Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace for the 20th race of the season with the drivers’ championship already secured, a title he sealed with a celebration in Mexico, and with that the biggest question of the year answered. The São Paulo Grand Prix, though, is far from irrelevant, diariovasco.com reported, because the battles still burning at Interlagos — a tense Ferrari teammate fight, a seven-time champion chasing history on a circuit that made him, and a storm forecast to peak during Saturday qualifying — give the weekend plenty of unresolved stakes.
Antonelli’s dominant season means the Italian heads to Brazil with the crown in hand, but the fight for second place in the standings, the internal pecking order at Ferrari and the weather all remain live, elcorreo.com reported.
Ferrari’s Tension Boils Over After Mexico
The most combustible storyline in the paddock is the relationship between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The two Ferrari drivers clashed visibly at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and what had looked like a clear one-two finish in Mexico turned into a result far shorter than Maranello expected, putting both drivers in a difficult spot, diariovasco.com reported. Leclerc arrived at Interlagos on Wednesday as a new father, adding a personal milestone to an already charged week.
The runner-up fight in the championship may not matter to many outside the team, but inside Ferrari it has become a proxy for the team’s internal status quo, the outlet reported. Hamilton, the seven-time champion, leads Leclerc by 14 points and has regained the pride of the record-holder, while Leclerc has spent the season showing his teeth both on the circuits and in the team offices.
Hamilton’s Deep History with Interlagos
Hamilton carries a special connection to Brazil: he admires the late Ayrton Senna, and it was at Interlagos where he clinched his first world title in the unforgettable 2008 season finale, diariovasco.com reported.
A Storm Threatens Saturday Qualifying
The weather is the other storyline that refuses to stay quiet. Brazil is enduring one of the worst weather weeks of the year: the south of the country was hit Thursday by extremely strong winds that forced the cancellation of numerous flights, and the same storm system is moving toward the circuit from Friday onward, elcorreo.com reported. The peak of the rain forecast is expected Saturday during qualifying, which could scramble the grid.
If qualifying is held in wet conditions, an outsider could take pole — exactly what happened when Nico Hülkenberg grabbed a memorable pole for Williams at Interlagos in 2010, diariovasco.com noted.
Midfield Stakes and a Williams Tribute
For Max Verstappen, second place is a short consolation prize, while George Russell — who could still finish fifth, or worse if Lando Norris closes the season strongly — has more to defend, the outlets reported. At Williams, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz need results urgently to escape the lower reaches of the standings, and the team will honor its first world champion, Alan Jones, who died Wednesday at age 80, diariovasco.com reported.
Alonso Battles His Worst Season on Record
Fernando Alonso arrives in Brazil convinced Aston Martin can improve on Mexico, where he retired on lap five with a Honda engine overheating due to incorrect pressures, elcorreo.com reported. He expects to run Sunday close to 12th or 13th, which would make scoring points not entirely unrealistic, and his realistic target is reaching Q2 — from there, staying on track puts him in position to fight for points.
With four races left, he has 7 points; if he fails to reach 11 — his lowest total apart from his debut season with Minardi — it will confirm that Aston Martin has given him his worst Formula 1 season, diariovasco.com reported. Alonso filled in for Lance Stroll at Thursday’s official press conference, the Canadian still affected by food from Mexico.
The Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos comes with a storm moving in from Friday, the Ferrari garage fractious and the championship already decided — a combination that ensures São Paulo is far from irrelevant.
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