Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Formula 1 circus is currently in the South American country of Brazil, readying for what promises to be another cracker of a race around the Interlagos racetrack in Sao Paulo. But over the years, the race at this venue delivered memorable moments and plenty of action that had the live crowd and television audiences returning for more.
In 2006, for example, Fernando Alonso sealed his second F1 World Championship at the venue, and it was also the last race of Michael Schumacher’s F1 career (before he returned for a second spell in 2010). In 2009, Jenson Button won his first and only championship with Brawn GP, doing just enough to seal the deal with one more round remaining.
And so we can go on, reminiscing on past races that have made the Brazilian Grand Prix a must-watch every season. Today, we revisit a few recent ones that hit the ball out of the park.
Kimi Raikkonen, 2007
Following Schumacher’s retirement at the end of 2006, Kimi Raikkonen filled his seat at the fabled Italian team, Ferrari. Raikkonen came over from McLaren-Mercedes, who fielded two new drivers that year: two-time champion Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton. But as the season drew to its end, it seemed the F1 Drivers’ championship would be settled between the McLaren drivers.
But in-house strife and politics saw Raikkonen close the gap to his rivals over the final few rounds, culminating in him winning the Brazilian GP. Hamilton crossed the line in seventh place, with Alonso in third.
Raikkonen ended the season with 110 points, winning the F1 World Championship with an epic comeback. Hamilton and Alonso were tied on 109.
Lewis Hamilton, 2008
In 2007, Hamilton lost out on becoming the first driver to win the F1 championship in his rookie year, but he would manage to do so in 2008, in just his second season.
Battling with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, the two drivers toiled throughout the season for supremacy, and it came down to the season’s final race. Massa, who derailed his championship chances early in the season, had no option but to win the Brazilian GP to secure the title, while Hamilton had to settle for fifth or higher to make the gold his.
With the race turned on its head as the heavens opened up, Massa controlled the pace to lead the race from flag-to-flag. Everything worked out, but it was all hanging on a knife’s edge. Massa would secure the win, but his 30-second championship reign ended on the exit of Turn 14 on the last lap of the season’s final race.
Timo Glock, running on the dry tyre in wet conditions, tumbled down the order, and Hamilton, on weather-correct tyres, pulled his McLaren-Mercedes alongside the Toyota and passed him for fifth. The Ferrari garage saw its excitement turn from jubilation to shock and horror as it dawned on them that Hamilton had just won the big prize.
Hamilton outscored Massa 98 points to 97.
Sebastian Vettel, 2012
In 2012, Sebastian Vettel and Alonso (now racing for Ferrari) were both gunning for a third F1 championship: Alonso was looking to add to his 2005/6 titles and Vettel for his third consecutive one in what would become a four-year dominant display with Red Bull. And Brazil, the final race of the season, was the scene.
With the race getting underway, Vettel lost positions, and in Turn 4 on the opening lap, he spun and fell to the back of the field. Alonso, meanwhile, was running in fifth behind teammate Massa and Vettel’s teammate, Mark Webber. As McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Button led the field over the start/finish straight for the start of Lap 3, Webber was hounding Massa for third, with Alonso right behind.
But going into Turn 1, Alonso made a daring move on both drivers, snatching third behind the charging McLarens. The rest of the race would prove to be an uphill battle for both Alonso and Vettel, and Alonso needed to be third, with Vettel in tenth, by the race’s end to be crowned champion.
When the chequered flag dropped, Alonso finished in second place behind Button, with Vettel in sixth. The result was enough for Vettel to become 2012’s F1 champion, outscoring Alonso 281 points to 278.
Max Verstappen, 2016
2016 was, to a large extent, Max Verstappen’s arrival to F1. He may have entered the sport with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2015, but his early-season promotion to Red Bull Racing and winning on his first outing for the team (Spain) highlighted that we would be in for something unique.
2016 would not just be about that first win, but his composure and talent in trying conditions – especially when it’d rain. And Brazil put a renewed emphasis on the youngster’s skills.
When the rains came down, it was as if Verstappen went into overdrive. A spin on the main straight did little to deter him, and passing the Mercedes-AMG of Nico Rosberg on the outside of Turn 4 was a daring move that had many gasping for breath.
It reminded strongly of Ayrton Senna in the rain, and it was great to see how years of training came into being. Verstappen finished this race in third place, behind the AMGs of Hamilton and Rosberg.
Years later, Verstappen’s father, Jos, would admit to his son’s wet-weather training: “I remember he was probably eight or nine or something,” Verstappen Sr told The Race.
“Wednesdays, school was finished at 12, we went to the go-kart track, and in the wintertime, it was freezing.
“So, I let the van run so he could warm up, and then we did 10 laps. He was cold. I said, ‘Okay, go warm up’, and then three minutes later [Max was not back] – ‘f**k, where is he now… Come on!’ [And Max would say], ‘I’m still cold’. ‘I don’t care, drive.’
“And he couldn’t move his fingers, and I didn’t care. I wanted to test things, because I was building engines and changing chassis, and I wanted to have a result because I wanted to move forward.”
Tough love? Perhaps, but it helped turn the young Dutchman into a hardened racer and the two-time F1 champion he is today.
Lewis Hamilton, 2021
2020 saw the introduction of the Sprint Race format, and the Brazilian GP was one of a selected few races where it would feature. Unfortunately for Hamilton, a breach of the technical regulations saw him start the 100km Sprint Race from the back of the field, but he clawed his way up the order to fifth. A five-place grid penalty saw him start the race in 10th.
And in the race, he picked off his rivals, one by one, as the new engine fitted to his car delivered on the promised performance. It was scary how quick he was, even passing Verstappen for the race’s lead into Turn 4.
Hamilton called the race one of his most memorable as he went from last (in the Sprint Race) to first over the weekend’s two races.
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