Brazilian GP : Race Preview

On almost the other side of the earth from Japan is Brazil, and from one passionate set of fans to another. The Interlagos circuit consistently provides good racing with good overtaking opportunities into the famous Senna S and Descida do Lago corners. It has also played host to multiple championship deciders with the last of which occurring in 2014, and it seems almost guaranteed that another championship will be decided with Romain Grosjean task of overhauling a 23-point deficit with only 24 on offer looking virtually impossible.

Suzuka claims all but seven drivers in war of attrition

Suzuka was a bruiser of a race with mechanical failures and spins aplenty. Valtteri Bottas kicked things off by crashing out at the Esses on lap 3, which led to a quick spate of retirements including the remaining Finns; Kimi Raikkonen crashed out of what has turned out to be his final race of the season, and Vaino Kimminen’s suffered a failed Firestone. Meanwhile, both Shake ‘n’ Bake drivers missed out on good results due to separate reliability issues, Lewis Hamilton squandered yet another pole position with a spin, and both Cooper Lee and Sergio Perez threw away strong points finishes in the closing stages with spins of their own. In the end, those whose cars ran reliably and kept it on the road ended up scoring points in a race that saw its fewest finishers since 2000 where only six cars made the chequered flag.

Kimminen’s early retirement opened the door for Grosjean to take a big chunk out of his championship lead, but the Tornado car was off the pace having had their Climax engines turned down due to reliability concerns. Grosjean’s engine still managed to explode with just three laps remaining but was still classified 8th, somehow keeping the Drivers Championship battle alive. Conversely, the Climax ran nicely for Andrew Racing, but Daniel Ricciardo’s win came under threat during the second round of pitstops courtesy of Alessandro Farina, who had worked his way into contention from 16th on the grid. A slow stop for the Italian however meant that Ricciardo was able to keep the lead and take his first win of the season at a circuit where Andrew Racing seem to be good at with three previous wins in 1988, 2002, and 2016. With Jean-Eric Vergne finally getting an overdue podium finish, it was Andrew Racing’s first double podium since the 1950 British Grand Prix, the very first canon race.

Paddock News

• Kimi Raikkonen’s ignominious end to the Japanese Grand Prix may well have influenced CBA Racing to drop the Finn before the end of the season and replace him with Mason Taylor, who finished 3rd in the 2017 FF2M season despite an underwhelming end to the season for the Kiwi. Further driver changes include Sebastian Vettel returning to Pedersen in the place of Cooper Lee with FF2M champion Chuck Bucknum taking the second Mitchell seat, and Mario Da Silva getting his chance in front of his home crowd as he replaces the underperforming Nico Hulkenberg. Meanwhile, the second driver situation at Andrew Racing still remains unclear with no indication as to who will take Vergne’s place in the final race at Macau.

• Judd have been instructed by FJR to bring new ICE, ERS, and CE components for this race. As this is their fifth upgrade of the season, this will result in FJR accepting a grid penalty and starting from the back of grid, no matter where they qualify. Willows Racing’s qualifying position will be unaffected.

Can Gojira end their victory drought in front of their home crowd?

When it comes to their home race, the Gui Racing conglomerate, known from 2013 as Gojira AutoSport, have had tremendous success with seven wins, comfortably the most of any team. Their last win came in 2014 which was a bittersweet result as Lewis Hamilton missed out on the Drivers Championship to Sebastian Vettel. With Hulkenberg’s departure, Farina has now assumed the role of lead driver and has performed brilliantly in the last two races. A win is now a major possibility for the Italian, but he’ll have stiff competition from the likes of Tornado and Andrew Racing, plus he’ll have to address Gojira’s qualifying weakness.

Support Races

FF3M returns after a near two month break from the previous race at the Nurburgring, and the championship battle has been simmering into a four-way showdown as Jay Follmer has been taking huge chunks out of Joo-Young Park’s lead with Jorge Diaz and Yokikawa Sato not far behind. Follmer and Diaz are part of the Young Driver Programmes of Mitchell and Shake ‘n’ Bake respectively, while of the local drivers, Alfonso Moreno has the momentum heading into his home race after finishing 2nd at Nurburgring Race 2.

Interlagos will also see the final meeting of the FF4M PanAm championship. Kentucky native Sarah Hollister has already been crowned champion and is likely to sign for FJR’s Young Driver Programme as part of their tendency to promote female drivers. The remaining two places for next season’s FF3M championship will be fought by seven drivers including Marty Bryant, the adoptive cousin to FF1M’s second unluckiest driver of this season Nolan Bryant.

Coverage Details

Highlights of the penultimate race of the FF1M season will premiere at 16:00 on 23rd February 2025.

Meanwhile, full, unedited coverage of both FF3M races will be posted at midday on Saturday and Sunday.

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