On Sunday, November 11, 2018, at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, Brazil, the Brazilian Grand Prix will take place, marking the twentieth race of the Formula 1 World Championship. Despite having already won the World Championship, Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he is not in Interlagos on vacation. Mercedes is aiming to win the Constructors' Championship as well, starting the final sprint with an advantage: 585 points compared to Ferrari's 530. After the race in Mexico City, Maurizio Arrivabene, the team principal of the Maranello-based team, was categorical:
"We don't give up; the Constructors' Championship is still open, and we won't let go until the end. At this point, it becomes a duty".
This sentiment is shared by those on the track driving the cars, namely Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, on the eve of the first free practice sessions of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the World Championship that will conclude on Sunday, November 25, 2018, in Abu Dhabi. In particular, the German driver doesn't believe it's time to assess the situation. With two races remaining, he will attempt to win both to support Ferrari in their pursuit of at least the Constructors' Championship (although it might not be enough).
"We still have two races to go and focus on, so it's not the time to draw conclusions as the championship is not completely closed yet. It would be the wrong time. We will certainly do the best we can. We want to focus on the Constructors' title, trying as much as possible to stay ahead of our main competitors. I want to win and do it as soon as possible. I would have liked to do it in the previous races, but we'll try here and in Abu Dhabi. The last races have been good for us in terms of pace, and we'll try. As for the track itself, it's difficult to make predictions: Interlagos is a unique circuit, where things... happen, and that's it. We'll see how it goes with the weather, but I think it will be a challenging weekend. Some things didn't go right this year, and we need to make sure we've learned from it: it's obvious that we missed something, and we need to fix it and ensure it doesn't happen again".
The Brazilian Grand Prix is always a special event for Kimi Raikkonen, who won his only World Championship here in 2007.
"When I won my championship, I did it here, but it's not something I think about. This weekend, we'll try to do our best to win, especially because the Constructors' title is still at stake. The most important thing for the team is the Constructors' title, and that's why we're here. If you ask any team, the Constructors' title is more important than the drivers', especially for the 'official' teams. We're here for this, and we'll try in these two races: we'll give our best, and we'll see. We're not in the most favorable position, but we're still in the fight, and we'll fight".
Raikkonen then elaborated on the track.
"Interlagos is a nice circuit, although probably not the easiest for driving. The curbs have been reduced, so some corners have changed quite a bit. The asphalt has been redone, and now the grip is very good. As for expectations, it doesn't make much sense to start wondering now where we might finish this weekend: we'll do our best and see what comes. We hope to be in the fight. The last race, despite the podium, wasn't the easiest, but let's not forget that Mexico is a unique place: here should be good".
On the Brazilian circuit, Hamilton won in 2016 and considers it one of the most challenging on the calendar. In 2008, at just 23 years old, he became World Champion for the first time in São Paulo, securing the title by just one point over Felipe Massa. Last year, Vettel won in Brazil, adding to his victories in 2010 and 2013. Pending the FIA's final decision on the legality of the pierced rims, Mercedes decides not to propose this solution even in this race. Thursday's press conference gives space to drivers who have had fewer opportunities to showcase themselves: from Ericsson to Hartley, from Vandoorne to Stroll and Magnussen. There is much talk about the future, which for some will not be in Formula 1. This is the case for Marcus Ericsson:
"I don't know if it's a farewell to the Circus. I'm happy; Indycar from the outside seems like a lot of fun. An assessment? Five fabulous but also challenging years. I will carry with me the baggage of experience from these seasons".
The anger over the eighth seasonal withdrawal had irritated him quite a bit: however, Daniel Ricciardo decided to reverse his decision. After announcing in Mexico that he would not race in the last two Grands Prix in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, he changed his mind. A few days of reflection were enough for him to change his mind and make it known through a video posted on Instagram. Ricciardo, therefore, will not end his story with Red Bull prematurely, even though his future at Renault has been decided for several weeks.
"I wanted to say goodbye to everyone and add a few things after what happened in Mexico. I will race the last two races of the year, and that's why I posted this message. There have been many ups and downs this season, unfortunately more downs, and I don't hide that it has been frustrating. I want to be there for myself and for all the guys who work like me to have two more chances of redemption before our paths separate. I'll be there. I needed a few days off. Now I feel better".
On Friday, November 9, 2018, during the first section of practice, Max Verstappen set the fastest time. The Red Bull Racing driver edged out both Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton by a few thousandths of a second. Hamilton chose to warm up the Supersoft tires by doing two warm-up laps, as his car had some difficulty in getting the tires up to temperature. The three teammates of the top three were more detached from the time of the Dutchman, with Ricciardo, in fourth, almost 0.4s behind his teammate's time. Kimi Räikkönen preferred to focus on understanding the use of the Soft tires, while Valtteri Bottas was slowed down by technical problems with the power unit. During the first free practice session, Nicholas Latifi replaced Sergio Pérez at Force India, Lando Norris replaced Fernando Alonso at McLaren, and Antonio Giovinazzi replaced Marcus Ericsson at Sauber. In the second free practice session, the top two positions in the time standings were monopolized by the two Mercedes drivers, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Lewis Hamilton by only 0.003s. Sebastian Vettel was also separated by a few thousandths of a second from the time set by the Finnish driver. This despite the German Ferrari driver focusing more on finding the best setup for the race. The Red Bulls positioned themselves in fourth and fifth places (with Verstappen not perfect in his quick attempt), while Räikkönen closed the session with the sixth time. The session was interrupted, about ten minutes after the start, due to Nico Hülkenberg's off-track excursion at turn 13. The German, going long, scraped the bottom of his Renault on the curbing of the corner, losing control of the car. At the end of the first day of free practice, Force India decided to replace the gearbox on Esteban Ocon's car, resulting in a five-position grid penalty. As in 2017, Sebastian Vettel hopes to win the Brazilian Grand Prix to turn around the final part of the championship where the fight for the championship has already faded. The start of the weekend in Interlagos seems promising, with Ferrari appearing in good form both on dry laps and in race pace. The difficult period for Ferrari and the German driver seems to be behind them:
"Obviously, the last races for us have been useful because we have learned a lot about our car and what went wrong. We are still trying to understand more and have a clearer picture of what's happening".
An important factor in Interlagos could once again be represented by the tires. Blistering problems emerged in both Soft and Supersoft tires in long runs, so much so that Vettel, at the end of FP2, ran to the Pirelli technicians who were analyzing his rear tires:
"The tires? I don't know, we ran quite well".
A curious incident happened when Vettel found something bouncing between his legs in the cockpit.
Via radio, he joked, stating that it was something different from what everyone would have expected from the male anatomy, while in his statements, he was more politically correct and spoke of a squirrel:
"At some point, I found a squirrel between my feet... Then we found a screw that had fallen in the middle of the car, and that was my biggest concern. Apart from the tire problem, I would say there were no particular issues".
Daniel Ricciardo will have to serve a five-place grid penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix for replacing the turbo on the power unit in his Red Bull. The reason is quite peculiar: according to team principal Christian Horner, the blame lies with the marshal who used the fire extinguisher in Mexico.
"There's certainly no blame on the marshal; he simply did his duty trying to prevent any risk of fire. Smoke and some flames prompted the marshal to use the extinguisher, but the chemical components that entered the turbo made it unusable, and the other one we had was part of the power unit that failed in the United States. Renault informed us that using that component would have exposed us to a very high risk of failure within the next 400 km, so we chose to introduce a new element".
Looking ahead to the race, Horner is optimistic, although he doesn't expect a repeat of Mexico's performance:
"Mercedes and Ferrari are ahead of us on single-lap pace, but if we manage to place a car on the second row, we could capitalize on the lower tire degradation compared to our competitors. Today, I saw blistering on both the rear tires of Mercedes and Ferrari, while ours were still in good condition".
Asked about the penalty, Daniel Ricciardo can only take it in stride:
"The team called me last week to warn me about the problem we would have here in Brazil. It's not good news, but that's how it goes this year. It will be five positions. My goal in qualifying is to push like in Mexico, then we'll see for the race".
While Mercedes and Ferrari have demonstrated greater competitiveness in single-lap performance so far, Red Bull has held its ground well in terms of race pace, giving confidence to Ricciardo for the race:
"I felt the car good this afternoon. We are there on the long run. Soft in Q2? Maybe, I want to try something different from the top five. I also know that Bottas tried the medium tire this afternoon, and I heard it wasn't bad, so there's a chance to use all three tires in the race and vary the strategy a bit".
Max Verstappen missed a great opportunity in Mexico to snatch the record for the youngest pole position from Sebastian Vettel after securing the youngest win in Barcelona in 2016. The Red Bull driver is not too far from Mercedes and Ferrari but knows that in qualifying, opponents can unleash the power unit to make the difference:
"Fighting for pole? I don't think so because as soon as our opponents unleash their horses in the engine, we struggle".
However, a oil leak caused some concern in the Red Bull box:
"We had an oil leak; we had to fix things and pull out the engine. It's a bit of a shame because we missed the chance to run at the beginning, and we had to rush, and in these cases, you only get one attempt for the fast lap, and maybe you find traffic and have to stop. In this sense, I think the result of FP2 doesn't paint a realistic picture; we could have been closer if I hadn't found traffic in various sectors. Apart from that, we did quite well in the long runs; we have some aspects to improve, but I am quite confident".
To be a contender in Brazil on Sunday, Verstappen is relying on strategy:
"We have a good race pace, and maybe we can also try a different strategy, and we'll see. Hopefully, we can still fight for the podium. A different strategy in Q2? We'll see; we have to examine the data first, then we'll decide".
On Saturday, November 10, 2018, during the third and final practice session, Sebastian Vettel set a new track record with a lap time of 1'07"948. The two Mercedes drivers followed, with Lewis Hamilton's car experiencing issues with the engine oil duct. The Anglo-German cars had more aerodynamic load than those from Maranello and featured an air outlet for the engine on the hood fin. Kimi Räikkönen followed in fourth place, ahead of the two Red Bulls. A few hours later, in the first qualifying session, Max Verstappen took the lead, ahead of the two Ferraris, credited with the same time, which in turn preceded the two Mercedes. However, rain began to wet the Brazilian track shortly after. Charles Leclerc had a spin but still managed to secure the eighth-best time, while Kevin Magnussen set the fifth-best time. Rain remained on the edges of the circuit area, but despite this, there were several driving errors, including those of Stoffel Vandoorne and Carlos Sainz Jr. At the end of Q1, Carlos Sainz Jr., Brendon Hartley, Fernando Alonso, Sergej Sirotkin, and Stoffel Vandoorne were eliminated. The threat of rain persisted in Q2, with drivers opting for the use of Supersoft tires, except for Kimi Raikkonen, who chose Soft tires. The tire choice in this phase also determined the type of tire to be used at the start of the race. Sebastian Vettel returned to the pits to switch to Soft tires. After Marcus Ericsson set the fastest time, Max Verstappen took the lead before Valtteri Bottas set a new lap record. The two Ferrari drivers climbed to second and fourth places, with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, while the two Red Bulls tried to follow Ferrari's strategy by stopping at the pits and making a new timed attempt with Soft tires but failed to improve their previous times with Supersoft tires.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton risked being involved in an incident with Sergej Sirotkin, who was later partially slowed down by Valtteri Bottas. The stewards decided not to take any action against the British driver. During the session, Sebastian Vettel, who returned to the pits for a tire change, was called for weight verification by the stewards. The call came at a hectic stage of qualifying, where the German still had no timed lap, and the imminent threat of rain loomed. In an attempt to speed up the operations, the driver did not follow the prescribed procedure, knocked over the cone indicating the stop before weighing, and then restarted the car after the operation without being pushed by the stewards. For this behavior, he was fined 25.000 euros. Before the rain made it impossible to lower the times further, Kevin Magnussen managed to improve his time but couldn't break into the top ten. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc made a final attempt and brought his Sauber to eighth place. Since Mercedes and Red Bull could no longer set times with Soft tires, they would have to start with Supersoft tires. Kevin Magnussen, the two Force India drivers, Nico Hülkenberg, and Sergej Sirotkin were eliminated. In Q3, the first reference times were set by the two Saubers, later surpassed by Kimi Räikkönen and then Sebastian Vettel. Valtteri Bottas managed to position himself between the two Ferraris before his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, set the fastest time. The Englishman was the only one to improve with the second attempt, securing his 82nd career pole position. For Mercedes, it was the 100th pole position as a constructor. At the end of the qualifying session, Lewis Hamilton expressed his joy for yet another pole position in this season:
"This has been a really challenging qualifying session. The Ferraris are incredibly fast this weekend. We've worked a lot with my engineers to find the best possible setup for the car. I'm really happy to be here in Brazil, also with Ayrton Senna's design on my helmet. I didn't think I had done such a good lap. I had some issues in a couple of places, and I'm really glad to have got the pole. Being here is always a pleasure: the first year, I was battling with Felipe, and I was a bit of an enemy for these fans, but over the years, we've started to build a good relationship, and now we adore each other. They love me, and I love them, and it goes hand in hand. Tomorrow? I don't know, the Ferraris are faster than us, but they had more blistering than us on the Supersoft tires. I don't know if it was the right strategy for us. We wanted to put on the softs, but maybe things turned the wrong way. Whether it's the right strategy or not, we'll find out tomorrow, hopefully making the most of the situation with the choice we made".
In the second practice session, marked by various tire changes, Lewis Hamilton found himself being an obstacle for both Kimi Raikkonen and Sergej Sirotkin. While the Finn had launched himself, the Williams driver was launching himself equally with Hamilton. The five-time champion commented on the narrowly avoided incident at the exit of the Mergulho curve:
"We were all busy preparing for the fast lap, and I left space for Bottas ahead of me. Then suddenly I saw a car coming at me, and I thought it was finishing its fast lap. I moved to the left to leave the best trajectory free, but he also went to the left. Then, however, it was immediately clear that he wasn't doing a timed lap. I don't know what came into his head. We all know that we have to leave some space between us and the car ahead for the time attack. Sirotkin's move was disrespectful. Both of us lost time, and we couldn't then complete the lap. I hope he learns from this incident".
On his part, the rookie pilot is not particularly critical of the incident:
"I don't know if Lewis hindered me. I was on my out lap, obviously couldn't stay out with those tires, and I had to push a lot on the out lap because otherwise I couldn't warm them up. So my out lap was as fast as my flying lap; that was the problem. Obviously, then I reached turn 11, and he was there very slow, preparing his lap. I tried to avoid him by going to the left and then getting back on the racing line; I think he saw me at the last minute, tried to give me the right line, but I was already on the left. These things happen; he's a world champion, knows what he's doing, so I'm certainly not here to complain about a small thing that didn't affect my position".
The glory days of Mexico are distant for Red Bull. In Brazil, the Anglo-Austrian team has returned to being the third force on the track, at least in qualifying. At Interlagos, the difference between the Mercedes and Ferrari power units and the Renault one was felt, and Ricciardo and Verstappen monopolized the third row after occupying the first two positions on the Hermanos Rodriguez Saturday. Unable to do anything else, Daniel Ricciardo jokes about the minimal gap that separates him from Max Verstappen:
"He beat me by two thousandths. A margin similar to what I gave him in Mexico. This time, however, it wasn't a fight for pole, and that makes it more bearable".
After that, the Australian driver becomes serious again and focuses on the race:
"I'll have some work to do starting from the eleventh position, but the car is good. I hope to make my way quickly and have some fun once we reach the front positions. In the end, the low-fuel pace wasn't so bad; we should have a decent race tomorrow afternoon".
Then there's a look at the strategy, also influenced by the light rain showers that wet the track:
"The rain passed quickly, but it forced us to use the Supersofts in Q2. We would have liked to start with the Soft tires, but fortunately, this strategy worked only with Ferrari. Mercedes is in the same situation as us".
Max Verstappen encountered some small issues with the car:
"I think the car didn't have the best balance it has had in qualifying this year, but I don't think it would have changed the world. We could have been closer to Raikkonen, but that's how it went. We lacked a bit of grip on the front. I thought we would have a small chance to fight with a Ferrari, but when you lose so much time on the straights, it's always difficult. Hopefully, with the setup I had today, the situation will be better tomorrow when the weather should be a bit warmer. It's always a tricky race in dry conditions here, so if it rains, I think it could play in our favor".
As mentioned, at the beginning of Q2, under a sky threatening rain, Sebastian Vettel returned to the pits to replace the Supersoft tires with the Soft ones, aiming to secure a place in Q3 with a better tire for the race. However, the German was stopped at the beginning of the pit lane by FIA technicians, getting quite upset given the critical moment. During the weighing operation of the car, Vettel did not turn off the engine as required by the regulations and drove off without waiting for the green light, complaining via radio about the unexpected stop at such a crucial time. The German managed to get back on the track and set a time before the expected rain shower, but his conduct was noticed by Jo Bauer, FIA technical delegate. In a statement issued while qualifying was still ongoing, it could be read:
"During the second qualifying session, at 3:27 pm, the driver of car number 05, when called for weight, refused to turn off the engine. The car was pushed onto the scales and weighed with the engine running, which makes it difficult to obtain a stable result. After weighing, the driver got off the scales independently, and in doing so, he destroyed the scales. Since the driver did not follow the instructions and further compromised the continuation of the weighing procedure, I will report the matter to the stewards for their consideration".
Paradoxically, Sebastian Vettel is at greater risk of disciplinary action than rival Lewis Hamilton, who, during Q2, slightly hindered Kimi Raikkonen at first and then risked being hit by Sergey Sirotkin shortly after. For this second episode, the FIA did not believe there were grounds to recognize hindrance since the Williams driver was not in the midst of a flying lap. In interviews at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying, concluded with the second time behind Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel does not hide his disappointment:
"I don't want to say anything; it's better if I stay quiet. I don't think they should have even called us. When there are such variable weather conditions, they shouldn't even stop the drivers because I think it's unfair to slow someone down in those situations".
But speaking of the race, he adds:
"We'll start with a different tire tomorrow, and maybe that can make a difference. It could be a crucial factor. It's the tire that most of us would have wanted to start with, but with such complicated conditions, it was difficult. In the end, it wasn't really wet, but there was rain on the track, and I'm glad we managed to make the cut with those tires. We'll have different compounds; we'll see if they're the right ones".
At the end, the pole position was secured by Lewis Hamilton:
"I think all in all, we were close. Yesterday, I was surprised that we were so close, but overall, we were close again today. In the second attempt, I got a good start, I was on the attack, maybe I pushed a bit too much and lost some time, but we were very close anyway. In such conditions, it's very challenging because inside the pit, you can't see what's happening outside, so you have to rely on the lap you did before and the communications with your team regarding the conditions. Then you see what the other cars are doing, but in these conditions, anything can happen. We were lucky to have the same conditions for everyone".
On Sunday, November 11, 2018, at the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton maintained the lead, ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas, followed by the two Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, who defended against Max Verstappen's attack. The Red Bull driver from the Netherlands passed the two Ferrari drivers between the second and third laps, taking advantage of the superior speed of the Supersoft tires compared to the Soft tires on the Ferraris. On the fourth lap, Sebastian Vettel made a driving error, allowing Kimi Räikkönen to pass him as well. By the fifth lap, Daniel Ricciardo, who started 11th, was already in sixth place after overtaking Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen continued his comeback and reached the second position after overtaking Valtteri Bottas on the ninth lap. The Mercedes driver had to defend against attacks from compatriot Kimi Räikkönen, successfully doing so until the tire change on the 18th lap when Valtteri Bottas switched to Medium tires. During the 19th lap, Lewis Hamilton also pitted to switch to Medium tires. Max Verstappen took the lead, followed by Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, then Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton. On the 23rd lap, the World Champion overtook Leclerc at the Senna S curves. Sebastian Vettel waited until the 27th lap to switch to Medium tires, rejoining the race in ninth position. On the 29th lap, Valtteri Bottas overtook Romain Grosjean and moved up to sixth place. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were also overtaken by Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen pitted on the 31st lap, rejoining the race in seventh place behind Sebastian Vettel. The German, unable to pass Valtteri Bottas, then yielded the position to his teammate. On the 35th lap, Max Verstappen pitted, and Daniel Ricciardo took the lead, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Räikkönen, and Sebastian Vettel. On the 39th lap, Daniel Ricciardo pitted, opting for the use of Soft tires. In the same lap, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton to regain the lead.
Daniel Ricciardo tried to overtake Sebastian Vettel, while Kimi Räikkönen pressured Valtteri Bottas. On the 42nd lap, Max Verstappen faced an overtaking attempt by Esteban Ocon, a lapped car. The two collided at the second turn, with the Dutchman spinning and damaging his car. Hamilton reclaimed the lead. Meanwhile, Kimi Räikkönen overtook Valtteri Bottas and moved up to third place. The race director imposed a ten-second stop-and-go penalty on Esteban Ocon. On the 46th lap, Daniel Ricciardo overtook Sebastian Vettel, moving up to fifth place. On the 53rd lap, Sebastian Vettel made his second pit stop to switch to Supersoft tires. The German re-entered the race behind Charles Leclerc but regained the sixth position on the 58th lap. On the 59th lap, Daniel Ricciardo climbed to fourth place after overtaking Valtteri Bottas at the first turn. The Finn immediately made his second pit stop. In the final laps, Lewis Hamilton seemed to lose some seconds to Max Verstappen, also being slowed down by lapped cars, while Daniel Ricciardo closed in on Kimi Räikkönen. The standings remained unchanged, and Lewis Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix. Mercedes secured its fifth consecutive Constructors' title, while Kimi Räikkönen achieved his last podium in F1. After the race, Max Verstappen, who led the Grand Prix until the incident with Esteban Ocon, heavily criticized his colleague. During the weight check procedures, the Dutchman pushed the Force India driver, who was penalized with the loss of three points from the Superlicense. In his record-breaking year, Lewis Hamilton also broke the streak of not winning a race after clinching the championship. In Brazil, he triumphed thanks to the collision between Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen. In a race affected by tire blistering and numerous concerns about the power unit's validity, the British driver secured his tenth win of the season and the fifth consecutive Constructors' title for Mercedes.
"Fortunate? No, I don't feel fortunate at all. You also have to be in the right place at the right time; I was leading before, and then I lost the lead. The incident between Ocon and Verstappen is their problem; it wasn't caused by me. If they made a mistake, it's their problem. To win races and championships, you shouldn't make mistakes, and I haven't made any. Others who were close to me did make mistakes, and I took advantage of them. I don't think it was a fortunate situation. Of course, there might have been a fortunate situation, but I had nothing to do with it. I kept my head down and kept pushing. I drove to win the race, pushed hard, and feel I deserve the victory".
Having clarified the matter of luck, the British driver then expresses gratitude toward Mercedes, which emerged victorious in Brazil after a battle where Ferrari and especially Red Bull seemed more competitive:
"Maybe they were faster than us, but we did the job the right way. I believe that this team has been an example of unity this year. We minimized mistakes and minimized all losses every weekend. Great work, great team spirit, and a strong bond among everyone. Anyone inside the factory keeps raising the bar. I think the spirit in my team has been better than ever, so I'm really proud of everyone".
Starting from fifth position, Max Verstappen managed to climb to the first position with four beautiful overtakes against the two Ferraris and the two Mercedes. When everything seemed to suggest a comfortable stroll to the finish line, the unexpected happened. Esteban Ocon, with new Supersoft tires and having been given permission to unlap himself, attacked Max Verstappen at the end of the Senna straight. Verstappen resisted on the inside, and not anticipating Ocon's determination, he didn't leave room for a car. Ocon wasn't alongside Verstappen, but the dynamics led to his front left wheel touching the rear right of the Red Bull driver. Result? Spin for both, with Max, in a damaged car, trying unsuccessfully to regain the lead now in the hands of Lewis Hamilton. The Dutch driver then intercepted Ocon, expressing his anger at his colleague for a missed victory.
"The contact with Ocon? I think the episode is clear since he received the penalty; there's not much to add. He was a lapped car who went into the car in front of him, and I don't think that's ever right. Did I overreact? It's easy to say when you're not the one racing. We're all passionate. Positive aspects? The car performed well. I enjoyed the race, and overall, everything worked very well until that moment".
He then heavily criticizes Ocon, talking more about his behavior face to face than the on-track contact:
"I have nothing specific to say except that he acted like a jerk. The stewards have already given their opinion with the penalty. I had much more to lose in the situation, and you can easily say I should have been more careful, but I was just doing my race. I couldn't have thought that a lapped car would take such a risk".
Red Bull's Team Principal, Christian Horner, also doesn't hide his feelings at the end of the race:
"What happened was a surprise. Ocon was lapped, and one thing he shouldn't do is damage the race leader. He threw him off; it's something incredible. Max could absolutely have won. He was in the lead, and then suddenly, everything disappeared into thin air. Really, he was a f***ing idiot; he threw him off!"
Despite the disappointment, there is satisfaction for the competitiveness shown today by Red Bull, as evidenced by Daniel Ricciardo's comeback to fourth place:
"Daniil did a fantastic job. Both drivers did a splendid job today. Max had half of the floor missing towards the end, and still almost caught up with Hamilton, he kept fighting. I'm really sorry for him because we didn't achieve the best possible result. But we will continue to fight hard in Abu Dhabi as well. Does James Allison see us as contenders for the 2019 title? He's right".
The fact that Esteban Ocon is a Mercedes driver did not sit well with Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko, who considers the actions of the Frenchman to be premeditated:
"A Mercedes driver, promised a seat for 2020, going after the race leader... it's incredible. Someone could have told him: This is the leader, he has new tires, don't attack him".
According to Helmut Marko, the Force India driver deserved a severe punishment, such as a black flag:
"That such an idiot can only receive a ten-second penalty... I expected them to stop him".
While Esteban Ocon defends himself, saying:
"Verstappen pushed me in the podium, tried to punch me. The FIA needs to stop him; it's unprofessional behavior. The contact? I came out of the pits behind Max, and I had a great pace, so much that on the first lap, I got stuck behind his Red Bull and didn't pass him. The team gave me the green light for the overtake and to unlap myself, as I did with Alonso. Only with Max, I touched him, and this makes me angry: he didn't act like a professional".
Subsequently, the FIA announces that during the hearing, both drivers behaved appropriately and cooperated with the stewards. The stewards showed understanding for Verstappen's anger and disappointment after the on-track incident and accepted his explanations of the unintentional nature of the collision with Ocon, which triggered his anger. Although sympathetic to Verstappen, the stewards ruled that it is an athlete's obligation to act appropriately, given the role of a role model, and Verstappen did not adhere to this standard. The stewards have therefore decided that Verstappen will be required to observe two days of public services at the FIA headquarters within six months of the incident. Nevertheless, the result means that Mercedes celebrates the double title in 2018, as in the previous four seasons. After Lewis Hamilton's fifth career title in Mexico, in Brazil, the English driver's victory, combined with Valtteri Bottas's fifth place, allows Mercedes to celebrate the fifth consecutive Constructors' Championship, a perfect ten out of ten titles in the turbo-hybrid era that began in 2014. Toto Wolff can thus express his joy, especially because there were concerns in the Mercedes box about the possible failure of the power unit in Lewis Hamilton's car:
"Midway through the race, we received the message that Lewis's engine wouldn't make it to the end, and there would be an imminent retirement. We thought we wouldn't finish the race with Lewis, so all the engine guys made changes to make it survive. This is the most beautiful constructors' title. There was an incredible battle with Ferrari all year. Once they were ahead, once we were, and that's how we like it, a battle between two great brands, Ferrari and Mercedes. With great respect. Also tough at times, but as it should be. We're all hungry to make Lewis go well in the pursuit of new records, but now it's time to celebrate, and then we'll see".
Kimi Raikkonen continues to collect podiums in his last stint with Ferrari, despite the difficulties:
"Worked harder than expected with the Soft tires? Not really, to be honest. My car was fine, but I just couldn't overtake those in front of me. I think I had a good start initially, but then I just didn't know where to go. I couldn't expect the Red Bull to pass me from the outside. I managed to overtake it, but within two laps, it passed me again. The car felt good, but I just couldn't get ahead of the Mercedes".
Perhaps the race could have gone differently if Ferrari had started with the Supersoft tires, so as not to face the aggressiveness of opponents in the early laps. However, Raikkonen does not believe there is room for regret:
"I think this is the best result we could achieve. We didn't make any mistakes or do anything stupid. We finished four seconds behind the winner in the end, so we can't be too disappointed".
With this podium, the twelfth of 2018, Kimi Raikkonen strengthens his third position in the overall standings, now with a 14-point advantage over Bottas and 17 over Verstappen with one race still to go. However, the Finnish driver does not consider this one of his best seasons:
"I don't think so; I've only won once. I could have won more, but we had some issues. Unfortunately, things sometimes go that way. Let's look to the next race and see how it goes".
On the other hand, Sebastian Vettel was undoubtedly disappointing in this penultimate race of the World Championship. A sensor problem was detected on his car right from the start, but that didn't seem to be the only issue:
"It was certainly a difficult race. I'm not happy with sixth place, but I tried to do my best. The car was difficult to drive; the rear tires didn't blister, but it was hard to keep it straight".
Regarding the choice to start with the Soft tires, the German driver explains that it had advantages and disadvantages:
"The Softs at the start? They were okay, but the Supersofts worked better in the second part of the start. The first part of the start was good, the second was difficult because I didn't know where to go. Hamilton was in front, and then they (the Mercedes) were together, and there was nothing I could do. I'm glad Kimi is on the podium; it's good for us, even though we lost the Constructors' Championship. They were stronger than us this year. We just have to congratulate them".
With both World Championships already decided, the Circus moves to the United Arab Emirates to conclude this incredible Formula 1 season, which ended prematurely with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes securing the titles. Ferrari has nothing left but to defend honor and finish the season with a victory.