Nico Rosberg shined throughout the Brazil Grand Prix by winning all three practice sessions, qualifying first and claiming victory in the main race. By doing this, the German has narrowed the gap between him and leading teammate Lewis Hamilton. The Briton finished the race in second place giving the Silver Arrows another 1-2 finish, never seen before on the Interlagos circuit.
As for Rosberg, this was his fifth win of the season and after scoring full points today, his total adds up to 316 points against 334 by Hamilton. Hamilton needs to finish second in the last race if Rosberg wins in order to clinch the drivers’ championship title. This will be decided on November 23 in Abu Dhabi where double points are on offer. Taking the final place on the podium today was Williams driver Felipe Massa.
Hamilton almost snatched the lead away from his teammate but his strategy worked against him after he spun off the track after pushing too hard. He tried to undercut Rosberg on lap 28 and after the error he rejoined the track in seventh place. The duo were back together after a short while, meanwhile behind them was Massa who was recovering from a five-second penalty earned from speeding in the pitlanes.
Rain had been forecast earlier on in the week but the track remained dry throughout the race. Drivers were pitting as early as lap six to change from soft to medium tires. However, even the medium sets were not lasting long enough. Jenson Button finished fourth for McLaren, his teammate Kevin Magnussen finished in ninth. Vettel finished fifth while his teammate Daniel Ricciardo retired after suffering suspension failure.
Alonso and Räikkönen crossed the line after each other in sixth and seventh places respectively. Kvyat qualified P14 but dropped 7 grid places as a result of the engine-change penalty carried over from the US Grand Prix. Likewise Perez qualified P17 but dropped 7 grid places due to a collision he caused in the previous round.
Results:
