It’s a positive season, especially considering the starting point, but still leaving a bitter taste. Because the car, the SF70H, was good. A few days before the Mexican Grand Prix, which sealed Ferrari's last championship hopes and handed the title to Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Marchionne had some regrets.
"We couldn't do better".
Says the manager, who is the president and CEO of Ferrari, ready to bet on an immediate comeback for the Maranello team. Already in 2018. The occasion to review the year in Formula 1 is the conference call with analysts on the record third-quarter results, on which the difficulties of Vettel and Räikkönen had no effect whatsoever.
"I don't believe in bad luck. There was a combination of technical problems and driver evaluation errors".
Marchionne explains, for whom Ferrari is not just work but a true passion.
"If a year ago I had said where we would end up, no one would have believed us. We have learned a lot from this season, even if it has been a painful way to learn".
Marchionne also talks about relations with Liberty and ongoing talks about the future of Formula 1. He has said in the past that he will not accept compromises on new engines or format changes. Ferrari - he reiterates to analysts - intends to reduce costs but without changing the essence of the sport, without devaluing it. The idea is to stay in the Circus, but not at any cost. And when asked if he dedicates too much time to Ferrari, Marchionne responds without hesitation:
"No, absolutely not. I only participate in strategic meetings".
The second retirement will be definitive. Felipe Massa will end his F1 career at the end of 2017. The Brazilian driver had announced his farewell to racing at the end of the 2016 season, only to return to Williams to replace Valtteri Bottas, who moved to Mercedes after Nico Rosberg's surprise departure. It is Massa himself who confirms the retirement:
"I came back just to help Williams. It has been four beautiful years with this team, but my Formula 1 career will end at the end of this championship".
Massa will still be able to race in the Brazilian Grand Prix - at Interlagos, on Sunday, November 12, 2017 - for one last time, before the final stage of the World Championship in Abu Dhabi. Massa's season started with two sixth places in the first three races, but difficulties arose in the second half of the championship, culminating in Mexico City with Lance Stroll overtaking him in the standings (40 to 36 points, in favor of the Canadian). The experienced Williams driver had his best season with Ferrari in 2008, securing second place behind Lewis Hamilton (the first title of the British driver's career):
"I will carry many memories with me towards the last two races. They will be exciting, and I hope to finish on a high note in view of a new chapter in my life".
In reality, the Brazilian had also thought of continuing until 2018, but Williams chose to look around, opting not to confirm the driver. Among the candidates for the seat is also Robert Kubica. Says the team principal of the British team, Claire Williams:
"I want to thank Felipe for everything he has done for the team in these four years. It has been a great pleasure to work with him, and we are grateful for him postponing his retirement by a year when Bottas went to Mercedes".
Saying goodbye to Formula 1 on the track where he became a driver. Next Sunday's race at Interlagos will never be just another race for Felipe Massa, who will definitively leave the circus at his home circuit.
"I can't wait to start. It's the track where I grew up, and it's the last time in an F1 car. Hopefully, it will be a good race".
With Hamilton already the World Champion and Mercedes leading the Constructors' Championship, the final race in Brazil doesn't have much to say. Except for Felipe Massa's farewell in front of his fans:
"It hasn't been a great season, more like the beginning of the end. Developments didn't go in the right direction. But it's okay, considering the rule changes. It's been more enjoyable, even if I've been a bit unlucky".
Then a look to the past:
"I've had a successful career. It's been a dream; I managed to race well. I was one of the first drivers to see a championship slip away in the end, but I'm content, and people respect me. I have a good relationship with most of the people I've worked with, and I'm happy. My fondest memory at Interlagos is my first victory in 2006; it was a dream come true, I'll never forget it. I finish with my head held high".
What will Massa do after retiring?
"I want to keep racing; it's what I've been doing since I was eight, it's my profession and my life. When you race, you feel emotions and have fun. I hope to find a category where I can have fun like I did in Formula One, but there's time to think about it".
Massa concludes with advice to Claire Williams:
"I think it's important to change some ideas, have a somewhat different car".
The Brazilian Grand Prix also holds special memories for Kimi Räikkönen, who celebrated winning the World Championship with Ferrari at Interlagos ten years earlier.
"It was a beautiful day, but the whole year was fantastic, with many great moments and some not-so-great ones. I'm happy with these memories, but I haven't thought about it much after. It doesn't change my life today".
So, for the Finnish driver, it's better to think about the future:
"For next year, we have the right people, the right tools to win. Even though the World Championship is decided, we'll try to win this race and start from there for the next season. There will be winter tests, and we'll see what happens; we'll understand it from the first days".
Even though Lewis Hamilton is still hungry for success. The British driver doesn't relax even after mathematically clinching the World Championship for the fourth time in his career. On November 10, 2017, he set the fastest time in both the first and second free practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix. On the Interlagos circuit, the Mercedes driver clocked 1'09"515, ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo. Sebastian Vettel is fourth, followed by Max Verstappen and his teammate, Kimi Räikkönen. In the first session, Hamilton had a time of 1'09"202, 0.127 seconds ahead of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas. Kimi Räikkönen posted the third-fastest time, although nearly 0.5 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, followed by the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. Sebastian Vettel only managed the sixth time, 0.782 seconds behind the Briton. On November 11, 2017, in the third and final free practice session, Valtteri Bottas set the fastest lap, just 0.003 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Due to overnight rain, the track lost grip and became particularly slow. The asphalt temperature, in addition, drops to only 26 °C. The Anglo-German team conducts a long test with Soft tires, perhaps in anticipation of their use in qualifying. The Ferrari drivers approach the times of the Mercedes drivers, with Kimi Räikkönen 0.045 seconds behind the leader, and Vettel 0.013 seconds behind his teammate. The Red Bulls seem to be lagging behind, with Ricciardo, in fifth, one second behind Bottas' time, also due to a shortage of spare parts for the engines of the Anglo-Austrian team, forcing them to face the tests with a less aggressive engine mapping. The same problem is encountered in the Toro Rosso team's box. Due to the various engine components being replaced on both Faenza cars, Pierre Gasly will be penalized with a loss of 25 grid positions, and Brendon Hartley with a loss of 10 positions. The gearbox failure for Lance Stroll forces him to skip the session, as well as penalizing him with a loss of 5 grid positions. With a 40% chance of rain falling on the track, in Q1, all drivers try to set a valid time for qualification to the second phase of qualifying. Lewis Hamilton goes off track at turn 6 on his first attempt and is forced to abandon qualifying. Ending up against the barriers, the driver takes some time to get out of the car but has no physical consequences.
The session is interrupted by the use of red flags. When Q1 resumes, the top of the leaderboard often changes the name of the reference driver, with the overall best being Kimi Räikkönen. The fight to enter the next phase is tight among Sauber, Toro Rosso, and Williams. In addition to Hamilton, Pascal Wehrlein, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Marcus Ericsson are eliminated. In Q2, during which a very light rain falls that does not affect the drivers' performances, Valtteri Bottas takes the lead in the time rankings, ahead of the two Ferrari drivers. Max Verstappen stops in the pit lane due to the red light at the entrance, where Fernando Alonso's car is already stopped; the Dutchman's car is then pushed to the pits. In the final phase of the session, Vettel improves the reference time set by Bottas. Among the ten qualified for the decisive phase, only Daniel Ricciardo uses Soft tires, not Supersoft. This choice will be mandatory at the start of the race. In this phase, Esteban Ocon, Romain Grosjean, Stoffel Vandoorne, Kevin Magnussen, and Brendon Hartley are eliminated. In Q3, Sebastian Vettel precedes Valtteri Bottas at the end of the first attempt. Kimi Räikkönen follows in third place, while Max Verstappen is fourth. In the second and final fast lap, Valtteri Bottas sets a better time than Sebastian Vettel, securing his third career pole position. At the end of qualifying, Felipe Massa complains of being obstructed by Carlos Sainz Jr. during Q3. The Spaniard denies the intention of the behavior and accuses the Brazilian of slowing him down during the free practice. But the race direction takes no action. Marcus Ericsson is forced to replace the gearbox, and thus he is penalized with the loss of 5 grid positions. Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes crashes into the barriers in the first flying lap of the qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix, abandoning the fight and the pole position, which goes to his teammate, Valtteri Bottas. 0.038 seconds behind the Finn is Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, betrayed by a braking issue.
"I really wanted to be in the front, unfortunately I didn't manage the brakes well at turn 1 on the last lap, I was a bit cautious and lost something, in the end only three hundredths. Overall, the car was good, and the feeling is positive. Tomorrow should go well".
It has to, because now even the second place in the standings could be threatened: the German has only a 15-point lead over the second Mercedes driver, who cannot potentially assist his teammate in the fight for the second position in the race. Behind Vettel, on the second row, is the other Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen, next to Max Verstappen's Red Bull:
"We did much better than yesterday; we'll see what happens in the race. Today it wasn't easy to have total confidence in the first corners regarding the tires, but overall, it didn't go bad".
Certainly, it was the day to take advantage of Hamilton's mishap. Lewis crashed badly in the first flying lap of Q1; his Mercedes slammed into the asphalt halfway through turn 6, sliding into the barriers at 250 km/h. Almost a rookie mistake, as he admits. There were moments of concern because neither the car nor he seemed to move, then Lewis got out of the car reassuring everyone about his condition without the need for medical checks. Instead of starting from the grid, Hamilton will start from the pit lane to replace components of the power unit (which elements will be changed will be known at the last minute) without suffering penalties. In the final run of Q3, with a few raindrops falling on the asphalt and Vettel leading with the best time, Bottas managed to repair his teammate's incident, surpassing the German driver by a whisker.
"I'm really happy for myself and the team, all the guys working with me. With Lewis's problem, having an accident, I found myself with all the pressure on me, and I'm glad I managed to get the pole. We are working very hard because everyone in the team has the same goal. We also want to achieve second place in the driver's championship. So it will be very important to have a clean race, without mistakes, even though we know it won't be easy against the Ferraris".
It shouldn't be easy; having lost the title, Sebastian will want and have to defend the honor of having the best car. And of being, if not the winner, the successful second. Just before ending up exhausted against the barriers and saying goodbye to the qualifying in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton denounces what everyone knows: São Paulo is frightening.
"Here, the same thing happens every year; F1 officials and the various teams should do something: there are no more excuses".
The same thing that happens every year happened on Friday evening and will happen again: a Mercedes minivan was attacked at gunpoint and robbed near the Interlagos circuit (no injuries), more or less at the same point and at the same time when a Federation car managed to escape a gang with guns. Matteo Bonciani, the head of FIA communication, was also on board:
"It was around 8:00 p.m., and there were four of us, including the driver, Ricardo. Not far from the facility, we stopped at the traffic light at the end of a descent. Three or four armed young men approached on foot, tried to break the windows with kicks and even the gun barrels. They didn't succeed because the car, black with the federation logo, is armored. I thought: what if they shoot? The driver kept his cool, maneuvered through a gap in the traffic, we were hit by another car coming at that moment, side destroyed, but safe. I had always heard stories like this; I've been coming to São Paulo since 2002 when I was with Ferrari, but it's the first time such a story has happened to me too. Scared? I don't deny it".
No one denies it; everyone lives with the possibility, not at all remote, of being victims one day. But Hamilton doesn't want to succumb to fatalism:
"In the team, everyone is very scared. They pointed guns at their heads. There were shots. Please, pray for these guys who are here and try to be professional despite being so troubled".
Niki Lauda, non-executive director of Mercedes, adds:
"Five or six people got out of a car near ours, pointed guns at the head of one of our mechanics. We are all shaken. We will be more careful, but honestly, it's an intolerable situation".
Even Williams mechanics avoided a robbery attempt. In 2010, the former British driver Jenson Button also escaped guns. The FIA, in a note, recommends hiding all passes and distinctive signs of the Circus until entering the circuit. Not exactly a reassuring spot for the fate of Interlagos: the circuit, owned by the city, is for sale. It costs about 2.100.000 euros, there are three potential buyers, including former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone (who has a Brazilian wife). The contract for the race expires in 2020; whoever buys it must be sure that F1 will not leave. That it won't be robbed. Complicated, in a city of over 12.000.000 inhabitants, and with a crime rate increasing as the crisis deepens. The State Secretariat for Public Security of São Paulo explains that for the Grand Prix, patrols around the racetrack have been strengthened.
"Approximately 700 police officers patrol the area, and two fighter jets fly over the zone".
At traffic lights, officers search motorcyclists, especially with submachine guns. In any street, in any neighborhood, even the most affluent ones, and in this, violence here is very democratic: in the last year, there were 208,125 robberies. Deaths by firearms (there are 8 per 100 inhabitants) amount to 21.2 per 100.000 people, totaling 1.353 in twelve months. Someone is killed even for trivial reasons every hour, 55 minutes, and 56 seconds. Forget about the pole position. On Sunday, November 12, 2017, at the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel overtakes Valtteri Bottas, taking the lead of the race at the first corner. Kimi Räikkönen is in third place, ahead of Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, and Sergio Pérez. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo spins but manages to continue, while Kevin Magnussen collides with Stoffel Vandoorne, and both are forced to retire. A few corners later, Esteban Ocon and Romain Grosjean's cars make contact, leading to the Force India driver abandoning the race. It's Ocon's first retirement in F1 after 27 races. The race officials deploy the Safety Car, which stays on the track for 5 laps. At the restart, Sebastian Vettel remains in the lead, ahead of the two Finnish drivers, while Felipe Massa passes Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton, starting from the pit lane, begins his comeback, reaching eighth place by lap 11. During lap 14, the British driver overtakes Sergio Pérez. Daniel Ricciardo also manages to gain positions, passing Nico Hülkenberg and securing the ninth position by lap 19. On lap 20, after overtaking Alonso and Massa, Hamilton climbs to fifth place. On lap 27, Valtteri Bottas makes his first pit stop, while Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen wait one more lap before changing tires. The German driver re-enters the track ahead of the Mercedes Finn. After Kimi Räikkönen's pit stop, Lewis Hamilton takes the lead of the race, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas. During lap 33, Daniel Ricciardo, who has not yet pitted, lets Max Verstappen pass. Then, on lap 43, both Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo make their pit stops. The British driver returns to the track in fifth place, while the Australian is eighth. Sebastian Vettel regains the lead in this way. Between laps 45 and 47, Daniel Ricciardo overtakes Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, climbing to sixth place, behind Lewis Hamilton. On lap 58, the British driver of Mercedes overtakes Max Verstappen, securing the fourth position. In the final laps, Lewis Hamilton tries to approach Kimi Räikkönen but fails to do so. Sebastian Vettel wins the Brazilian Grand Prix, achieving his fifth victory of the season and the 47th of his career. Valtteri Bottas is second, followed by Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Nico Hülkenberg.
"Thanks, guys, go Ferrari".
Sebastian Vettel says with a hint of nostalgia as he passes under the checkered flag in Brazil. The German driver, winning at Interlagos, secures his fifth triumph of the year after a long wait of eight races, defending both his honor and the second position in the standings. The other Mercedes man, Valtteri Bottas, who was only 15 points behind Seb after the pole, aimed to take that second spot away. Kimi Räikkönen finishes third after a race with ups and downs. In Abu Dhabi, the unthinkable should happen to snatch the second position in the standings from Sebastian Vettel.
"I am happy for the victory, for these two Ferrari podiums today. It's a feeling of relief after tough weeks. I had a very good start, then we pushed, and I gave it my all. It's a special victory for everyone, for me, for the team. It was tough after these weeks, but I am happy; there was no room for mistakes today".
He concludes with thanks and promises:
"I dedicate the victory to the fans, the mechanics, and everyone who worked for us in Maranello. Now, let's focus on finishing well in Abu Dhabi and then come back in 2018 to win the World Championship".
Valtteri Bottas, on the other hand, is disheartened after attempting to overtake in the standings:
"We started from pole, and the goal was to win, so I'm very disappointed. I tried to put pressure on Seb, but there was nothing to be done".
World Champion Lewis Hamilton, deserving the title of Driver of the Day, only managed a fourth-place finish in this Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite starting from the pit lane due to an engine change, he almost reached the podium.
"It was a fun race; I knew I had a lot to play for to make up for what happened yesterday when I wasn't behind the wheel. I came within seconds of the leaders, considering the pace, I could have easily won. But these things happen; you can fall, the important thing is how you bounce back. Today, with heart, I tried to show why I am the world champion".
In the Mercedes box, Rubens Barrichello is also waiting for him. It's still Brazil, and it's still the last race of the last Brazilian in F1: Felipe Massa announced his true and definitive retirement on the eve of the weekend after already celebrating it last year. But then, called back by Williams, he continued this year. Seventh in front of his audience and his city, Felipe waves a green flag passed to him by one of the marshals, and passing under the stands, people applaud. His son speaks to him in English via radio:
"I love you, and I will always be by your side. I'm so proud of you. And I also liked your start".
Ferrari's team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, is also happy:
"We represented the colors of our home, that is Maranello: now we have to do the same in the last commitment of this World Championship".
Talking about the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Italian manager adds:
"Vettel did a great job: a really nice race, now let's look ahead. Hamilton? When you start from behind and don't have great rivals ahead, it's easier: we saw it the other time with Vettel, who did more or less the same. Then, however, you get to a certain point, after the comeback, with worn tires; plus, Räikkönen defended very well. We represented the colors of our home, that is Maranello: now we have to do the same in the last commitment of this World Championship".
At the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Pirelli and McLaren announce that they have canceled the two days of tests scheduled at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo to test the tires to be used in the next season. The decision was made, it is announced, due to the impossibility of guaranteeing safety around the track, where the Brazilian Grand Prix took place. Over the weekend, the Mercedes, Williams, and Sauber teams, as well as FIA members, were victims of two different episodes of violence that greatly disturbed those involved. In particular, both teams were attacked by armed robbers: the attempted robbery on a Pirelli van after Sunday's race, thwarted by the team's security personnel, was the latest in a series of incidents involving Formula 1 personnel at Interlagos. Four-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton had urged Formula 1 to take action after a mechanic from his team, Mercedes, was robbed by an armed man in their van. The British driver, who was not present at the time, recounted that the criminals fired shots and pointed a gun at a person's head before stealing valuable items. Brazil remains a country of joy and anguish. Three years ago, the ball disappeared from Brazil, humiliated by eleven cruel German know-it-alls who taught the masters the art of football. At the end of the year, the South American school of motorsport will also lose its last student with Felipe Massa's farewell to F1. After 53 championships, 43 consecutive ones, this lung of the world, also for motorsport, with eight titles won and an uninterrupted presence like no other non-European country, will not have a driver at the start of the season. Since Emerson Fittipaldi climbed aboard the Lotus in 1970, the Brazilian driver from Williams, 36 years old with fifteen seasons under his belt, had actually bid farewell last year on a rainy and tearful Sunday, in front of his audience, in his city, on the Interlagos track that floats between two bodies of water and has the liquid and muddy soul. Then the move of the Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes suddenly freed up a seat in the English team: Felipe, with inevitable saudade, retraced his steps. He had said just before the start of the race:
"But this time it's a real goodbye, definitive: I will run my last two Grands Prix in F1. I can't wait to start another beautiful race at home. It's the track where I grew up. Last year I experienced feelings that I never thought I would. And it was enough for me. I think a retirement like last year's is impossible, but there will be emotion anyway".
Certainly: after 11 victories, including two in Brazil, 41 podiums, 16 pole positions, and the title won in 2008, even if only for a few seconds because then Lewis Hamilton took it away from him at the last corner. He may continue in Formula E. Up there in the pinnacle of motorsport, after him, Brazil will be a mother without heirs. The torcida will not go out, of course, but how strange. The Brazilian Grand Prix has resisted since 1973, with Emerson Fittipaldi's victory repeated the following year. An era ago, with an Interlagos almost twice the current length (shortened in 1990, with a track that is the second shortest after Monte-Carlo) and that gave way to Rio de Janeiro in 1978 (racing also took place in Jacarepaguà between 1981 and 1989) then from 1990, the Grand Prix has taken residence among the skyscrapers and favelas on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. In history, Brazilian names and stories, universal heritage: Emerson Fittipaldi (victory in 1973 and the following year), Nelson Piquet, and obviously Ayrton Senna who won for the first time at Interlagos in 1991 with the gearbox stuck in sixth gear, ahead of Patrese and Berger, and repeated two years later. In fact, he will repeat forever, with his remains in everyone's mind. Emanuele Pirro, a former driver at the time of the Brazilian champion, says:
"Ayrton was a work of art: you can't paint another Mona Lisa. I don't know if he was the strongest ever, but people have always perceived his strength, his courage, his intensity".
Sao Paulo is his reflection: 140.000 spectators on the track, 250.000.000 in front of the TV. Revenues of $100.000.000. The director of the Grand Prix has been a woman since 1992, electronic engineer, former volunteer, Claudia Ito. The local motor federation has a new director, Waldner Bernardo, they call him an idealist. The TV channel with the most viewers is the Brazilian Globo, an average of 17.000.000 for each Grand Prix. Brazil produces more than 3.000.000 cars a year, all oil companies have headquarters in this vast land of 100.000.000 inhabitants.
"Brazil has motorsport in its blood, and Massa's farewell, at least in the medium term, will not change this visceral bond of Brazilians with F1. If anything, the problem is that we don't have a nursery, the system doesn't help young people".
Livio Oricchio is the dean of Brazilian sports journalists, one of the few who traveled aboard the plane that brought Senna's coffin back to Sao Paulo from Paris.
"They dismantled an entire row of business class to make Ayrton comfortable".
But Brazil no longer flies first class.