Circuit: Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Sau Paolo
Length: 4.309 km
Laps: 71
Race distance: 305.939 km
Lap record: 1:11.473 (J P Montoya, Williams-BMW, 2004)

We head into the final round of the 2007 Formula 1 season with the driver's championship still up for grabs:

- The leader, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes, is aiming to be the first driver to take the crown in his rookie season, having surpassed all expectations.

- After Hamilton's misfortunes in Shanghai, he leads teammate and defending champion Fernando Alonso by just 4 points. The fiery Spaniard is aiming for a record himself - the youngest driver to win three championships, and consecutive ones at that.

- The dark horse from Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen, is third, 7 points behind Hamilton, after a late charge in the second half of the season that saw him take 4 wins and 4 other podium places. He had twice come close to winning the title with McLaren and will be eagar to vindicate himself.

But first, the venue where this showdown will take place. Interlagos is built in a natural amphitheatre. It used to be a high-speed terror, although no fatalities occured, until it was revised to its current layout in 1990. It is one of the few venues which retains a third-world feel - the facilities are dated, team crew occassionally encounter burglars and robbers and access to the circuit via road is poor.

The track itself is remarkable as it runs anti-clockwise (Istanbul is the only other such circuit on this year's calendar). This means that the majority of lateral G-Forces affect the opposite side of the body to what the drivers are accustomed to. This, coupled with the very bumpy surface, make the race a test of physical endurance for the drivers. You may spot some of them resting their heads against the side of the cockpit towards the end of the race.

The corners are generally fast and flowing, save for a tight infield section in Sector 2. The full-throttle runs to turns 1 and 4 create the best chances for overtaking during the race. Medium-high downforce settings are usually applied with a compromise between Sector 2 and the long pit stretch in mind.

Bridgestone will be taking soft and super-soft tyres to the event. 2-stop strategies are the way to go here. Rain is no stranger to the race although the last 3 were held in dry conditions. When it does come however, rivers of running water and big puddles can make the racing treacherous.

Going by the general form, it appears that the McLaren drivers will have the upper hand as the MP4-22 handles bumps, tight corners and kerbs very well. They also have a strong track record here although Räikkönen's teammate Felipe Massa won last year's race for Ferrari. Expect the F1-2007 to be closer or faster in the other sectors however.

Both teams will be fired up for this race as they have not tasted title glory in serveral years - Ferrari last won it in 2004, McLaren in 1999! Rumours and speculation continue about Alonso's loyalties and what gamesmanship he and Hamilton might engage in - and gift their other rival the crown.

Mark this Monday morning affair in your diaries, calendars and organisers - the closest title fight in years will be worth losing sleep for!

In other news that has been overshadowed by the championship battle, Williams test driver Kazuki Nakajima will race the team’s second car following Alexander Wurz’s retirement from F1. He enjoyed an impressive season in the GP2 feeder series and also took Wurz’s place at several Friday practice sessions this year.

Originally posted by Kuali Baba:

In other news that has been overshadowed by the championship battle, Williams test driver Kazuki Nakajima will race the team's second car following Alexander Wurz's retirement from F1. He enjoyed an impressive season in the GP2 feeder series and also took Wurz's place at several Friday practice sessions this year.

why did wurz retire?
edit: personal reasons. ok.

The Possibilities

LH Wins if he finishes:

- 1st or 2nd
- 3rd and 4th if FA doesn't win
- 5th if FA does worse than 2nd
- 6th and 7th if FA does worse than 2nd and KR doesn't win
- 8th if FA does worse than 3rd and KR worse than 2nd
- any other place if FA is worse than 4th and KR worse than 2nd

FA wins if he finishes:

- 1st if LH 3rd or worse
- 2nd if LH 6th or worse
- 3rd if LH 8th or worse and KR doesn't win
- 4th if KR doesn't win and LH doesn't score

KR wins if he finishes:

- 1st if LH worse than 5th and FA worse than 2nd
- 2nd if LH worse than 8th and FA worse than 3rd

Quoted from PlanetF1 boards: http://forum.planet-f1.com/index.php?t=msg&th=56699&start=0&

Originally posted by Pitot:

why did wurz retire?

He wasn't motivated to continue, and had considered annoucing immediate retirement after the Canadian GP when he finished third, until he was persuaded to stay on.

Originally posted by Kuali Baba:

He wasn't motivated to continue, and had considered annoucing immediate retirement after the Canadian GP when he finished third, until he was persuaded to stay on.

i see. thnks!

I want Lewis Hamilton to win!!!

I will win.!!!haha

Rain is predicted for Friday only, according to Autosport.com.

The track has also been resurfaced to make it smoother, and there is a new pitlane entrance.

hope its not like pit entry at spa...

im for kimi to win but lewis to take title... this wud be history in the making

Originally posted by SBS9828X:

hope its not like pit entry at spa...

im for kimi to win but lewis to take title... this wud be history in the making

So would Alonso winning it, he'll be only the third driver ever to win 3 consecutive titles, and the youngest. Not that he's particularly popular at the moment though.

The first practise session has been wet throughout, none of the title contenders are setting serious times. Massa, Rosberg and Schumacher have been the quickest, with 5 minutes to run.

Edit: Session ended, Räikkönen has gone quickest.

Brazilian Grand Prix free practice session 1 times

1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m19.580s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m20.062s
3. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m20.829s
4. ROSBERG Williams 1m21.064s
5. HAMILTON McLaren 1m21.121s
6. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m21.243s
7. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m21.598s
8. WEBBER Red Bull 1m22.104s
9. TRULLI Toyota 1m22.104s
10. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m22.250s
11. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m22.434s
12. BUTTON Honda 1m22.477s
13. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m22.667s
14. SATO Super Aguri 1m22.929s
15. SUTIL Spyker 1m23.248s
16. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m23.261s
17. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m23.551s
18. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m24.366s
19. HEIDFELD BMW no time
20. KUBICA BMW no time
21. ALONSO McLaren no time
22. FISICHELLA Renault no time

FP 2 is underway...the BMWs are flying, Kubica has just set the fastest time. Behind him are Hamilton, Heidfeld, Alonso and .

Update: Alonso moves into second, Schumacher moves up to just behind Räikkönen, 26 minutes remaining.

Update: Hamilton moves back into second, 21 minutes remaining.

Update: Massa, Räikkönen and Nakajima move up to 4th, 5th and 6th respectively, 14 minutes remaining. Schumacher moves into 4th, 13 minutes remaining.

Update: Order is Alonso, Kubica, Hamilton, Schumacher, Massa, Rosberg, Fisichella, Räikkönen, Coulthard, Nakajima, 10 minutes remaining. Heidfeld now 4th, 9 minutes left.

Update: Hamilton moves into P1, dipping under the 1min 13s barrier. Nakajima now 4th, Barrichello behind Massa, Räikkönen 13th behind Liuzzi and Kovaleinen, 4 minutes to go.

From ITV.com:

Lewis Hamilton is facing a possible penalty after McLaren broke a Formula 1 sporting regulation during the first free practice session at Interlagos.

Hamilton, who stands on the brink of his childhood dream of winning the world championship and takes a four-point lead into Sunday’s season finale in Brazil, used two sets of wet-weather tyres during the 90-minute morning session, contravening Article 25.3 of the F1 sporting regulations.

Article 25.3 states: “No driver may use more than one set of wet and one set of extreme wet tyres during P1 and P2.”

The rule is a new addition to the F1 sporting regulations this year. Hamilton, Honda driver Jenson Button and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato were all found to have used two sets of wet tyres during Friday’s first session in Brazil.

The imposition of any penalty is at the discretion of the FIA stewards. The fear for Hamilton is that if the stewards deem that he has been unfairly advantaged by the additional track time on wets, they may impose a penalty.

The three drivers concerned have been summoned to see the stewards individually following the afternoon practice session.

Looking at the times, qualifying will be tight throughout, just as it was at Indianapolis.

Brazilian Grand Prix free practice session 2 times

1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m12.767s
2. ALONSO McLaren 1m12.889s
3. MASSA Ferrari 1m13.075s
4. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m13.112s
5. FISICHELLA Renault 1m13.549s
6. KUBICA BMW 1m13.587s
7. ROSBERG Williams 1m13.655s
8. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m13.664s
9. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m13.706s
10. HEIDFELD BMW 1m13.785s
11. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m13.829s
12. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m13.879s
13. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m13.892s
14. BUTTON Honda 1m14.095s
15. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m14.152s
16. TRULLI Toyota 1m14.179s
17. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m14.409s
18. SATO Super Aguri 1m14.431s
19. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m14.477s
20. WEBBER Red Bull 1m14.543s
21. SUTIL Spyker 1m15.095s
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m15.715s

Again from ITV:

McLaren has been fined 15,000 euros for its breach of the rules governing tyre use at Interlagos on Friday – but Lewis Hamilton has escaped without a time or grid penalty.

In an oversight which McLaren boss Ron Dennis described as “100 percent a team mistake”, Hamilton used two sets of wet-weather tyres in the damp first practice session when the sporting regulations allow each driver to use only one set.

Honda’s Jenson Button and Super Aguri’s Takuma Sato transgressed the same rule, and have been given the same punishment.

Brazilian Grand Prix free practice session 3 times

1. MASSA Ferrari 1m11.810s
2. HAMILTON McLaren 1m11.934s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m11.942s
4. WEBBER Red Bull 1m12.446s
5. TRULLI Toyota 1m12.461s
6. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m12.478s
7. HEIDFELD BMW 1m12.579s
8. ALONSO McLaren 1m12.594s
9. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m12.767s
10. ROSBERG Williams 1m12.823s
11. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m12.893s
12. FISICHELLA Renault 1m12.913s
13. BUTTON Honda 1m13.015s
14. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m13.046s
15. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m13.090s
16. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m13.117s
17. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m13.299s
18. SATO Super Aguri 1m13.331s
19. NAKAJIMA Williams 1m13.474s
20. KUBICA BMW 1m13.525s
21. SUTIL Spyker 1m13.684s
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m13.872s

if got penalty for lewis would have been more exciting

Qualifying part 1 (Q1): Kovaleinen, Sato, Nakajima, Davidson, Sutil and Yamamoto have been knocked out, and take 17th to 22th places in that order. Sutil stopped early on with mechanical trouble. Massa leads Alonso, Kimi and Lewis with a 1:12.303.

Q2: Barrichello, Fisichella, Vettel, Liuzzi, Schumacher and Button are P11 to P16. Kimi headed the timesheets with a 1:12.161 - looks like the times from this morning will not be beaten again.

Q3: Hamilton pulled something out of the bag on his final hot lap, but Massa takes pole ahead of him, Kimi and Alonso!

Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying Result

1 MASSA Ferrari 1:11.931
2 HAMILTON McLaren 1:12.082
3 RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1:12.322
4 ALONSO McLaren 1:12.356
5 WEBBER Red Bull 1:12.928
6 HEIDFELD BMW 1:13.081
7 KUBICA BMW 1:13.129
8 TRULLI Toyota 1:13.195
9 COULTHARD Red Bull 1:13.272
10 ROSBERG Williams 1:13.477
11 BARRICHELLO Honda 1:12.932
12 FISICHELLA Renault 1:12.968
13 VETTEL Toro Rosso 1:13.058
14 LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1:13.251
15 SCHUMACHER Toyota 1:13.315
16 BUTTON Honda 1:13.469
17 KOVALEINEN Renault 1:14.078
18 SATO Super Aguri 1:14.098
19 NAKAJIMA Williams 1:14.417
20 DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1:14.596
21 SUTIL Spyker 1:15.217
22 YAMAMOTO Spyker 1:15.487

In other news that's pretty hard to take seriously, Spyker will be renamed Force India next season.

It sounds more like a paramilitary organisation than an F1 team.

Originally posted by Kuali Baba:
In other news that's pretty hard to take seriously, Spyker will be renamed [b]Force India next season.

It sounds more like a paramilitary organisation than an F1 team. [/b]

who did they pay to come up with that name

75 minutes til the race begins...Race Day on StarSports has already started.

A heated exchange between Lewis Hamilton and a French journalist took place yesterday during the press conference:

There was then an extraordinary exchange between Hamilton and the correspondent of French newspaper L’Equipe, when Lewis was asked whether he thought he could do whatever he liked so long as he apologised.

The journalist, Anne Giuntini, said to Hamilton: “You never showed him clearly that you would give him the track free.”

To which Lewis countered: “What do you want me to do, put the indicator on?”

“You know exactly...” said Giuntini.

“I did the best job I could to get out of the way,” Hamilton insisted. “And I did apologise to him if I did get in his way.”

Giuntini continued: “Is that what you call the best job?”

“Yes,” replied Hamilton.

“As a sportsman?” she persisted.

“Yes,” he retorted. “How are you at your job? Are you the best at your job? You have never made mistakes...no?”

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41128

The piece of fungus based in Oxford ought to watch that clip where Martin Brundle showed how difficult it is to drive an F1 car. Can’t just put any IPPT gold medallist in the cockpit and expect them to drive at competitive speed.

We'll be under way shortly!

Kimi into second! Hamilton forced wide by Alonso, he's into...8th!

Edit: Hamilton outbraked himself, Yamamoto and Fisichella collide, as do Kovalainen and Schumacher.