Nov 18, 2011
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Eight months – From 27th March in Melbourne to 27th November in Sao Paolo, the Formula 1 circus has criss-crossed the globe for eight months and this weekend Brazil has the honour of hosting the nineteenth and final round of the 2011 World Championship.
The fact both championships are already decided will be largely irrelevant for one of the most colourful and enthusiastic crowds we encounter during the year, who will be there simply to have a great party, cheer on their Brazilian drivers and enjoy the race. A quick glance at the Interlagos “Autodromo Carlos Pace” track layout is all it takes to understand why dull racing does not really feature here: the 4.3 km track has a habit of producing some surprises, especially if it rains and if it rains it can often be almost tropical in its strength. The little track, set in a natural bowl which is great for spectating, does not look much on paper, with “medium” being the word that sums up such aspects as aero levels, braking, engine use and so forth, but “maximum” is often the word that best somes up the excitement levels on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The contours help, with the main straight past the pits being something of a rollercoaster, charging up hill and then down into Turn 1, the most obvious passing place. How you set up the car is a tricky question here. Do you run slightly less downforce to give you plenty of oomph going down that straight, or do you give your driver a bit more grip through the twisty bits? In terms of tyres, it will be a repeat of Abu Dhabi with Pirelli bringing the Medium and Soft, which should get a bit more of a work out in the suburbs of Sao Paolo than they did in the deserts of Arabia.
Last year, neither of our drivers finished in the points in Brazil and we definitely need to do better than that this time round, if we are to make a late surge forward in the Constructors’ classification. Once again Jean-Eric Vergne, who was fastest on all three days of the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test, albeit in a Red Bull, will be driving for us in Friday’s first free practice session. The Frenchman will replace Sébastien Buemi, on the basis that our Swiss driver has fewer points to his name than our Spaniard, Jaime Alguersuari.
Credit: Scuderia Toro Rosso (www.scuderiatororosso.com)
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