Sublime Drive by Carlos Sainz
Posted on October 30, 2024
20 Seconds of Max Madness
As we head to Brazil
MAX VERSTAPPEN seemed to do his level best to lose the all-important Formula One Constructors title for Red Bull with a series of crazy errors in the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend, as Carlos Sainz left him in his wake.
It’s hard to comprehend what was going through the Dutchman’s mind on his way to a destructive 2 X 10 second penalties, which destroyed his race in the opening stanza of the 71-lap race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track.
Wherever his head was at, it sure didn’t seem to be in Mexico as his dismal performance seriously impacted Red Bull’s championship 2024 hopes – with just four races remaining.
But it did nothing to detract from an absolutely stellar performance from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
The 30-year-old Spaniard led virtually from start to finish on a perilously difficult track that winds its way 4.304 kilometers (2.674 miles) through one of the more extraordinary venues on the F1 calendar.
Penalties put Max on the Edge
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was hit with two 10-second penalties early in the Mexico City Grand Prix for controversial tactics in his latest battle with McLaren’s Lando Norris and it has tightened the gap between the rivals in the title race.
Max, the Championship leader heading into Brazil, finished in sixth place after starting from the front row. His main rival Lando Norris runner-up to Ferrari’s Carlos – who took out the race from pole position, reducing Max’s lead by ten points.
‘Outrageous’ one-lap meltdown
Heading into the Brazil Grand Prix this weekend the gap between the two main combatants for the 2024 World Championship is now 47 points – with Max on 362 and Brit Lando Norris on 315.
Lando was not a happy bunny immediately after the race, taking a shot at his main rival – questioning his integrity.
“It was a very tough race. The first few laps, a lot of it was about trying to stay in the race and avoid any crashes,” he said. “I knew what to expect. I didn’t want to expect such a thing because I respect Max a lot as a driver. But I was ready to expect something like this, and this was not very clean driving, in my opinion. But I avoided it and it was a good race.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, Lando’s boss, told Sky Sports he believed the two 10-second penalties “were not enough”.
“It’s getting ridiculous. Enough is enough. Let’s just have some good, clean racing moving forward.”
Verstappen forced Norris off the track while defending his position and, on the same lap, pushed his title rival off again while trying to take the position back.
Commentator Martin Brundle described Verstappen’s antics in Mexico as “outrageous”.
Brilliant Mexico City Circuit
Carlos Sainz Snr and Carlos Sainz Jnr.
The Autódromo never fails to provide a unique challenge for drivers due to its high altitude and long fast corners and last weekend was no exception, attracting 403,000 fans!
It was one of Carlos‘ finest drives, a copybook outing, and his second victory of the season after his win in the Australian Grand Prix on March 24.
Carlos has just four more races for Ferrari, after being dropped when Louis Hamilton decided earlier this year to chase his long-held desire to complete his illustrious F1 career in red, with the Scuderia.
Ferrari has lifted its game
The way Ferrari’s #55 has been handling in recent times – and the upcoming tweaks before he takes control later this year – must give Lewis a real fillip as he heads into what may well be the swansong for his stellar career.
Meanwhile Max’s unfortunate brain-fades on the opening laps in Mexico City, follow his third place finish in Austin, Texas and may return to haunt him unless he can find his way back to his absolute brilliant best.
It would have been interesting to have been in the same room post-race as Max and the fiery Helmut Marko, his boss.
The effing and blinding must have been simply monumental!
Liam’s Mexico race he’d rather forget
Kiwi Liam Lawson did not come out of his skirmishes with both hometown hero Sergio Perez and Brazilian youngster Franco Colapinto in Mexico unscathed.
Qualifying 12th and finishing 16th in Mexico – he admitted that was hardly the performance necessary to bolster his stocks with Red Bull.
“A race like today is not ideal for that. I’m focused on the next few races to recover, and score points for the team. We lost points to Haas today.”
Sergio’s race was simply horrific. As the huge crowd screamed their support, and with his future at stake, he copped a five second penalty for overstepping his mark on the grid.
The Mexican’s race imploded from there, despite the fans cheering him on.
And now we wait to see just how things pan out in the Red Bull compound this week in Brazil.
Because Sergio really is such a lovely guy!
Fascinating Year for F1
SIX drivers have won multiple races so far during 2023, for only the second time in Formula 1 history – the last time that’s happened was 1981, 43 years ago!
Max Verstappen has seven of those wins, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc three each, with Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz each with two. Compare that to the end of October 2023, when Max Verstappen had won 12 Formula 1 races and well on the way to his third consecutive World F1 Title.
And 1981 is the year the Brazilian ace Nelson Piquet (pictured above) claimed his first of three F1 World Championship titles, driving for the Brabham team – winning again in ’83 and ’87.
Interestingly, Nelson is the father of Kelly Piquet, Max Verstappen’s longtime partner. They’re pictured here in what seem happier times.
And it just so happens that we’re heading this week to Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Total surface renewal
All 4.309 kilometres of the Interlagos Circuit has been renewed, including the pit lane, and the work was completed only recently.
The asphalt was then thoroughly cleaned, with a high-pressure water washing system to removing the sheen that usually appears on brand new bitumen and increasinge the abrasiveness of the surface.
So, drivers and teams arrive in Sao Paulo this week to a track surface that is a completely unknown factor.
To further complicate the puzzle Pirelli has chosen to bring a softer trio of compounds to Brazil than last year: the C3 will be the Hard, with C4 as Medium and C5 as soft.
Brazil – a Sprint Weekend
Then it’s a Sprint weekend, so there is only free practice session for teams to find the best set-up. Mind you, the “short” race in Austin actually proved very useful to fine tune the balance of the car for the actual Grand Prix.
At Interlagos, Pirelli reminds us, the lateral and longitudinal forces exerted on the tyres around the 15 corners of this anticlockwise track are medium to low in intensity and well distributed across both axles.
And this new track surface could see a lowering of lap times and a subsequent increase of the stress to which the tyres are subjected.
Prepare for Spectacular Action
The Brazilian weekend is renowned for full-on excitement.
Named in honour of José Carlos Pace it presents several overtaking opportunities, with the fastest strategy a two-stop, favouring the use of the softer compounds.
According to our Tyre Gurus, random factors like the high chance of a Safety Car and extremely changeable weather, make the outcome of the Grand Prix uncertain and hard to predict.
The fact the compounds are a step softer could open up a wider range of possible strategies, making the race even more exciting.
Ayrton Senna’s 30th Anniversary
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of Ayrton Senna so, as was the case at Italy’s Imola back in May, events and tributes will be held at Interlagos.
The Interlagos circuit has hosted 40 Grands Prix, but only the last three have been named the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, after the Paulista city. The previous 37 went by the name of the Brazilian Grand Prix, a race which was also held ten times at Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepaguà circuit.
The most successful driver in Brazil is Alain Prost with six wins to his name, although only one of those was in Sao Paulo, a track where Michael Schumacher holds the record with four victories.
Ayrton Senna tops the list for pole positions with six in his home country, equally divided between the two tracks. At Interlagos, four other drivers have matched Senna’s total: his fellow countrymen Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton.
Of the teams, McLaren is the most successful with 11 wins, although Ferrari has the most wins at Interlagos with nine. The English team tops the list for pole positions in this event with 11 as well as when it comes to those at this weekend’s venue, with nine.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix
PERTH TIMES
Autódromo José Carlos Pace | 01 – 04 Nov
P1 Friday 1st November 22:30
Sprint Shootout Saturday 2nd November 02:30
Sprint Saturday 2nd November 22:00
Qualifying Sunday 3rd November 02:00
RACE
Monday 4th November 01:00
NEXT RACE
Las Vegas Grand Prix
Las Vegas Strip Circuit | 22 – 24 Nov
EDITED by AC
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