Brazilian GP: Free Practice 3 - Re-Cap & Times

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #3

    It was both Mercedes drivers on top of the rain-filled final practice session of the weekend, but this time it was Nico Rosberg leading with the fastest time of a 1:11.740. Lewis Hamilton still finished close behind with a 1:11.833. Vettel, Raikkonen and Verstappen completed the top 5.

    Session was yellow flagged momentarily when an umbrella blew onto the track. Once it was cleared, the session was green again.

    Marcus Ericsson was unable to set a time in this session due to engine problems. His team-mate, Felipe Nasr, finished the session in 20th with a 1:13.992. Neither driver has been confirmed in F1 for 2017 but Nasr is being linked to a potential drive with Manor for next year.

    Mercedes had their pit boxes pushed back after both Hamilton and Rosberg reported an area that was causing them to lose the car upon entry to where they would stop. Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams moved their pit boxes back in order for Mercedes to have adequate space    

TIMES: 

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:11.740 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:11.833 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:11.959 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:12.027 / Ferrari-Ferrari

5. Max Verstappen - 1:12.077 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:12.287 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:12.614 / Williams-Mercedes

8. Jolyon Palmer - 1:12.968 / Renault-Renault

9. Felipe Massa - 1:12.990 / Williams-Mercedes

10. Fernando Alonso - 1:13.002 / McLaren-Honda

11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:13.203 / Force India-Mercedes

12. Sergio Perez - 1:13.231 / Force India-Mercedes

13. Kevin Magnussen - 1:13.255 / Renault-Renault

14. Carlos Sainz - 1:13.293 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

15. Romain Grosjean - 1:13.344 / Haas-Ferrari

16. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:13.596 / Haas-Ferrari

17. Daniil Kvyat - 1:13.609 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

18. Jenson Button - 1:13.750 / McLaren-Honda

19. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:13.972 / Manor-Mercedes

20. Felipe Nasr - 1:13.992 / Sauber-Ferrari

21. Esteban Ocon - 1:14.222 / Manor-Mercedes

22. Marcus Ericsson - NO TIME SET / Sauber-Ferrari

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Brazilian GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Times

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #2

    Both Mercedes drivers topped the second practice session of the weekend, with both Williams drivers not far behind. Hamilton finished in 1st with a 1:12.271. Rosberg finished in 2nd with a 1:12.301. Bottas, Massa and Ricciardo completed the top 5.

    Esteban Gutierrez and Kevin Magnussen returned to their cars after they sat out FP1 for GP3 Championship leader, Charles Leclerc and GP2 driver, Sergey Sirotkin. Gutierrez finished the session in 20th with a 1:14.558 and Magnussen finished in 16th with a 1:14.109.

    Fernando Alonso missed most of the session due to an ERS issue. He was lapping the circuit when the team came over the radio and told him to turn off the car. He pulled over and got out the car, then wandered around behind the barriers and even momentarily took over for one of the TV camera crew workers. His final time in the session was a 1:13.572, placing him in 11th.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:12.271 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Nico Rosberg - 1:12.301 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:12.761 / Williams-Mercedes

4. Felipe Massa - 1:12.789 / Williams-Mercedes

5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:12.828 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

6. Max Verstappen - 1:12.928 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

7. Sebastian Vettel - 1:13.002 / Ferrari-Ferrari

8. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:13.047 / Ferrari-Ferrari

9. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:13.299 / Force India-Mercedes

10. Jenson Button - 1:13.440 / McLaren-Honda

11. Fernando Alonso - 1:13.572 / McLaren-Honda

12. Daniil Kvyat - 1:13.689 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13. Carlos Sainz - 1:13.801 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

14. Sergio Perez - 1:13.918 / Force India-Mercedes

15. Romain Grosjean - 1:14.074 / Haas-Ferrari

16. Kevin Magnussen - 1:14.109 / Renault-Renault

17. Felipe Nasr - 1:14.309 / Sauber-Ferrari

18. Esteban Ocon - 1:14.317 / Manor-Mercedes

19. Jolyon Palmer - 1:14.436 / Renault-Renault

20. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:14.558 / Haas-Ferrari

21. Marcus Ericsson - 1:14.695 / Sauber-Ferrari

22. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:14.958 / Manor-Mercedes

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Brazilian GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Times

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #1

    With Brazil being 1 of the 2 final races of the 2016 season, pressure continues to rise for the title fighters, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Rosberg now only leads. by 19 points, leaving an open door for Hamilton to potentially take the Championship away from him. If Hamilton takes the title, it would be his 3rd Championship in a row.

    Hamilton led this session and finished with a fastest time of 1:11.895. Verstappen was close behind with a 1:11.991. Rosberg, Ricciardo and Bottas completed the top 5.

    Charles Leclerc (GP3) and Sergey Sirotkin (GP2), took part in this session, with Leclerc filling in for Gutierrez at Haas and Sirotkin filling in for Magnussen at Renault. Both Gutierrez and Magnussen are leaving their current teams at the end of the season. Magnussen will be taking that vacant Haas seat that Gutierrez leaves and will partner Grosjean who will continue with the American team in 2017. Gutierrez has not yet confirmed his plans for next year, but is reported to be doing so soon.

    Sirotkin had a troublesome session and was only to complete a handful of laps before experiencing mechanical issues with the Renault. He lost power as he came into pit-lane and from then on out, the car spent the rest of the session being worked on. Sirotkin finished the session in 22nd with a 1:15.800.

    Leclerc, who leads the GP3 Championship, finished the session in 21st with a 1:15.391 and completed 27 laps for Haas F1 Team. He said it was "Great to get back into the car" and that he loves Interlagos. Leclerc has completed multiple FP1 sessions this season and will possibly be picked up by GP2 in 2017.

    Daniil Kvyat, who finished the session in 12th, suffered a puncture while lapping the circuit and asked if Pirelli would replace the set of tyres. The answer was a 'No' from his team over the radio. His final time was a 1:14.090, while his team-mate, Sainz, finished just ahead of him in 11th with a 1:13.711.

    While all drivers have expressed their love for Interlagos, this race is extra important to Brazilian drivers, Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr. Massa, who is retiring from F1 at the end of the 2016 season, is looking forward to his last home-race. Nasr has not yet confirmed his F1 future for 2017 but is reportedly in talks with Manor. Nasr was previously linked to Renault before it was announced that Palmer would join Hulkenberg next year. 

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:11.895 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Max Verstappen - 1:11.991 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

3. Nico Rosberg - 1:12.125 / Mercedes-Mercedes

4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:12.371 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:13.129 / Williams-Mercedes

6. Sergio Perez - 1:13.289 / Force India-Mercedes

7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:13.293 / Force India-Mercedes

8. Felipe Massa - 1:13.318 / Williams-Mercedes

9. Sebastian Vettel - 1:13.567 / Ferrari-Ferrari

10. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:13.569 / Ferrari-Ferrari

11. Carlos Sainz - 1:13.711 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

12. Daniil Kvyat - 1:14.090 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13. Jenson Button - 1:14.252 / McLaren-Honda

14. Fernando Alonso - 1:14.296 / McLaren-Honda

15. Romain Grosjean - 1:14.507 / Haas-Ferrari

16. Felipe Nasr - 1:14.631 / Sauber-Ferrari

17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:14.654 / Sauber-Ferrari

18. Esteban Ocon - 1:14.827 / Manor-Mercedes

19. Jolyon Palmer - 1:14.908 / Renault-Renault

20. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:14.948 / Manor-Mercedes

21. Charles Leclerc* - 1:15.391 / Haas-Ferrari

22. Sergey Sirotkin* - 1:15.800 / Renault-Renault

* - Driving in this session only

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Gutierrez Confirms Departure From Haas

GUTIERREZ PARTS WAYS WITH HAAS F1 TEAM

    As the driver market continues to fall into place for the 2017 season, another confirmation has been made with Esteban Gutierrez announcing that he will not be racing for American Team, Haas.

    The 25-Year-Old driver from Monterrey, Mexico, first entered Formula 1 in 2013 when he was chosen to be the replacement for Sergio Perez, who was entering his 3rd season with then-titled Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes. Gutierrez raced for 2 years at Sauber before he left the team and joined Ferrari in 2015 as their reserve/test driver. Gutierrez came back to racing this year when Haas signed him and Romain Grosjean.

    Gutierrez announced his departure via twitter with the following message: 

In English: "Dear friends, I want to share with you that I will no longer be with Haas F1 Team for next season. I want to thank all the team and staff, specially Gene Haas for his opportunity to work with them. I wish them all the best. There are two races left, which I intend to enjoy to the fullest and as always, I'll give my best. Special thanks to all my fans and supporters, you will always have a place in my heart. I hope to shortly share my plans for the future. Warm regards!"

En Espanol: "Queridos amigos, quiero compartirles que no seguire con Haas F1 Team para la proxima temporada. Quiero agradecer a todo el equipo, en especial a Gene Haas por esta oportunidad de trabajar con ellos. Les deseo mucho exito. Quedan dos carreras, en las cuales disfrutare cada momento y seguire luchando al maximo. Agradezco profundamente a todos los que me siguen y apoyan, todos ustedes siempre estan en mi corazon. Espero muy pronto poder compartirles mis planes para el futuro. Un fuerte abrazo!"

    Kevin Magnussen is the current favorite to take the now-vacant Haas seat but nothing has been confirmed yet.

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Ocon Confirmed At Force India For 2017

OCON TO PARTNER PEREZ AT FORCE INDIA IN 2017

    Esteban Ocon will join Sergio Perez at Force India in his second Formula One season. Ocon replaces Nico Hulkenberg, who has already announced he’ll be switching to Renault next season.

    A number of drivers have been linked to the seat after Hulkenberg announced his departure from the team, including Ocon’s Manor fellow Mercedes Junior Pascal Wehrlein. The seat was the only empty seat in the top five teams, with Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Williams already locking in their 2017 line up.

    Ocon, who entered Formula One this season with Manor Racing ahead of the Italian GP, has already tested with the team, working as a test driver for Force India last season. The twenty year old is yet to score a point in Formula One.

    “I’m still relatively new to Formula One, but spending half a season at Manor Racing has given me some valuable experience, and I feel ready for this new opportunity with Sahara Force India,” said Ocon.

    “It’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life and I intend to grab this opportunity with both hands so that I can deliver the results the team expects from me.”

    Team Principal Vijay Mallya explained how the team have been following Ocon for a number of years.

    “We’ve had our eye on Esteban for a number of years, and have followed his progress through the junior categories where he delivered outstanding results,” he said. “We ran him in the car last year during testing and his performance convinced us that he is more than capable of racing alongside Sergio.”

    It was expected Force India, who will continue to run Mercedes power units next season, would choose a Mercedes Junior driver to fill their line up, but the decision of Ocon over Wehrlein has to be a blow to the Brit, who is still without a seat. Ocon’s “promotion” could be a sign of how Mercedes rate their junior drivers, which means we could see Ocon replace Wehrlein as the most likely to jump into a Mercedes seat when either Mercedes driver leaves.

    Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff described the decision as a “positive development for Formula One.”

    “Esteban has the most impressive track record in junior formulae and he is an exceptional personality outside of the car,” Wolff said. “Force India have a strong record of working with young drivers and have again shown courage and vision to take Esteban under their wing. Even more, it is a positive development for Formula One that talent wins over money and we will be seeing some of the most impressive youngsters fighting to make it to the top in Formula One over the coming years.”

    The confirmation means silly season is nearly over. Sauber and Manor have still not announced their line ups, though it is widely expected Sauber will continue with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, whilst Haas still has a single driver to announce. It is expected Kevin Magnussen will take the seat, but nothing is confirmed.

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Brazilian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “I think this is the perfect venue for this point in the season - a technically interesting track that has a lot of challenges for team and driver, and one where exciting racing is pretty much guaranteed. It’s a race that can create a few surprises - which means opportunities - so we need to be right there to take advantage of them.”

Esteban Ocon - “The first thing for me is to make sure we have managed to dial-out the problem we had in Mexico, as it affected my whole weekend. I’m really hoping we can start from our usual good baseline again and I can focus on building my performance through the weekend. A more representative progression and hopefully a more representative result to go with it. Plus, we have a big job to do for the team in the next two races, so we need to keep pushing and find more performance to help us keep up the fight with Sauber.

On-track, I’ve watched some fantastic racing here over the years and in particular the weather has played a big hand in that. I’ve already witnessed my first Sao Paulo thunderstorm - and I think there are plenty more where that one came from. It’s an exciting track to drive and a nice one to try to master, with all the elevation changes, the harder spectrum tyres and finding the best set-up to manage the aero demands for this circuit. Off-track? I’m looking forward to a nice juicy steak at one of the amazing churrascarias.”

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Renault Confirms Palmer For 2017

RENAULT CONFIRMS PALMER FOR 2017

    Jolyon Palmer will remain at Renault Sport team for his second season in Formula One, despite only taking a single point so far in his debut year. Palmer will line up Nico Hulkenberg at the team next year.

    After Hulkenberg was announced to be joining the team, Palmer and current teammate Kevin Magnussen have been battling for the final seat at the team. Magnussen has outscored his teammate on nine occasions, and has six more points than Palmer.

    “Jolyon has shown his hunger to develop with us as the team grows and we have been impressed with his increasingly strong performances on track as the season has progressed,” said Jerome Stoll, the Renault Sport Racing Chairman. “We are confident that the combination of Jolyon and Nico Hulkenberg offers a very promising driving force to meet our goals.”

    Renault are hoping to continue developing. Hulkenberg’s commitment to the team shows that there are some in the paddock that believe it won’t be long until they are a race winning team, and not one that has only had three points finishes so far. And with Renault’s development, Palmer is hoping to develop too.

    “Having worked out of Enstone since 2015 I can fully appreciate the development of the infrastructure this year,” said Palmer. “This means I share the excitement of the team looking to 2017 and our new car. For me, it’s been a steep learning curve driving in Formula 1 and I know that I am performing better than ever, and that there’s still more to come.”

    This confirmation takes another seat off of the market. Sauber and Manor are yet to confirm their line ups, whilst Force India and Haas both have a single seat each up for grabs.

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Brazilian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Sauber

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAUBER F1 TEAM

Marcus Ericsson - "The Brazilian Grand Prix is a nice race weekend with lots of Formula One history. It will be an important race weekend for us. Of course, our objective is still to score points, so as a team we will do our very best to ensure Felipe and I finish the race in the top ten. We will keep working in the right direction, and we all know that we are hunting for the first point. Regarding the race weekend, I will have the chance to test the halo system for the first time on Friday in FP1. I am curious to see how driving feels with it."

Felipe Nasr - "I am really looking forward to my second home Grand Prix. Overall I had a nice experience last year. The Brazilian Grand Prix is certainly a very special race weekend for me. It is always great to see the Brazilian fans and have their support at the race track. I cannot wait to race at such an historical track that I really enjoy driving on. I expect a warm welcome and a lot of fans in Interlagos. I will be fighting to get a good result there, and it would be great if I could have the chance to score points at my home race. Hopefully my home soil can also bring us a bit of luck."

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Brazilian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It’s a pretty tough track with not much opportunity for a rest. Even in the straight lines you can’t rest as much as you would like. You’re at altitude as well, at 800 metres (2,625 feet), so coming from Mexico that’s nothing, but you’re still not at sea level. The weather can be challenging. It can be very warm and humid. It’s a pretty intense challenge but, at the end of the day, that’s what we’re looking for.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “Interlagos is a track that is very nice to drive. There is no real downside to the track. It is not a very long track, but at the same time, it has pretty different corners. Some corners you can use a lot of kerbs, which make it very interesting. It has quite a nice rhythm, so it’s always a very special track.

The (anti-clockwise) direction of the track doesn’t really affect our feeling for it. Sometimes it just shifts a bit of the focus on tyre wear from one side compared to the other, but it’s nothing that should make a difference to us or any other team.

It’s not one of the most physical tracks, but it is quite physical for the neck, and it being anti-clockwise factors into that. The strength goes to the opposite side and all the main straight is not really one straight - it’s a whole corner. In the race I remember my neck getting a good workout.”

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Brazilian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “I think every racing driver enjoys racing at Interlagos. It’s obviously a special place, and we saw at the last race just how important it is to have packed grandstands full of passionate fans - and Brazil is no different. For such a short lap, the track has a great flow – from the moment you cross the start-finish line, you plunge into the esses and then sweep down into the bottom of the venue’s natural bowl. Even with a couple of hairpins, it doesn’t really feel like any of the corners interrupt the flow around here, which means that, at the end of each lap, you’re already fully committed to attacking it again. I love this place.

Sitting on the grid ahead of the race is one of those unique Formula One sensations: the crowd seems to loom over you; really in your face, very close. The atmosphere and intensity are always amazing. After a disappointing weekend in Mexico, I think we’ll be looking to bounce back in Brazil. One of our aims will be to make the most of practice and qualifying, and give ourselves the best chance of maintaining a better position during the race."

Jenson Button - “I love Interlagos and I’m really excited about the weekend. There’s been some absolutely classic Formula One races there and it’s always a good climax toward the end of the season. I hope we can have a better result there than we did in Mexico and work towards getting back into the points. There’s only two races left so we’ll be giving it our all for the awesome Brazilian fans. The atmosphere at Interlagos is always something special, so we’ll go out there and show them a great weekend of racing.

The Interlagos circuit has a bit of - how can I put it? - ‘muscle’. It’s a place that you really attack - and it’s really enjoyable, particularly when the front-end is properly nailed. A corner like Ferradura is really satisfying when you get it right; you really commit at the corner entry, barely scrubbing off any speed, and then sort of guide the car through until it rolls out of the second apex up onto the apex kerb. It’s great. Even the hairpins require a really attacking style, you can take lots of kerb, and there’s no run-off at the exits. It’s how a racetrack should be, really.”

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