes
13. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.184 / Lotus-Mercedes
14. Marcus Ericsson - 1:22.871 / Sauber-Ferrari
15. Fernando Alonso - 1:23.065 / McLaren-Honda
16. Felipe Nasr - 1:23.067 / Sauber-Ferrari
17. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:24.648 / Ferrari-Ferrari
18. Will Stevens - 1:25.654 / Manor-Ferrari
19. Alexander Rossi - 1:28.176 / Manor-Ferrari
20. Jenson Button - 1:29.336 / McLaren-Honda

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Mexican GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Results

It was a rainy second session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and it proved difficult for drivers to find grip and balance. Max Verstappen had a huge spin and ended up with his Toro Rosso in the barriers. Max escaped uninjured, but his session was over before he could even set a time.

    Romain Grosjean also had an unlucky session when his car stopped on track due to Mechanical issues. However, things had turned around for Rosberg after suffering brake problems in FP1. This time, he ended the session on top, followed by Kvyat and Ricciardo.

Here are the times from the session

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:21.531 / Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Daniil Kvyat - 1:21.776 / Red Bull-Renault
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:21.868 / Red Bull-Renault
4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:21.961 / Mercedes-Mercedes
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:21.984 / Ferrari-Ferrari
6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:22.399 / Ferrari-Ferrari
7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:22.721 / Williams-Mercedes
8. Fernando Alonso - 1:22.993 / McLaren-Honda
9. Jenson Button - 1:23.109 / McLaren-Honda
10. Felipe Massa - 1:23.289 / Williams-Mercedes
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:23.290 / Force India-Mercedes
12. Pastor Maldonado - 1:23.363 / Lotus-Mercedes
13. Carlos Sainz - 1:23.364 / Toro Rosso-Renault
14. Felipe Nasr - 1:23.430 / Sauber-Ferrari
15. Sergio Perez - 1:23.597 / Force India-Mercedes
16. Romain Grosjean - 1:23.614 / Lotus-Mercedes
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:24.533 / Sauber-Ferrari
18. Alexander Rossi - 1:25.940 / Manor-Ferrari
19. Will Stevens - 1:26.968 / Manor-Ferrari
20. Max Verstappen - No Time Set / Toro Rosso-Renault

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Mexican GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Results

There was plenty to be excited about as Friday finally arrived with much anticipation from fans, drivers & media. It was Mexico's return to F1 after 23 years.

    With the circuit being brand new, one thing was noted almost immediately as drivers started putting in their lap times. It was that the circuit lacked grip and was super slippery. The light morning rain didn't help that fact either. Not one, not two, but more than 3 drivers experienced spins, including Bottas, Perez & Ricciardo.

   Mercedes didn't make this session a 1-2, but instead it was a Toro Rosso and a Red Bull. Young drivers Max Verstappen & Daniil Kvyat topped the session and drew in great applause from their fans. Nico Rosberg struggled with brake problems in the session, while Hamilton just couldn't seem to navigate the track fast enough.

    American driver, Alexander Rossi is in the car for Manor-Marussia again for the whole weekend, while Jolyon Palmer is in the session for Grosjean.

Here are the times from the session

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:25.990 / Toro Rosso-Renault
2. Daniil Kvyat - 1:26.295 / Red Bull-Renault
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:26.295 / Ferrari-Ferrari
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:26.886 / Ferrari-Ferrari
5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:27.185 / Red Bull-Renault
6. Nico Rosberg - 1:27.196 / Mercedes-Mercedes
7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:27.303 / Williams-Mercedes
8. Carlos Sainz - 1:27.410 / Toro Rosso-Renault
9. Sergio Perez - 1:27.582 / Force India-Mercedes
10. Felipe Massa - 1:27.695 / Williams-Mercedes
11. Lewis Hamilton - 1:27.723 / Mercedes-Mercedes
12. Marcus Ericsson - 1:28.498 / Sauber-Ferrari
13. Pastor Maldonado - 1:28.559 / Lotus-Mercedes
14. Felipe Nasr - 1:28.579 / Sauber-Ferrari
15. Jolyon Palmer* - 1:28.711 / Lotus-Mercedes
16. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:29.099 / Force India-Mercedes
17. Fernando Alonso - 1:30.072 / McLaren-Honda
18. Alexander Rossi - 1:30.619 / Manor-Ferrari
19. Jenson Button - 1:32.091 / McLaren-Honda
20. Will Stevens - 1:32.866 / Manor-Ferrari

* - Driving in this session only

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