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Even with the championship done and dusted, there are still two races remaining in the 2018 Formula One season and the first of those takes us to Brazil. Join The Roar for live coverage from 4am (AEDT).
Enriched with many world championship defining races and individual feats, Interlagos this time will not be a title decider – yet there is much to still play out across the 71-lap race.
The unique 4.3km circuit is short, but very challenging with its changes in elevation. Not to mention too, that weather always plays its hand and can completely turn the race on its head.
Mercedes AMG await their coronation for a fifth consecutive constructor’s championship and they will start in the best position to do so, with the newly crowned driver’s champion Lewis Hamilton claiming the 100th pole position for the Silver Arrows.
The Briton will be backed up by the winless Valtteri Bottas who will start from third on the grid.
In between the mighty Mercs will be Sebastian Vettel, who won the race last year from starting second. The German was fortunate to escape any grid penalties for an incident at the weigh-bridge during qualifying – though was handed a severe financial sanction.
Strategically, the top six qualifiers set their fastest Q2 laps on the soft compound tyre, meaning they will start the race (provided it is dry) on those sets, as supposed to the more highly degrading supersoft.
A switch to medium tyres would be the given strategy for the front-runners, whilst the drivers starting on supersofts will have to stretch out their stints before going onto the white striped tyre.
Daniel Ricciardo qualified sixth but has been hit with a 5-place penalty for a change of turbocharger following its damage at the previous race in Mexico. A charge up the order can be expected from the Aussie.
Best of the rest rather surprisingly were the Saubers and Marcus Ericsson, who qualified a career-best seventh in his penultimate race for the Swiss team. He and teammate Charles Leclerc will benefit from the Ricciardo penalty, with the pair being promoted to sixth and seventh.
Though with a free choice of tyres for the likes of the Force Indias and Renaults from outside the top ten, the battle for the points will sure to an intriguing one as ever.
So, with only the constructor’s crown at stake, will it be another masterclass from Mercedes AMG? Or can Vettel and Ferrari restore some pride following another title defeat?
Tune in on The Roar for live blog coverage of the Brazilian Grand Prix from 4am AEDT, as we race for the penultimate time in 2018.
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