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#934 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix

2023-01-10 00:00

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#2015, Fulvio Conti, Translated by Aurora Asia Martignon,

#934 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix

In Ferrari, we are already looking towards the future, without forgetting to honor the last two Grand Prix that remain to close this season in the bes

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At Ferrari, we are already looking to the future, without forgetting to pay tribute to the last two Grand Prix that we have to finish this season in the best possible way. Says Sergio Marchionne on Sunday 8 November 2015, on the occasion of Ferrari Day:

 

"Managing Formula One this year has been a real challenge. We started badly in the autumn of last year, but the team has made a tremendous recovery. There are two races left and it's important to finish them well to prepare for 2016. The car for next year has been in development for almost a year and I am really happy with the work that has been done. I am proud of the team and we are going to have a great season. My dream is not to beat Mercedes, but to make Ferrari capable of being what it was in the past. We have all the conditions to do well; we have a great team and two drivers who have formed a cohesive team”.

 

For Marchionne, it's a day when the crowds are bombarding him with autographs and selfies.

 

"The real Ferrari is represented by our audience. We have a fabulous customer base and an exceptional brand, as you can see with the presentation of Ferrari on the stock exchange in America. There is nothing else in the world that has these qualities, so it is something to be preserved as an example of what Italy is capable of".

 

There has been speculation in F1 circles for some time that Ferrari could supply engines to Red Bull in 2016:

 

"The possibility of collaborating with Red Bull on the development of a power unit remains a valid option. The company is therefore willing to provide engineering services, even engine production, but these cannot be the engines that Ferrari uses in the races".

 

Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene is also calling for maximum concentration as the season draws to a close:

 

"The championship is not over and the accounts are settled at the end. We are working with great humility to seize every opportunity and finish with elegance, as Marchionne has asked us to do, and above all with determination. Otherwise you're not doing your job well. We have to finish the job at best, not at 90%".

 

The fans in attendance at Mugello will give Ferrari the right push for the final two Grand Prix of the season in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

 

"This is a very special day, difficult to compare with other Ferrari Days I have experienced in the past. Of course it helps to be in Italy, the home of Ferrari, but perhaps this day is reminiscent of 2007, after my world title. In any case, it is always nice to do something for the fans. I am really happy. Now we will try to do our best in the two remaining races of this championship”.

 

Sebastian Vettel adds:

 

"It would be nice if events like this happened more often because it is an opportunity to meet those who support us with their cheers. Today was a perfect day, warm and sunny, with a perfect track. As far as the championship is concerned, we are coming off the worst race of the season in terms of results, but even in Mexico the pace of the race was encouraging. Let's not forget that eight or nine months ago we were 1.3, 1.4 seconds a lap behind the best, and now we are consistently half a second or even less. I promise the fans that we will give everything in the next two races. Ideally, we would like to be ahead of everyone”.

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As controversy erupts over comments made by Lewis Hamilton, fresh from winning his third Formula One World Championship (and third of his career), according to German newspaper Kolner Express, there is a clear jab at Michael Schumacher.

 

"I have never done what Michael has done to win, I have only achieved my successes through my skills".

 

Hamilton is referring to the fact that Schumacher always had team mates, from Barrichello to Massa, who helped him win the world championship - sometimes even letting him pass during the race. But apart from Hamilton's clumsy remark (which implies who knows what misdemeanor), Schumacher never did anything wrong. Not only because he always outperformed his team-mates, but also because in the end the famous team-ordered overtakes proved useless in winning the championship, which the German would have won anyway. Of course, Schumacher never had a troublesome team-mate like Rosberg at Ferrari (he found him on his return to Mercedes and suffered from his presence...) and therefore never had the first enemy in the team like Hamilton. However, this is part of Ferrari's policy, which rightly never wanted to have two overly ambitious drivers. So even this can hardly be blamed on the German. However, Hamilton could probably do with a better way to celebrate his recent title win. Unsurprisingly, the Mercedes driver's words (in questionable taste) did not go down well with the millions of Schumacher fans, whose physical condition remains dramatic. Reiner Ferling, president of the Schumacher fan club in Kerpen, the hometown of the seven-time champion, was blunt in his response:

 

"Hamilton should probably use his brain before he talks. He should learn something about what Michael has achieved. As the saying goes, pride always comes before a fall”.

 

Now we await the British driver's reply. Lewis Hamilton has already won the Formula 1 World Championship. But, as mentioned, Sebastian Vettel prefers not to think about next year and is looking to these last two Grand Prix (Brazil and Abu Dhabi) to motivate him and set his sights:

 

"It won't be easy, but I want to finish second. The last two races will be decisive to be between the two Mercedes".

 

The task is not easy: Rosberg has 272 points to Vettel's 251. Certainly, a repeat of the bad weekend in Mexico must be avoided:

 

"There was nothing wrong with the car, it was just my mistakes. I wasn't super critical, just honest. Let's hope we get the best result and that depends on this race and the one in Abu Dhabi”.

 

said the German Ferrari driver during the press conference at Interlagos, Brazil. Then there is talk of next year:

 

"It's always difficult to say what will happen next year, but beating Mercedes is absolutely our goal. With the work we've done for this year and what's being done for next year, both at the factory and in Maranello, I think we can take a step forward, and to see the results we'll have to wait until we put the car on the track, but it's still a long way off”.

 

Sebastian Vettel also responds to Niki Lauda's comments about Ferrari catching up with Mercedes in terms of power, but still lagging behind in terms of chassis and aerodynamics:

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"We are not at their level, otherwise the season would have been different. But I am happy with the way things have gone and what we are preparing for next year. Niki sometimes makes sense and sometimes not. But the more he talks about us, the better, because it means we are getting closer”.

 

Finally, talking about the big celebration with the Mugello crowd embracing the Ferrari World Final, the German admits:

 

"I think it was overwhelming for us and the whole team. We want to thank the fans who have supported us throughout the year. Mugello was a lot of fun because we were able to enjoy different cars and entertain the fans”.

 

The F1 World Champion, on a street in Monte Carlo and not on the Casilina - crashes into a parked car. It would be amusing if it weren't for the fact that the incident, amidst rumors and anomalies, irritated more than a few. The news of the accident has been spreading among the motorhomes of São Paulo for several hours. The extent of the accident is unknown and, as the British champion has not yet appeared, some are beginning to suggest that he will not start the race. In reality, the rumors are much more malicious and relate to the conditions in which Hamilton found himself at the time of the incident, Monday night to Tuesday, which were not quite, let's say, in line with what is expected by the traffic regulations. A perfect situation for the English tabloids, which had begun to list the cars owned by the British driver while awaiting the police report from Monaco: a McLaren P1 (250.000 euros), La Ferrari (1.200.000 euros), a Pagani Zonda (2.200.000 euros) and a Mustang Shelby GT500 (90.000 euros, the smallest in the garage). At this point, with the Englishman the newly crowned world champion and the paddock a nest of vipers, the incident took on the dimensions not only of a traffic accident but also of a diplomatic incident, as Jean Todt and the FIA - F1's sponsors - have always defined themselves as ambassadors in the fight for road safety worldwide. So Hamilton was forced to intervene: he took out his smartphone and wrote a nervous statement on Instagram.

 

"Even though in the end it's nobody's business, there are people who, knowing the story, will try to make money out of it. No problem. Nobody was hurt, that's the most important thing. But of course the car was damaged and there was a slight contact with a stationary vehicle. Talking to the team and my doctor, we decided that it would be better for me to rest at home and come back a day later. But I am feeling better and at the moment I am on my way to Brazil. In any case, I am informing you because I feel that we all have to take responsibility for our actions. We make mistakes; the most important thing is to learn from them and grow".

 

Words that are sometimes unsettling: who wants to make money? How can you make money from someone else's accident? Words that are unlikely to close the case here.

 

On Friday, 13 November 2015, Lewis Hamilton is fastest in the first session on Friday morning, setting a time of 1'13.543, more than half a second ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg, who was second fastest. Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in third and fourth respectively were the only other drivers to lap within a second of Hamilton. The session was held in dry conditions, despite earlier reports that thunderstorms could disrupt the weekend. Hamilton set his fastest time on the medium compound, but was caught out twice on other laps, locking up and running wide in the Senna S. He also complained of a strange feeling in the clutch later in the session, but returned to the track soon after. Kimi Räikkönen, who was fifth fastest, spun ten minutes from the end of the session, while eighth-placed Max Verstappen did the same in turn three early in the session. Jolyon Palmer replaced Romain Grosjean for Lotus and was twelfth fastest. It was Hamilton's team-mate and defending champion Rosberg who topped the timesheets in the second session on Friday afternoon with a 1'12"385 lap. He was almost half a second ahead of Hamilton, with the two Ferraris of Vettel and Raikkonen around a second behind. 

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Light rain saw most of the drivers out early, but conditions never got wet enough to require intermediate tyres. After starting on the medium compound, many drivers switched to the softer compound for race simulations, only for the session to be red-flagged shortly after when Fernando Alonso spun in turn four, only to pull over to the side of the track a few corners later with smoke coming from his car. Valtteri Bottas was sixth fastest behind Daniel Ricciardo, who spun at turn nine. Despite a number of problems in Saturday morning's third session, Lewis Hamilton was the fastest with a time of 1:12.070, just over a tenth of a second ahead of his team-mate. He had to return to pit lane earlier in the session due to a gear selection problem, which caused him to stop briefly on the track and later spun at turn eleven. Vettel was again third fastest, over six-tenths of a second behind Hamilton. He was followed by team-mate Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India, all over a second slower than Hamilton. A few hours later, in the first part of the qualifying session, all the drivers, including the Mercedes duo, used the softer compound for at least their second run of timed laps. While Valtteri Bottas was the last driver to switch from the medium tyres, his Williams team-mate Felipe Massa needed a quick lap at the end of the session to secure his place in the second qualifying session, having been held up earlier in the session by compatriot Felipe Nasr. 

 

Fernando Alonso's McLaren retired with a loss of power before he could set a time, with team-mate Jenson Button also unable to progress. Both Manor Marussia drivers failed to advance, while Pastor Maldonado in fifteenth place was the last to go. In the second part of the session, the Mercedes drivers completed only one run of timed laps as they were able to save their tyres for the race, well ahead of the competition. Lewis Hamilton was fastest, half a second ahead of Rosberg, with Sebastian Vettel in between. Romain Grosjean retired after spinning in turn six. He was joined on the sidelines by both Sauber drivers, Carlos Sainz Jr and Sergio Pérez. When the top ten drivers took to the track for the third and final part of qualifying, Nico Rosberg beat team-mate Hamilton to pole position by 0.078 seconds, securing his fifth pole in a row. Sebastian Vettel was third, ahead of Bottas, who dropped back three places due to a penalty. After a mistake on his final timed lap, Kimi Raikkonen was fifth fastest, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg. Despite running with an updated power unit, Daniel Ricciardo qualified slower than his team-mate Daniil Kvyat, and a ten-place grid penalty for the change left him on the grid in nineteenth place. It's a distracted Formula One that takes to the track for qualifying in Sao Paulo, the penultimate stop of a season that has long since delivered its verdict. Everyone had other things on their minds, and Jean Todt stumbled into an absurd gaffe:

 

"Are you aware that the number of road deaths is much higher than the number of people killed in Paris? Every day, 3500 people die on the roads, 30 times as many. We had already thought about a minute's silence, but we cannot ignore what has happened in France: we will all remember it".

 

Ecclestone wanted a symbolic moment only for the victims of Paris; in the evening the FIA corrected its course with a note:

 

"Solidarity with all those affected by this unbearable tragedy".

 

In the end, the pole was taken by the only one able to maintain an acceptable level of concentration, Nico Rosberg, the second impatient Mercedes driver. Seventy-eight thousandths of a second separated him from the World Champion at the end of Q3, but it was enough to give meaning to this Saturday of clouds and waiting. Nico smiles. But everyone else is smiling too, like the last days of school. The only one who looks a little grumpy is Lewis Hamilton, the protagonist of an unseemly scene at the end of qualifying. Instead of shaking hands with his team-mate, the newly crowned world champion found a genuinely embarrassing excuse ("With this hair, I don't want to be in front of the cameras") to avoid the ritual photo opportunity with Rosberg and Vettel. The two waited for him for more than five minutes, calm and smiling, until Rosberg understood and got tired.

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"Come on, take this photo, even if it's just the two of us, at least we can go home".

 

Hamilton is dealing with an unexpected moment of technical fog - it's the fifth pole in a row that has slipped away from him - and national unpopularity; to the Monaco accident and the resulting, perhaps excessive, criticism from the British press, add the words of his colleague Jenson Button, former teammate in the McLaren-Mercedes days and one of the most listened to drivers on the grid:

 

"Lewis is getting very arrogant".

 

Jenson says, referring to an interview in which Hamilton defined himself as a complete driver.

 

"None of us are complete. If we had his car we could beat him. He is very talented and does a good job, but he also has some weaknesses".

 

In short, Lewis should be more modest and thankful that there is no real rival to Mercedes:

 

"If there was, everything would change".

 

We'll talk about that in 2016, a season that Ferrari are already thinking about incessantly, and not without some trepidation. The pressure on the men from Maranello will be enormous, and everyone in the red motorhome is beginning to realise this. Next year it will not be enough to say:

 

"We are getting closer, we have closed the gap".

 

Next year they will have to win. Also because concrete commitments have been made in various places. Ironically, the situation is very similar to that of Fernando Alonso and his new travelling companions. After a season that can only be described as a failure (yesterday, for the umpteenth time, the Spaniard's car was retired after one lap due to technical problems), McLaren-Honda is forced to redeem itself, or face the closure of the Formula One project with the consequent economic catastrophe. Alonso is well aware of this and is trying to play it down (a very different attitude to that of recent years in Maranello): during the final phase of qualifying, he and his team-mate Button sneaked onto the podium and posed for photographs on the top step. It was the only way to see it up close this year.

 

"We were passing by and thought we weren't going to be that close to the podium, so we took a photo".

 

Explains Alonso, who stops to sunbathe by the track after being stopped by a mechanical problem.

 

"After Q2 we had a bit of hope, we managed to improve the car even for the race, but I couldn't be closer to the Mercedes".

 

Sebastian Vettel is confident he can at least compete with the Mercedes in the race at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

 

"Tomorrow will be an interesting race for tyre management, we will give everything we have and hope to put pressure on the Mercedes. If there is an opportunity, we will try to take it".

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Despite his disappointment at missing out on pole position, Lewis Hamilton will be aiming for his first victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix after winning the World Championship:

 

"I've already achieved the main goal, but now I want to win here, where I haven't done it yet".

 

Nico Rosberg, on the other hand, is satisfied:

 

"I worked well in qualifying. In Q3 I did some good laps and I am happy with my time. A win would be important because it would give me second place in the championship, and it is always better to finish the season on a high".

 

A rather comical incident - the world champion's foot slipping off the brake pedal of his €1.5 million car and crashing into three honestly parked cars on a quiet night in Monte Carlo - is also dividing F1 into two camps. On the one side, the moralists and puritans, strongly represented by the British press, who even force the FIA to withdraw Lewis Hamilton's appointment as Road Safety Ambassador. On the other side are the libertarians, nostalgic for an unforgettable era when F1 was populated by eccentric and mad heroes, all adrenaline and reckless gestures. Lewis Hamilton himself, in an excess of sincerity about the dynamics of the incident, had the not-so-brilliant idea of putting the words alcohol and the verb to drive in the same sentence.

 

"The week after winning the world championship, I drank a lot and celebrated a lot, so I was a bit tired".

 

At the time of the incident, the British driver was not drunk (the test carried out by the police was negative). But the words were enough to unleash the fury of the English press.

 

"Why did a road safety ambassador get behind the wheel in these psychophysical conditions?"

 

The Daily Mail asks.

 

"He could afford the cost of a taxi, couldn't he?"

 

commented the Road Peace spokesman sarcastically. But the libertarians disagree and give the Formula 1 world champion a clean bill of health. Not so much because they are convinced by Mercedes' defense:

 

"Lewis drank on Saturday, the incident happened on Tuesday, but what are we talking about? The only disaster here is the damage to the cars".

 

As much because a little exaggerated behaviour is the minimum required of a Formula One world champion. And in an era of sponsored robots, the circus has finally found a character who manages to communicate something.

 

"But that's enough".

 

Pino Allievi, a journalist for La Gazzetta dello Sport and a kind of F1 evangelist, bursts out.

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"It's a funny story, but let's not condemn anyone, for God's sake. Clay Regazzoni would have been bragging about it for months and we would have made him a hero. I can still see Enzo Ferrari's face when Villeneuve crumpled up one of his cars while he was parking at the factory. Rindt had bought himself a real wolf skin so he could drive with the top down in winter. Today, animal rights activists would disqualify him".

 

On Sunday 15 November 2015, Carlos Sainz Jr. stopped on the track on his way to the grid and had to be pushed back to pit lane, where he eventually started, only to retire after a few hundred meters. At the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, both Mercedes drivers got away well and Hamilton tried to overtake Rosberg for the lead on the outside of the first corner, but was unable to do so. Jenson Button made a good start and moved up from 16th to 13th, while Marcus Ericsson dropped from 13th to 18th. Behind the leaders, the Ferrari drivers maintained their positions in third and fourth. Bottas moved up to fifth after moving around the outside. Hamilton was close on Rosberg's heels in the opening laps, while Daniel Ricciardo became the first driver to pit for new tyres on lap four. A lap later, Grosjean was able to overtake Felipe Nasr into eleventh place with the help of the drag reduction system. Starting from the back row and making an early pit stop, Ricciardo overtook the two Manor Marussia cars on lap nine. Regular pit stops began on lap eleven, with Massa, Kvyat, Pérez and Grosjean the first to come in. Nico Hulkenberg also made a pit stop, coming out ahead of both Massa and Kvyat, who were both ahead of him before their respective stops. Bottas came in a lap later and held his position. Kimi Raikkonen, who had been complaining about a lack of grip on his front tyres, pitted on lap 13. Race leader Rosberg came in for his fourteenth pit stop at the same time as Vettel, while Hamilton stayed out for another lap. Ultimately, he was unable to use his extra lap to move ahead of his team-mate and remained second. On lap 18, Nico Hulkenberg, who was suffering from an unstable car, overtook Maldonado into sixth place. Around lap 20, Hamilton began to close on Rosberg and was in DRS range for several laps before telling the garage that his tyres were not going to last much longer, so he dropped back. By lap 22, Kvyat had also moved ahead of Maldonado and was now seventh. On lap 24, Massa also passed Maldonado, while Felipe Nasr passed Button to move up to 14th. Daniel Ricciardo became the first driver to pit for the second time on lap 30. At the same time, a three-way battle for ninth place had developed, with Pérez ahead of Grosjean and Verstappen.

 

On lap 32, Verstappen moved ahead of Grosjean and took another position from Pérez, who in turn lost another position to Grosjean in the same maneuver. Vettel pitted for a second time on lap 33, with Rosberg following suit a lap later. Hamilton briefly held the lead, but also pitted soon after to set a new fastest lap of the race, albeit behind the two Ferraris. On lap 36 there was a collision between Pastor Maldonado and Marcus Ericsson, but both drivers were able to continue. Two laps later, Maldonado was involved in another battle for position with the other Sauber of Felipe Nasr. He eventually received a five-second penalty for his involvement in the incident with Ericsson. By lap 43, Romain Grosjean had overtaken Verstappen into tenth place. Hamilton began to lose ground on Rosberg, trailing him by 3.4 seconds on lap 44, but managed to close the gap over the next few laps. Kimi Räikkönen made his second stop on lap 47, followed by Vettel's third just one lap later, as Rosberg reacted by also changing tyres. Hamilton changed tyres on lap 50 and one lap later set the fastest lap of the race. On lap 53, Massa moved ahead of Grosjean into eighth place, but was already being investigated for his pre-race tyre temperatures. After serving his penalty, Maldonado overtook Nasr for ninth place on lap 57. Nasr, running a two-stop strategy, struggled with his tyres and fell behind Ricciardo on lap 61. Ricciardo made up another position at Pérez's expense on lap 67, while Verstappen moved up to tenth a lap later after overtaking Maldonado. At the front, Hamilton's tyre began to wear in the closing stages, allowing Rosberg to take the chequered flag 7.7 seconds ahead of his team-mate. The Brazilian Grand Prix begins on a sombre note, with the French flag at half-mast and a plaque paying tribute to the victims of road traffic accidents (today is their World Day). Then the usual Mercedes drama unfolds with absolute dominance and without the much-anticipated Rosberg-Hamilton duel - the only thing that could have livened up this very dull Grand Prix. 

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Rosberg took the lead from pole position, relegating Hamilton to a supporting role. Lewis tried everything to attack, but never got close enough to make a real move. So it's a race to be watched with a stopwatch in hand and a farewell to any spectacle.

 

"I can't be happy after what happened in Paris. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied with my race and the victory. Everything went well, Hamilton was on my tail and I tried to keep him under control, also with the information from the pit wall. Fortunately, I was able to defend first place. I started pushing late and now I want to win the last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. I'll have to be more reactive next year". 

 

If it weren't for the unleashed Max Verstappen and the umbrella girls chosen by Bernie Ecclestone's partner Fabiana Flosi to launch her new luxury coffee business - Caffè Celebrity - the 71 laps of Interlagos would have been of no interest. And it's not just because the F1 World Championship ended in Mexico last Sunday, or perhaps much earlier. F1 is not like football; every race is a story in itself, regardless of the title race. The problem lies in something not quite right with the structure of the sport, as world champion Lewis Hamilton has made clear.

 

"The decisions are made by the bosses. Maybe they get it right. Or maybe not. The fact is that there are some races where you can compete decently, like in Austin, and then there are races like today. I'm not saying this for myself, I'm saying it for the fans, who certainly didn't get too excited watching the action on the track. I like this track, but unfortunately it's impossible to overtake here. You can get within a few tenths of your opponent, but then either you've got a much faster car or it's impossible. You get close, you lose grip and you never overtake. Maybe they should extend the DRS zone; I don't know, but something has to be done".

 

On the race, he said:

 

"I had a good pace, but it's impossible to overtake here. Sometimes I got stuck in traffic and ruined my tyres. It's a beautiful track, but you can't get close to fight; you need a huge pace advantage to overtake. It's a pity; it would be nice if I could win here. I'm here to race; when you have to follow the same instructions (from the team, editor's note) it becomes more difficult. Of course you have to manage the tyres, but I'm here to race and that's what people want to see. I think it was a pretty boring race. Has Rosberg improved in the last two races? It's true that he has the upper hand, congratulations to him”.

 

Hamilton's impression is shared by many. Certainly Sebastian Vettel.

 

"When you're behind, you want a much longer DRS zone because it helps you get closer. But in general, we need tyres that allow us to go faster".

 

The problem, of course, is not with the manufacturers, Pirelli, who do what they're told.

 

"The problem is that, unfortunately, F1 is a very political sport with different interests and people. But I'd like to give Pirelli the means to make tyres that allow us drivers to go faster, which is what the public wants. But until the people in charge can agree on that, it will be difficult to make progress. I'm particularly sorry for the people".

 

Lewis Hamilton grumbles; you can't overtake on this track. A few meters away, a young boy laughs.

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He has overtaken (and been overtaken) a dozen times here. His name is Max Verstappen and, according to what they say about him and what he has shown this season, he is going to be a champion. A role for which he has been programmed with disturbing method by his father, Jos. Have you read Agassi's biography? Well, Jos has given his Max the same treatment that old Mike gave Agassi. No detail is overlooked. Obsessive preparation, burnt stages, a record debut in F1 (at 17 years and 166 days, he recently got his license) and one commitment: to win. In Toro Rosso, his opponent this year was another son of art, Carlos Sainz Jr, son of Spanish rally legend Carlos Sainz. There was no race, because there can't be one between a predestined driver and a good driver. With the internal rival removed, Max had to impose himself on the others. And the race was fundamental. His Toro Rosso was ahead of old favorites like Alonso and Button, former young guns like Perez and Maldonado, and Daniel Ricciardo, who instead of a Toro Rosso had a Red Bull, the flagship. Hard overtaking, precise maneuvers, a perfect race. And mature too, like when he let Grosjean pass.

 

"His car was much faster, there was no point in fighting".

 

But then a journalist asks him if Hamilton is wrong to say that you can't overtake here? Perfectly schooled in how to deal with the press, he understands the trap question.

 

"No, Lewis is right. It depends on the cars".

 

This Interlagos podium was not like the others for Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari. On the other occasions, third place behind the untouchable Mercedes was almost a given, the result of a grid with few real competitors. This time, however, third place behind the duel between Rosberg and Hamilton is something more: it's a promise, an announcement.

 

"Now they're there, next year they'll be very close".

 

Niki Lauda, president and spiritual guide of the Mercedes world champion, commented worriedly, scrolling through Vettel's times on a sheet of paper. A little further away, Maurizio Arrivabene smiles:

 

"He's completely wrong: today we're close, next year we'll be ahead".

 

Optimism indeed. But also confidence in the ability of a team and, above all, a driver who has managed to arrive in Maranello, sweep away the dark but looming shadow of Fernando Alonso (where are those who said the Spaniard was much stronger?) and conquer all of Italy. The German's personal triumph goes beyond the record of thirteen podiums in his first season in red, set yesterday, and can be described by two images. The first is that of the two hundred Brazilian fans who, in front of the Parc Fermé after the awards ceremony, ignored the two local Felipes, Massa and Nasr, and instead swarmed around him, Sebastian Vettel, shouting olé olé olé Seb (according to a somewhat questionable metric). The second is that of Vettel, who, just before the ceremony began, broke through the security cordon and, with a jaguar-like sprint, appeared under the podium to show the crowd of mechanics, photographers and various human beings the Cavallino Rampante tattooed on the back of his helmet. An unusual gesture that will certainly earn him an official reprimand from the FIA, but one that speaks volumes about the relationship that this German boy, who came to emulate his idol Michael Schumacher, has managed to build with the whole world, with a little bit of cunning and a little bit of truth. It hasn't been easy, as Maurizio Arrivabene explains when asked about Vettel's most intolerable fault:

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"When he first arrived, he perhaps tended to get a little too attached to certain details. That's typical of perfectionists. He came from another team with which he had won a lot, so he thought certain methods or ways of doing things were probably better. I think that's normal, it happened to me too. Then, very quickly, he realised where he was ending up, in an old team, with a much more important history than the others, a huge book to which he could add at most a few lines. And he adapted to the situation with humility".

 

Vettel was quick to understand that it wouldn't be easy for a German, especially one from England, to adapt to the Italian, albeit excellent, atmosphere at Maranello. A year ago in Jerez de la Frontera, on the eve of the first test of the season, he found out that he didn't have a helmet to race with the next day, due to a bureaucratic mix-up over sponsorship. He had to have one brought from home. He did his best to keep his composure. Ferrari were used to Alonso's outbursts and knew that if they kept quiet they would score points. He smiled. He was right. He scored points and won sympathy. It was just the beginning of a relationship that became more and more intimate day by day with the whole environment, which now makes fun of his passion for cream tortellini ("no ham, no peas, nothing, just cream") and his obsession with Italian songs: the Toto Cutugno sung on the radio after the victory in Singapore is legendary. The final turning point, however, came during the days of Kimi Raikkonen's contract renewal. The Finn is much loved in Maranello for his quirky but always genuine manner. There has always been an excellent understanding with Vettel.

 

"Very often they take the plane together to go to the races, something that doesn't happen very often in our world, I see them working together, exchanging information and having fun".

 

Explains Maurizio Arrivabene, who at the time decided to extend Kimi's contract for another season. Today, there is a bond of steel between the two and the rest of the team, on which Ferrari has decided to build the next challenge that everyone hopes will see Maranello overtake Mercedes.

 

"When Lauda compliments us, I usually get a bit suspicious. But then I look at the figures and take a tour of the garage and I'm sure: be careful, Niki, next year we'll be ahead".

 

And he adds:

 

"We are happy when we win, not when we finish third. But you have to give credit to this car and to Sebastian, the pace was really very good".

 

Commenting on Sebastian Vettel's third place and Kimi Raikkonen's fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Ferrari team principal said:

 

"In the 71 laps he lost, in 80% of the laps he lost something, that's how it ended, but Sebastian's car showed that hard work pays off, although there is still work to be done".

 

Regarding the mid-race strategy change to three stops, Arrivabene points out:

 

"The change was made because of the tyre consumption we had. But even though Kimi stayed on the old strategy with tyres that weren't working as well as they should, he still managed to lap everyone. And Vettel? He was fantastic today, he's a great acquisition for us, but he's driving and working in a team that has done wonders this year. Now we go to Abu Dhabi and try to finish this year honorably".


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