AS Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the final race of the season, it will be great if the Yas Marina circuit can produce even a small amount of the excitement we witnessed in last weekend’s Brazil Grand Prix. It was one of the most exciting races of the season and showed just how close Formula 1 has become in 2019.
Max Verstappen’s complete domination of the weekend was down to a driver who is fully on top of his game, driving with confidence, experience and with a good car under him. We have become used to Red Bulls being quick on slower, twisty tracks where good aerodynamic downforce is important, but in the high-altitude, thin air in Interlagos the Honda engine was giving Max a small advantage too – quicker than the Ferraris and the two Mercedes.
Max’s pole position was not unexpected, but the way he controlled the race was great to watch, even when he was briefly overtaken by Lewis Hamilton after the Red Bull driver was blocked from exiting the pits by Robert Kubica’s Williams. We have been waiting for some close battles between Max and Lewis, but you could see that Max was never going to lose this one. Later in the race, another Safety gave Red Bull the opportunity to pit Max and take a new set of soft tyres, so he gave the lead back to Lewis. But on the restart, Max was easily able to retake the lead, and the maturity of this young driver – still only 22! – is really impressive.
How long does it take to change four tires? @redbullracing just changed that answer over the weekend.
A race win & a new world record pit stop in Brazil for Max Verstappen and Red Bull
And that meant they clinched another DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award! #F1 #Formula1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/3j1B7eJ0BT— Formula 1 Live Stream Free F1 TV (@F1TVAccess) November 18, 2019
Mercedes had a bad weekend thanks to a down-on-power engine, an engine failure for Valtteri Bottas and some strange race strategies, including putting Valtteri on a set of poor performing hard tyres, but it was a disaster for Ferrari.
Teammates do collide. It happened to me at least twice, one in Portugal in 1996 and again in Austria in 1999 with my teammate David Coulthard. In Austria we had qualified 1st and 2nd, and really would have won the race, but David made a small mistake at the hairpin bend and pushed me into a spin. He would finish 2nd, I recovered from last place to finish 3rd, but we handed the race victory to Eddie Irvine’s Ferrari. David apologises to me and the team, but the damage was done, the race was lost.
For Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc to collide in Brazil was the worst outcome for both the drivers and their Ferrari team. I can really sympathise with how they will have felt, and it adds a little more pressure for team boss Mattia Binotto who must try to find a way to get his drivers to co-exist and work together as competitive teammates in 2020.
Another disappointing collision came when Lewis tapped Alex Albon’s Red Bull into a spin, costing the young British-Thai driver 2nd place and potential 1-2 for Red Bull Racing. The way that Lewis accepted full responsibility and apologised to Alex after the race showed that Formula 1’s 6-times World Champion has not lost the ability to admit that even he can make a rare mistake. It was nice to hear his words after the race.
Lewis Hamilton takes full responsibility for his crash with Alex Albon. pic.twitter.com/s1giKxSEHP
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 17, 2019
To see Pierre Gasly finish in second place for Toro Rosso, only three months after he was demoted from Red Bull Racing, was one of the most popular results in Formula 1 this year. He is a talented driver, but the dynamics of Red Bull Racing did not work for him, and he has found a better mindset and confidence back in the smaller team. He must feel like he actually won the Grand Prix on Sunday, and who can blame him? To give a Honda a 1-2 on the anniversary of the birth of company founder Soichiro Honda was a very special moment.
Lewis Hamilton’s 5-second penalty for causing the collision with Alex Albon dropped the Mercedes driver to 7th position and handed the final step on the podium to Carlos Sainz’s McLaren.
It is almost six full seasons since my team at McLaren last enjoyed a podium finish, and it could not have come at a better time for a group of people who have worked so hard to recover their competitive position in the sport. The management restructure carried out by Zak Brown has really benefitted the team, and under Andreas Seidl, there is a clear focus on driving the racing programme to new levels of performance. It is great to see.
Carlos drove an amazing race, starting from 20th and last position on the grid due to a technical issue in qualifying, and Lewis’s penalty handed him the ultimate reward for that strong performance from him and the team.
I love the little video McLaren has posted of them trying to find the key to the trophy cabinet at the factory – I have the feeling they will need it more often from now on.
Where did we put it again?
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 21, 2019
Finally, a word about Kimi Raikkonen – 4th place for Alfa Romeo just in front of team mate Antonio Giovanazzi. Kimi has been the team’s anchor this year, using all his experience to give the Swiss team a solid run of points-scoring results, and this result will have given a significant boost for his Alfa Romeo team.
The great result in Brazil for Toro Rosso, McLaren and Alfa Romeo shows that Formula 1 still can offer something special for the smaller teams, or the teams which are hoping to challenge Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull for the World Championship in the seasons ahead. Especially once the new rules are brought in for 2021.
In the meantime, we have this final race in Abu Dhabi to run. Back down to sea-level, I expect the Mercedes to be back up to power, fully competitive against Ferrari and Red Bull. Everyone will be going for it in this final race, with no World Championship at stake and just the professional satisfaction of doing as well as possible in the last Formula 1 race of 2019. It should be great.
