Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

F1 2014 OFFICIAL CALENDAR : 19 Races; Out Korea, New Jersey and Mexico; Russia debuts; Austria returns.

March 16th GP Australia (Melbourne)
March 30th GP Malesia (Sepang)
April 6th GP Bahrain (Sakhir)
April 20th GP China (Shanghai)
May 11th GP Spain (Barcelona)
May 25th GP Monaco (Montecarlo)
June 8th GP Canada (Montreal)
June 22nd GP Austria (Spielberg)
July 6th GP Great Britain (Silverstone)
July 20th GP Germany (Hockenheim)
July 27th GP Hungary (Budapest)
August 24th GP Belgium (Spa)
September 7th GP Italy (Monza)
September 21st GP Singapore (Marina Bay)
October 5th GP Japan (Suzuka)
October 12th GP Russia (Sochi)
November 2nd GP U.S.A. (Austin)
November 9th GP Brazil (Interlagos)
November 23rd GP Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

30/11/1966 mika salo former finnish f1 driver
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Official news : Lotus announced that Pastor Maldonado will replace Kimi Raikkonen next year as second
driver, with the confirmed Romain Grosjean as first.
"For me is a fantastic opportunity" said Maldonado " Lotus offer is the best chance to be competitive".

To celebrate its 10th "birthday", next year Bahrain GP will become a night race.
Circuit director Salman bin Isa Al - Khalifa said that the installation of the new illumination
system will be completed next February.

constructors standings
1 Red Bull Racing-Renault 596
2 Mercedes 360
3 Ferrari 354
4 Lotus-Renault 315
5 McLaren-Mercedes 122
6 Force India-Mercedes 77
7 Sauber-Ferrari 57
8 STR-Ferrari 33
9 Williams-Renault 5
10 Marussia-Cosworth 0
11 Caterham-Renault 0

drivers standings
1 Sebastian Vettel German Red Bull Racing-Renault 397
2 Fernando Alonso Spanish Ferrari 242
3 Mark Webber Australian Red Bull Racing-Renault 199
4 Lewis Hamilton British Mercedes 189
5 Kimi Räikkönen Finnish Lotus-Renault 183
6 Nico Rosberg German Mercedes 171
7 Romain Grosjean French Lotus-Renault 132
8 Felipe Massa Brazilian Ferrari 112
9 Jenson Button British McLaren-Mercedes 73
10 Nico Hulkenberg German Sauber-Ferrari 51
11 Sergio Perez Mexican McLaren-Mercedes 49
12 Paul di Resta British Force India-Mercedes 48
13 Adrian Sutil German Force India-Mercedes 29
14 Daniel Ricciardo Australian STR-Ferrari 20
15 Jean-Eric Vergne French STR-Ferrari 13
16 Esteban Gutierrez Mexican Sauber-Ferrari 6
17 Valtteri Bottas Finnish Williams-Renault 4
18 Pastor Maldonado Venezuelan Williams-Renault 1
19 Jules Bianchi French Marussia-Cosworth 0
20 Charles Pic French Caterham-Renault 0
21 Heikki Kovalainen Finnish Lotus-Renault 0
22 Giedo van der Garde Dutch Caterham-Renault 0
23 Max Chilton British Marussia-Cosworth 0

The Final Race result of the 2013 season :

1. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1h32:36.300
2. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - 1:15.436 + 10.452
3. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari -- + 18.9
4. Jenson Button - McLaren - + 37.3
5. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP- + 39.0
6. Sergio Perez - McLaren - + 44.0
7. Felipe Massa - Ferrari - + 49.1
8. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber - + 1:04.2
9. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - + 1:12.9
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso - + 1 lap
11. Paul di Resta - Force India - + 1 lap
12. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - + 1 lap
13. Adrian Sutil -Force India - + 1 lap
14. Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - + 1 lap
15. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - + 1 lap
16. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - + 1 lap
17. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - + 2 laps
18. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham - + 2 laps
19. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - + 2 laps
Did Not Finish :
20. Charles Pic - Caterham
21. Valtteri Bottas - Williams
22. Romain Grosjean - Lotus


Fastest Lap : Mark Webber - 1:15.436
Pitstop Daniel Ricciardo : 2 ( lap 14 - 42 )
Bat . 2 Teams : Mark Webber > Lewis Hamitlon
Grid pos. Felipe Massa : 7th place

Vettel grabs record-equalling ninth straight F1 victory :
Sebastian Vettel ended the 2013 Formula 1 season with a ninth consecutive race win, as his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber said goodbye to the championship with second place. Fernando Alonso gave gallant chase to the Red Bulls and got Ferrari back on the podium, in a race in which rain regularly threatened, but never materialised in sufficient doses to cause a problem. It was not a totally straightforward win for Vettel, who had to do some overtaking and overcome a pitstop drama. He lost the lead at the start as both Nico Rosberg and Alonso got away better. Rosberg led out of the Senna S, but Alonso ran out of space and lost third to the German's Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Both Mercedes were overtaken at the end of lap one though, with Vettel easily reclaiming the lead from Rosberg as Alonso passed Hamilton in their wake. Webber, who had won a first-lap battle with Felipe Massa, quickly followed Alonso past Hamilton, with both soon overtaking Rosberg as well. Alonso put up a fight against Webber and did not lose second place until lap 13. He then regained it when the Red Bull had an issue on its right rear wheel at the first pitstops, but Webber only needed two laps to catch and re-pass the Ferrari. Although Webber was able to chip away at Vettel's lead, the champion was always able to respond. Vettel's big lead turned out to be crucial as both Red Bulls made simultaneous final pitstops - to the apparent surprise of a crew prepared for Webber, not Vettel. That halved Vettel's advantage to six seconds, and the lead battle then threatened to come truly alive as rain appeared to loom and both Webber and Alonso started closing in. In the event, the thick clouds refrained from opening over the final laps, and the top three spread out again, allowing Vettel to take a record-equalling 13th win of the year. With Rosberg steadily dropping back through the field, Hamilton and Massa began battling for fourth until both hit trouble. Massa was left furious by a drive-through penalty for crossing the pit entry line on flying laps, while Hamilton tangled with Valtteri Bottas as the Williams driver moved to un-lap himself into the Descida do Lago. While Bottas was sent crashing into retirement, Hamilton picked up a puncture and was given a penalty for causing the collision. Those dramas played a part in McLaren's best result of its painful 2013 season, though Jenson Button and Sergio Perez's progress from 14th and 19th on the grid to fourth and sixth was mainly down to excellent race pace from their unloved car. The duo sandwiched Rosberg at the flag.
Massa and Hamilton recovered to seventh and ninth, split by Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber. Daniel Ricciardo gave Toro Rosso the final point in his last appearance before leaving for Red Bull, holding Paul di Resta, Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil at bay. Lotus's promising season came to a miserable end. Romain Grosjean lasted just two laps before a massive engine failure while running eighth, while Heikki Kovalainen was outside the points again in 14th having fallen to 18th on the opening lap. Marussia beat Caterham in the constructors' championship's tail-end battle for the first time. Caterham had been the quicker of the pair at Interlagos, but Giedo van der Garde was penalised for ignoring blue flags and Charles Pic had a late suspension failure, meaning Jules Bianchi gave Marussia the 'win' in the race day battle too.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO PETROBRAS DO BRASIL 2013
race results
1 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 71 1:32:36.300 1 25
2 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 71 +10.4 secs 4 18
3 3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 71 +18.9 secs 3 15
4 5 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 71 +37.3 secs 14 12
5 9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 71 +39.0 secs 2 10
6 6 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 71 +44.0 secs 19 8
7 4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 71 +49.1 secs 9 6
8 11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 71 +64.2 secs 10 4
9 10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 +72.9 secs 5 2
10 19 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 70 +1 Lap 7 1
11 14 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 70 +1 Lap 12
12 12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 70 +1 Lap 17
13 15 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 70 +1 Lap 15
14 7 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 70 +1 Lap 11
15 18 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 70 +1 Lap 8
16 16 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 70 +1 Lap 16
17 22 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 69 +2 Laps 21
18 21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 69 +2 Laps 20
19 23 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 69 +2 Laps 22
Ret 20 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 58 Mechanical 18
Ret 17 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 45 Accident 13
Ret 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 2 Engine 6
Note - Perez originally qualified 14th, but received a 5-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

24/11/1952 norbert haug former f1 mercedes team principal
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Result of the Final Qualifying of the F1 season 2013 :

1. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:26.479 -
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:27.102 + 0.623
3. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:27.539 + 1.060
4. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.572 + 1.093
5. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:27.677 + 1.198
6. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:27.737 + 1.258
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso - 1:28.052 + 1.573
8. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:28.081 + 1.602
9. Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:28.109 + 1.630
10. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber - 1:29.582 + 3.103
Q2
11. Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - 1:27.456 + 0.977
12. Paul di Resta - Force India - 1:27.798 + 1.319
13. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:27.954 + 1.475
14. Sergio Perez - McLaren - 1:28.269 + 1.790
15. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:28.308 + 1.829
16. Adrian Sutil - Force India - 1:28.586 + 2.107
17. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - 1:27.367 + 0.888
Q1
18. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:27.445 -
19. Charles Pic - Caterham - 1:27.843 + 1.364
20. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham - 1:28.320 + 1.841
21. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:28.366 + 1.887
22. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:28.950 + 2.471

Qual : 1:26.479
Pole : Sebastian Vettel
Team Bat : Fernando Alonso > Felipe Massa
Grid Pos. Nico Rosberg : 2nd place

Vettel flies to pole in wet qualifying :
Even an Interlagos downpour could not stop Sebastian Vettel as the 2013 Formula 1 champion took Brazilian Grand Prix pole by six tenths of a second. The Red Bull driver utterly dominated a Q3 session delayed by 45 minutes due to intense rainfall. Although Romain Grosjean briefly held provisional pole by virtue of taking intermediates before anyone else, Vettel's first lap on that rubber put him 1.1s clear of all his rivals. Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso were left to battle for second place, with the Mercedes eventually taking it and trimming Vettel's advantage to 0.623s. Third was still an excellent result for Alonso given Ferrari's recent form, as he held off Mark Webber by 0.063s. Lewis Hamilton was half a second off team-mate Rosberg's pace in fifth, while Grosjean fell back to sixth for Lotus. Toro Rosso starred in the wet and got both cars into Q3. Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will share row four, beating Felipe Massa's Ferrari and Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber. Conditions had fluctuated through both Q1 and Q2, with the latter getting ever wetter. That meant early times largely stood, bar Hulkenberg managing to jump into 10th at the expense of Heikki Kovalainen, who missed out by 0.015s. Both Force Indias, both McLarens and Valtteri Bottas's Williams also departed in Q2. Sergio Perez crashed at the right-hander on the exit of the Descida do Lago on his final lap, but still beat McLaren team-mate Jenson Button to 14th. Q1 appeared to be following a similar pattern until a late improvement in track conditions allowed Vergne to escape the drop-zone. That pushed Pastor Maldonado onto the elimination list, along with Esteban Gutierrez, the Caterhams and the Marussias, with Charles Pic beating his backmarker peers by half a second.

Result of the 3rd and Final practice session of the F1 season 2013 :

1. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.891 -
2. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:28.195 + 0.304
3. Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - 1:28.595 + 0.704
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:28.600 + 0.709
5. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber - 1:28.830 + 0.939
6. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:28.921 + 1.030
7. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:29.215 + 1.324
8. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - 1:29.686 + 1.795
9. Paul di Resta - Force India - 1:29.736 + 1.845
10. Adrian Sutil - Force India - 1:29.913 + 2.022
11. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:29.980 + 2.089
12. Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso - 1:29.988 + 2.097
13. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:30.635 + 2.744
14. Charles Pic - Caterham - 1:30.837 + 2.946
15. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:30.972 + 3.081
16. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham - 1:31.154 + 3.263
17. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:31.857 + 3.966
18. Sergio Perez - McLaren * 1:32.731 + 4.840
19. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - no time set -
20. Jenson Button - McLaren - no time set -
21. Felipe Massa - Ferrari - no time set -
22. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - no time set -

Mark Webber quickest as final practice of the season stays wet :
Mark Webber topped a rain-hit final practice session of 2013, ahead of what looks set to be a wet qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Australian Red Bull driver, in his final Formula 1 race, posted a time of 1m27.891s late in the session, when conditions were slightly less treacherous. Lotus's Romain Grosjean was second quickest, ahead of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen. Valtteri Bottas was fourth quickest in the Williams, followed by Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg. World champion Sebastian Vettel finished down in 17th position, as the Ferraris, McLaren's Jenson Button and Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg did not even set a time. Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez was the only driver to complete a full lap in the first 35 minutes of the session, as the rest of the field returned to the pits after installation rounds. The rain intensified as the session progressed, and the action stopped completely for several minutes before some cars ventured out once more with some 25 minutes remaining. Vettel moved to the top of the timesheets after his first timed lap, nearly 40 minutes into the session. Gutierrez regained first place moments later, before Hamilton lowered the benchmark, becoming the first man to lap in the 1m29s as conditions improved thanks to all the running. Webber was first to go out with the intermediate tyres with 12 minutes to go, as team-mate Vettel climbed out of his car and put an end to his morning. The Australian jumped to the top right away, going over 1.5 seconds quicker than Hamilton. Webber's time meant all drivers put on intermediates for their final runs, but no one managed to beat his lap. Despite the conditions, the session was mostly trouble-free except for a few offs that ended without consequence.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO PETROBRAS DO BRASIL 2013
practice 3 results
1 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:27.891 5
2 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:28.195 0.304 5
3 7 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1:28.595 0.704 6
4 17 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1:28.600 0.709 12
5 11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:28.830 0.939 15
6 18 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:28.921 1.030 5
7 12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:29.215 1.324 21
8 16 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1:29.686 1.795 10
9 14 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:29.736 1.845 6
10 15 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:29.913 2.022 8
11 10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.980 2.089 8
12 19 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:29.988 2.097 9
13 22 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1:30.635 2.744 9
14 20 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1:30.837 2.946 14
15 23 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1:30.972 3.081 10
16 21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1:31.154 3.263 14
17 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:31.857 3.966 4
18 6 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.731 4.840 4
19 9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 4
20 3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 2
21 5 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1
22 4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 2

23/11/1954 ross brawn mercedes team principal
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Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:27.306 -
2. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.531 + 0.225
3. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - 1:27.592 + 0.286
4. Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - 1:28.129 + 0.823
5. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:28.147 + 0.841
6. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:28.405 + 1.099
7. Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:28.540 + 1.234
8. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber - 1:28.560 + 1.254
9. Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso - 1:28.739 + 1.433
10. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:28.891 + 1.585
11. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:28.928 + 1.622
12. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:29.049 + 1.743
13. Paul di Resta - Force India - 1:29.174 + 1.868
14. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - 1:29.717 + 2.411
15. Adrian Sutil - Force India - 1:29.783 + 2.477
16. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:30.425 + 3.119
17. Sergio Perez - McLaren - 1:30.748 + 3.442
18. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:31.061 + 3.755
19. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham - 1:31.118 + 3.812
20. Charles Pic - Caterham - 1:31.165 + 3.859
21. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:31.211 + 3.905
22. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:31.770 + 4.464

Nico Rosberg stays on top in wet second practice :
Nico Rosberg kept Mercedes at the top of the timesheets in a second wet Friday practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Heavy rain before the start of the session left the Interlagos track saturated, contributing to a general dearth of action that prevailed until a frantic final 10 minutes. The initial situation was exacerbated as the rain abated and conditions entered the uncertain window between wets and intermediates, with those who did venture out being warned about overheating problems on their wets. Such circumstances meant that only six drivers set a time over the opening half hour, while seven drivers - among them Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton - still had to set a time at the hour mark. For a long while Rosberg's early 1m28.873s was therefore good enough for top spot, but Alonso helped breathe life into the session when he headed out on intermediates 20 minutes from the end and immediately went third. That provided the encouragement for Felipe Massa, Vettel, Hamilton and the rest of the pack to also emerge on intermediates, with times tumbling as a result. Sebastian Vettel kicked off the surge when he demoted Rosberg with a 1m27.993s, at the time seven tenths clear of the field. He extended that advantage further, while behind him Webber also improved to move into second and complete a Red Bull one-two two minutes from the end. Rosberg still had time to respond however, and duly disrupted the Red Bull party by reclaiming top spot with a 1m27.306s. That was more than 0.8s clear of team-mate Hamilton, who clinched fifth on his final flyer. The Briton had earlier spun in the treacherous conditions. Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus split Hamilton and the two Red Bulls. Jean-Eric Vergne put his Toro Rosso sixth, fractions ahead of Ferrari's departing Felipe Massa and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg. Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean completed the top 10, ahead of Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez and Paul di Resta, back in the Force India after James Calado took over driving duties for first practice.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :
1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:24.781 -
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:25.230 + 0.449
3. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:25.387 + 0.606
4. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:25.391 + 0.610
5. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:25.593 + 0.812
6. Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - 1:25.797 + 1.016
7. Sergio Perez - McLaren - 1:25.946 + 1.165
8. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:26.064 + 1.283
9. Heikki Kovalainen - Lotus - 1:26.133 + 1.352
10. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber - 1:26.232 + 1.451
11. Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:26.248 + 1.467
12. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:26.326 + 1.545
13. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:26.570 + 1.789
14. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:26.593 + 1.812
15. Adrian Sutil - Force India - 1:27.115 + 2.334
16. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:27.269 + 2.488
17. Pastor Maldonado - Williams - 1:27.358 + 2.577
18. James Calado - Force India - 1:27.436 + 2.655
19. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham - 1:28.107 + 3.326
20. Charles Pic - Caterham - 1:28.199 + 3.418
21. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:30.004 + 5.223
22. Rodolfo Gonzalez - Marussia F1 Team - 1:32.646 + 7.865

Nico Rosberg leads Mercedes one-two in damp practice:
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton handed Mercedes a one-two in a rain-hit first practice session for Formula 1's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. A late surge lifted Sebastien Vettel to third ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Vettel's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. The Red Bull duo had spent much of the session in the garage or on single-lap data runs, but both improved in the final 20 minutes. Conditions largely dictated the order, with the first half hour proving the optimal time to run before rain returned and times consequently dropped significantly. Rosberg epitomised that trend, setting an early 1m24.781s benchmark that would remain unbeaten for the remainder of the 90 minutes. Hamilton moved into second moments later, just over four tenths of a second down on his team-mate. Both men had moments even as they set their fastest times however: Rosberg went too deep into the Senna S immediately after going top for the first time, while Hamilton was the session's first spinner when he lost the rear of his Mercedes through the Descida do Lago. Button also set his best time early on, but behind him Alonso bucked the session's overall pattern when he surged into fourth at the halfway mark, just as the rain began to worsen. Red Bull meanwhile was yet to set any times, with Webber ensconced in the garage and Vettel electing to run cautious data-gathering laps on the hard slick compound. At that point times were around two seconds per lap slower than the early running and the top order looked settled, but the session swung 20 minutes from the end when the rain abated. Vettel and Webber were the chief movers: the Australian, competing in his final grand prix, slotted into fifth on his second run, but was then demoted when Vettel moved into third 10 minutes from the flag. McLaren's departing Sergio Perez was seventh ahead of Toro Rosso's 2014 signing Daniil Kvyat, standing in for Daniel Ricciardo for first practice. Lotus's Heikki Kovalainen and Sauber's in-the-spotlight Nico Hulkenberg were next up in ninth and 10th respectively. Felipe Massa ended the first session of his Ferrari swansong in 11th, fractions ahead of Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean. The conditions meant none of the teams were able to sample Pirelli's 2014 prototype slick tyre, with Vettel's data runs on the hard compound the only slick running of the session.

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

Brazilian Grand Prix – Interlagos circuit – Autodromo José Carlos Pace (San Paolo)
(19th round of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship) Last race of the year.
Interlagos is a good track with a long history. The current layout dates back to 1990, before the track was much longer and more twisty. Senna's victory in 1991 is still in the memory of his fans. I often look at the video of the last lap of that race. It was his first victory in Brazil. Simply unforgettable and to remember Ayrton, at Interlagos there is a downhill chicane known as the “S” do Senna. The circuit follows the ups and downs of hilly ground and there are some really interesting corners as Ferradura, Mergulho and Juncao. The last sector is very fast with 2 high-speed corners (Subida dos Boxes and Arquibancadas). The autodromo Carlos Pace requires a medium to high downforce setup. Pirelli will bring hard compound(orange stripe) and medium compound (white stripe). There will be two DRS zones on the start finish straight and on the straight(Reta Oposta) between turn n. 3(Curva do Sol) and turn n. 4(Descida do Lago).

In this season, Vettel has already won 12 Gran Prix of which the last eight in a row, one more than Schumacher in 2004. Michael still has the record of 13 Grand Prix victories in one year, but in Brazil, Vettel can achieve also this record. Yet the first part of the season seemed balanced. After five races Vettel and Alonso had both won two races. But between Spanish GP and Monaco GP, things change. There's the famous secret test of the Mercedes, then Hamilton and Rosberg were able to win three races (Monaco, Silverstone and Budapest). However, an important event happens in July. Following the problems at Silverstone, Pirelli reverts to tyres built around Kevlar belts as in 2012. A good news for Red Bull, much less for Ferrari, that is no longer competitive. After the summer break at Spa and Monza, Vettel wins both races. It is now clear that the world championship is won, and Sebastian in the following races, is virtually unbeatable. He and his Red Bull have no rivals.

Brazilian Grand Prix – Interlagos(between lakes): winners, podium and pole position(last 3 editions)
Podium 2010: Vettel(Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Alonso. Fastest lap: Hamilton – pole position : Hulkenberg 1'14''470
Podium 2011: Webber(Red Bull) – 2° Vettel and 3° Button. Fastest lap: Webber – pole position : Vettel 1'11''918
Podium 2012: Button (McLaren) – 2° Alonso and 3° Massa. Fastest lap: Hamilton – pole position : Hamilton 1'12''458

This will be the last grand prix for the v8 aspirated engines