F1 Preview: The War is Over but the Battle continues in Brazil

With the drivers’ and constructors’ championship sealed for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, the biggest prizes left on offer are Grand Prix victories in Abu Dhabi, but first Brazil this weekend.

Below the top, there is the battle for third on the drivers’ championship to be settled between Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.

Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Lando Norris are fighting for 9th whilst 6th place is up for grabs in the constructors’ championship between Racing Point and Toro Rosso.

The 2.67 miles Sao Paulo track has been raced on since 1973 and remains one of the bumpiest and technical tracks on the calendar.

There is hardly any flat sections, you are either going up or down, meaning that the drivers can vary their lines to use the camber of the road to get a good run through a corner.

Sector one is essentially the Senna-S where we see plenty of action as cars often go side by side through the first 2-3 corners.

A fast turn four begins the uphill through the very fast kinks of turns six and seven which get faster and faster year on year.

Things slow down as three consecutive hairpins test the car’s traction and whether the driver can get the car rotated at the middle of the apex to stand hard on the throttle on the exit.

The track goes back downhill through the now flat-out turn 12 and until Juncao, the last corner which requires to touch the brakes.

There are not many other more important corners to get right on the whole F1 schedule that Juncao. Every extra tiny amount of speed you can carry out of Juncao will gain you a crucial tenth or two when you cross the line.

Last time out, at the Circuit of the Americas, the Ferrari straight line speed advantage that has been dominating the speed traps for most of the season disappeared in USA.

According to sources, Ferrari were investigated for the legality of their power unit and they may have had to change something which has compromised their performance.

But, a combination of a reliability issue for Charles Leclerc in FP3 and Ferrari opting for a high-downforce package meant that they did not have the straight line speed which has been seen all year.

Leclerc is set to take at least a 10-grid place penalty this weekend due to a new power unit, which will exceed his power unit allocation.

The Monegasque will be coming through the field at a rate of knots on a track that Ferrari should be very competitive at.

Vettel might be the favourite due to Ferrari’s superior engine which may annihilate the rest of the field in sectors one and three.

Mercedes should have the upper hand in the middle sector but I don’t think it will be enough to overhaul the Ferrari straight line speed. It will all be about whether Ferrari’s advantage on the straights returns in Brazil.

If it does and Vettel can put the car on pole position, he should be able to control the race. But, Mercedes and even Red Bull can come at Vettel in two directions with Leclerc unable to get in the mix unless he clears the midfield very quickly.

Yet again, Mercedes can better Ferrari through strategy and race pace which might reward them a fifth consecutive win.

Alexander Albon’s confirmation of a Red Bull seat in 2020 might relax him and bring the best out of him as he enters another new racetrack.

If Albon can beat Verstappen on merit in qualifying or a Grand Prix in Brazil or Abu Dhabi, that would be a huge confidence boost and prove that he does deserve another year in a top seat, to anybody that doubts him.

Red Bull should be competitive in Interlagos. Verstappen had a stunning race last year, only to be taken out by Esteban Ocon in controversial circumstances. To overtake both Ferrari and Mercedes cars with relative ease was staggering and if Red Bull can find a setup that works just as well in the race this time round, they will be in the mix.

Saturday and Sunday is expected to be dry with sunny skies, expect the teams to stretch for a one-stopper since the pit lane loss is quite high in Sao Paulo.

It all feels a little less intense with less emotion due to the championship being won already. Most people knew that the championship was over after a handful of races because Mercedes were so dominant and Bottas was never going to be able to beat Hamilton over the course of 21 races.

Formula One desperately needs a season which sees at least two drivers from different teams go toe to toe throughout the season.

The pressure and emotion of a drivers’ championship fight between drivers from different teams has not been felt for seven years. There is a lack of intensity in the races as the moment without a title fight.

Twenty-one Grand Prix does not help the cause but it’s team domination that has hurt the sport. First Red Bull, now Mercedes. Of course, 2017 and 2018 could have gone down to the wire had Ferrari and Vettel not crumbled.

Ultimately, F1 is just going through a drought of the championship being wrapped up early more often than not. There is nothing like a title-decider, just look at the hype and excitement other motorsports have had this year from the championship going to the wire.

Hopefully 2020 is that year but first, there are two more Grand Prix to be decided. Who will be victorious in Brazil?