The Brazil GP has already been shrouded in controversy before it even begins.
The Brazil grand prix has already become shrouded in controversy after wild weather conditions and a chaotic qualifying stint which saw several drivers placed under investigation.
The Mercedes prodigy George Russell, a British star, is currently walking carefully and waiting to find out the full circumstances of his fate prior to the race starting.
Russell received a two-place grid penalty for his involvement, and Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon of Alpine received the same penalty later on Friday night for similar offenses.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was left with his temper boiling over, with the Red Bull talisman bemoaning ‘terrible’ conditions on the team radio and urging rival stars, including Charles Leclerc, to chime in with his views.
Verstappen is hot favourite to take victory in South America, though the wild stormy weather means any shock outcomes certainly cannot be ruled out.
In what has been a frantic week of the track for Lewis Hamilton, the F1 living legend has conducted his business much more quietly on the circuit. Hamilton remains in the headlines regarding his ongoing battle with Felipe Massa over a historic championship title dispute, which is greatly echoed this week by the fact he is back racing in his rival’s homeland.
Hamilton can save embarrassment
Lewis Hamilton can save Sebastian Vettel from having his race wins total surpassed by Max Verstappen as the Formula One season enters its final three events.
Remarkably, Verstappen can overtake four-time world champion Vettel’s tally of career victories – 53 – before the campaign comes to a close despite being just 26 years old.
Vettel meanwhile retired at the age of 35, meaning Verstappen can theoretically thrash his total by the end of his own F1 career.
Russell slapped with penalty
Anger is spilling out in the Mercedes camp after George Russell was hit with a two-place grid penalty for his involvement in a pit-lane exit fracas.
Russell was one of three drivers to be caught out by the new pit-lane exit rules on Friday afternoon with Gasly and Ocon also finding their way into the stewards’ bad books for infringements during qualifying.
Russell was one of the leading causes of the regulation changes with he and Max Verstappen both stopping at the end of the pit lane in Mexico City last weekend, prompting a furious reaction from other teams and drivers, and causing the FIA to step in and introduce new rules for the trip to Brazil.
Verstappen bemoans ‘terrible’ qualifying
On Sunday, Verstappen secured the pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix, even though he felt that his lap was “terrible.”
Verstappen set a time at Interlagos that proved sufficient to take pole position by less than three tenths of a second, but drivers still had to contend with an approaching storm.
The Monegasque driver was forced to settle for a P2 finish, which placed him on the front row for Sunday’s race, meaning that he was unable to add to his recent pole positions in the United States and Mexico.
Verstappen gave the following explanation after taking pole in the threatening conditions: “We thought it would hit in qualifying, but we didn’t know when it would.” Of course, this is crazy.
“Charles and I were talking about how bad our laps felt, but I don’t know, I think the wind changed and became really strong, which caused us to lose a lot of lap time. In the final lap, everything got really crazy.