Thursday, October 31, 2024, 1:50 p.m.
| Updated 2:35 p.m.
Not so long ago, Brazil was the place where Formula 1 world titles were decided. Fernando Alonso’s two (2005 and 2006), Lewis Hamilton‘s in 2008 or Sebastian Vettel’s third in 2012, to name a few. More recently, they were written in Interlagos, where even 30 years after his death the legendary Ayrton Senna is still honored. And few idols in the sport are more remembered than the legendary Brazilian driver. It is almost a cliché that all drivers who come to Formula 1, at some point in their career, dedicate a tribute to Senna. With the resurrection of his figure via Netflix, which will release a series about his life in a few weeks, old and young will remember what his figure meant. Of course, Lewis Hamilton is the first to take charge of this tribute, with a flag that he has already raised in the past on several occasions, both in his time at McLaren and now at Mercedes.
But beyond that, the sporting battle ahead this weekend could be anthological. After the North American visits to Austin and Mexico, the intense Brazilian track may experience a few skirmishes that will determine, for one side or the other, the title options of the contenders. Although mathematically there are more candidates, it is Lando Norris and Max Verstappen who are vying for the title.
The obvious advantage is for the Dutchman from Red Bull, who has been suffering for a few months now. Without the margin that it obtained at the beginning of the season with a car that was technically superior – and legally questionable, as confirmed by the FIA - to that of its rivals, right now it would not be the benchmark in the classification. He arrives in Brazil with a 47-point advantage, but nothing can be trusted. He will continue to lead the World Cup, no matter what happens, on Sunday, although perhaps not as much. This weekend there is a grand prix with a sprint format, which means more points are added.
At most, the winner of Saturday and Sunday, if he also achieves the fastest lap, will pocket 34 points (8 from the sprint, 25 from Sunday’s race and the extra point for the fastest lap). In the best-case scenario for Norris, if he wins it all and Verstappen does not score, it will take away practically all of his lead in a single weekend. With three more to go, and given the pace of the McLarens against the Red Bulls, this would be a perfect result for him and, of course, for the show.
But it won’t be easy. Verstappen has practically absolute control over sprint races, as he demonstrated in Austin, where, without having the best car, he won on Saturday. Then what happened with the overtaking with Norris himself happened, something for which the FIA already took just revenge last Sunday in Mexico. The Dutchman has run out of the bull that, it seemed, had been granted by the federation establishment throughout the entire season (and his sporting career) with a more than forceful warning: two 10-second penalties for each time he sent off a player. track driver to gain position. Verstappen has run out of credit for his actions at the limit of the regulations to be accepted. Those who are tarnished will be punished.
Although the title is in the hands of Norris and Verstappen, the winners of the last two races wore red colors. Ferrari is, in this period, the benchmark team par excellence. Two victories with both drivers on the podium in Austin and Mexico have propelled them into the battle for the constructors’ title, where everything seems to indicate that they will play it with McLaren. If Red Bull had two drivers and not just Verstappen – Sergio Pérez is a hindrance to the team and they are looking for a way to get rid of him – it would be a three-way battle, as it can be in the drivers’ championship. Charles Leclerc is 71 points behind Verstappen, with 212 at stake, which cannot leave him out of the final battle in the betting and even less so according to what has been seen in the last races.
Fond memories for Sainz
To add another ingredient to this salad, Carlos Sainz already warned in Mexico that this was not going to be his last victory with Ferrari if he could aspire to more. The man from Madrid, aware that he no longer has to give more loyalty to the Scuderia than what his professionalism dictates, will try to mark another notch in his record, in a circuit that brings back very fond memories. It was in Brazil where he achieved that podium ‘in the offices’, the first in his sporting career, even in McLaren’s time.
Fernando Alonso will battle much further back, physically affected. Aston Martin announced on Wednesday that the Asturian was not going to be at Interlagos this Thursday for the press commitments because he had had to travel to Europe to receive medical treatment due to the intestinal infection that already made him compete in his GP 400, in Mexico. , with discomfort. Once these are overcome, he hopes to remove the bad taste from last Sunday’s abandonment and show that, despite everything, here he can continue giving that extra something that has made him one of the most beloved drivers of the Brazilian ‘torcida’.
