Friday, October 19, 2007 Slater: Red-hot finale By Steve Slater Special Contributor
THE Interlagos track, hemmed in by high-rise apartments at the outskirts of Sao Paolo, the largest city in the world, is a setting that will add even more sense of occasion for this weekend’s Formula One finale.
The boom-boom of the samba rhythms echo round the track for hours before the race. It perfectly matches the hot, sultry climate that always threatens to burst into a thunderstorm, and occasionally does. Add its passionate, vocal crowd who almost seems to be standing on top of the drivers as they prepare on the starting grid–and you have a pressure-cooker atmosphere like no other.
The Interlagos circuit is one of the best all-around driver’s tracks in the world, a bumpy, unforgiving 4.3-km. ribbon of asphalt, twisting down and then back up the hillside to the start line, but it is the red-hot Latin atmosphere which sets the Brazilian GP apart. What a place for Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen to go into a winner-takes-all, head-to-head for the title.
The big question this weekend is: Can Hamilton hold onto the championship lead which has steadily diminished over the past few races? If he does of course, he’ll become the sport’s youngest-ever world champion as well as the first ever driver to take the title in his debut year.
The easiest way for Lewis to do that is to either win, or finish second. If he does then the storybook ending is completed, he is the champion no matter where Fernando and Kimi finish. For the other two drivers it really is a case of winner-takes-all.
Permutations
Even if Alonso wins the race, he’ll still have to hope Lewis finishes third or lower before he can reprise his role as the world title holder for the third consecutive season.
Raikkonen too, needs to claim the chequered flag as well to have a realistic hope of the title. Even if the Scarlet blooded Ferrari driver manages to bag the victory, Alonso and Hamilton would have to finish lower than third and sixth, respectively.
Mind you, all those permutations and more could be played out this weekend, particularly if Sao Paolo’s stormy weather plays its part too. If it does rain heavily, I’m sure Hamilton’s stunning wet-weather skills will put him ahead of the pack, but he should remember that the track’s uncertain drainage has led to mini-rivers running across the tarmac in stormy conditions. In fact, even the maestro, Michael Schumacher, was a victim of this unwarranted deluge–washing him unceremoniously into the gravel trap in the 2003 race.
I suspect that Lewis, after his uncharacteristic error while leading in Shanghai, will be persuaded by his team to play the percentages in Brazil. He might let Raikkonen or Massa in the Ferraris, and possibly even Alonso to get ahead of him, so long as he can stay close enough behind to get the points and the title.
Steve Slater is the expert half of the F1 commentary team on Star Sports. He will be contributing F1 articles for Sun.Star from time to time.
