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[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

Lewis Hamilton put a brave face on things after qualifying fourth for the Brazilian Grand Prix as title rival Felipe Massa stormed to the pole position. Hamilton however does have the luxury in knowing that even if Massa takes the win at Interlagos, a fifth position will crown him world champion.

While it was not Hamilton's cleanest of qualifying runs, he starts ahead of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen who was again unable to mix it with the front runners to aid Hamilton's title challenge.

Tomorrow could be championship day and both Hamilton and McLaren will be looking for a conservative run to try and wrap up the drivers' title.

In the constructors' championship it is certainly advantage Ferrari as McLaren trail their Italian rivals by 11 points and start behind both Massa and outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Lewis Hamilton
"Congratulations to Felipe for achieving pole position in front of his home crowd - he did a great job today. But, tomorrow, I will be focusing on my own race: it will be a tough afternoon but I’m comfortable with the fuel strategy we chose; the guys in front are probably on a different strategy. But we’re in a good position to finish in the same place as we are today - and that’s got to be our aim. We don’t need to do anything spectacular."

Heikki Kovalainen
"I think we had a straightforward qualifying. My car felt good from the beginning of Q1 and the good balance and performance have been demonstrated by my overall fastest time in Q2.
For sure, we'd rather be on the front row - however we'll have to see which strategy the competition in front of us will have in the race. We feel confident about our strategy and should have a solid baseline for a good race tomorrow."

Ron Dennis
"We're comfortable with the outcome of today's qualifying session. There may be rain tomorrow - and, if there is, we may well see the deployment of the Safety Car. That being the case, it's possible that aggressive race strategies may be affected by those unpredictable variables. We've therefore opted for a race strategy that ought to allow us to protect against such interventions. Now, our focus is to avoid any trouble at the start, after which both our drivers should be in a position to put in strong, competitive performances."

Norbert Haug
"With Lewis on the second row and Heikki on the third we have a good basis for tomorrow's race. We will probably see different strategies once the race unfolds and I am confident about ours. Our speed is good as we showed in Q1 and Q2 when Heikki was fastest of the day and, if our reliability and performance is there, we will get the job done."

E.A. © CAPSIS International

A safety car is an issue, granted, but usually teams hedge their bets and have one car on a non-safety car strategy and one on a safety-car strategy. The fuel effect at Interlagos isn't so big, so both Ferraris must be running on fumes and/or both McLarens must be pretty well tanked up.

[8-ball]

Well not the best for Hamilton but I will put it down to the heavy fuel load. It should be a straight pole to win for Massa and hope for the best from there on in. Whatever happens I hope this championship is decided fairly on the track. Both men are too good to have an asterisk next to their title win

[inspiredbyzane]

I should say as well, the Brazilian fans were great today. After Senna died, Interlagos has never really had the same atmosphere. Today was the first time since 1994 that it got back to its old ways.

In deed, quali was excellent. I hope today showed the FIA what f1 is all about and what f1 fans and the drivers really want. True driver circuits that everyone enjoys. The race itself has so many variables its hard to predict, but it's still lewis' championship to win or loose. I'm glad to see toyota getting in the mix with the other big teams. Given their budget, that's where they should be consistently.

[prozac26]

Massa P1, not surprised.


Kubica P13..... very surprised.

[Liamb26]

i've got to say i was impressed with heikki today, if he can slow alonso down and let lewis pull out a big enough gap from them i think he will beable to breathe easier. if massa is fueled light and there is a chance of rain then it will play into lewis' hands, hopefully it will rain after felipe's first stop and in time for lewis' first stop so he can refuel and get the wets on all in 1 go! i will be praying for rain when i go to bed tonight!

[cap-dude]

I have to say, my glimir of hope is Lewis getting a puncture. A lot of drivers have said the track will be hard on tyres, so hopefully just like in Hungary, bang goes the front tyre
Also, didn't Lewis run a 3 stop last year. I still don't get why McLaren ever did that, but whatever. Hopefully it was tyre wear muhahaha.

Of course, I'm just being bais here, Massa is simply the driver I want to win. But it seems like it'll be tough. I hoping one hand for dry weather, and on the other, theres a better chance of chaos in the wet, and with Massa in first, he'll be trouble free.

[kerc]

Kubica P13..... very surprised.

Very disappointed with that myself. It seems something has changed on the BMW, and Kubica is having a hell of a time trying to tame the beast. A pity, I wanted this championship to be a three-guy thing up to the last race (even though I want Hamilton to win).

Next year, Robert!

[formula1man]

I am a ferrari fan and of course wnat Massa to win.
Im not wishing anything bad towards Hamilton, but if Massa is to win then Hamilton needs to have some bad luck somewhere, which is a shame i would prefer ferrari to win the champ with outright speed.
Qualifying went exactly as i had hoped, but this race is going to be intense.

Hamilton in the pack, which is a tactical error i think, i was expecting him to go real light and take pole.

The first corner at Brazil is always trouble, especially if its in the wet. With alonso behind hamilton and all it will be juicy.
All Massa can do is win, and see what happens behind.
People are saying they want it to rain after Massa'a pitstop, but what if the start is wet then it dries out early, then Hamilton's stratagy could be ruined.

But its bound to be a great race and i'll be biting my nails, may the best man win, charma will be the decider here, whoever deserves it will win it.

[FerrariFan63]

I have to say, my glimir of hope is Lewis getting a puncture. A lot of drivers have said the track will be hard on tyres, so hopefully just like in Hungary, bang goes the front tyre
Also, didn't Lewis run a 3 stop last year. I still don't get why McLaren ever did that, but whatever. Hopefully it was tyre wear muhahaha.

Of course, I'm just being bais here, Massa is simply the driver I want to win. But it seems like it'll be tough. I hoping one hand for dry weather, and on the other, theres a better chance of chaos in the wet, and with Massa in first, he'll be trouble free.

I do not want to see the championship decided through a puncture or mechanical failure. I don't care if it would be "convenient" for "my side" if Lewis had a technical problem, I don't want to see it happen.

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

McLaren achieved the most expensive tenth-and-a-half improvement in the British team's long history, by working meticulously on Lewis Hamilton's car between the Chinese and Brazilian Grand Prix, according to Ron Dennis.

After Hamilton qualified fourth for the decisive round of the 2008 championship that, the team's boss revealed that technicians at Woking had been tasked after Shanghai two weeks ago with checking and servicing every single component of the 23-year-old's MP4-23.

At 3000 individual parts, the week-long task would have cost McLaren about $7m, the Daily Mirror newspaper said.

"It's the most expensive 0.15 of a second in our history. We have checked every single part and even eliminated the infant mortality of new parts," Dennis said.

He then questioned the wisdom of Ferrari's seemingly ‘aggressive’ fuel strategy for the last qualifying session of 2008 in Brazil, but some wondered if a strategy stranding Hamilton on the back of the second row, and among notable enemies like Fernando Alonso, is wise.

"I do not believe Lewis Hamilton will make it past the first corner of the race," former champion Nelson Piquet told Globoesporte. "There are many drivers in the field who do not like him.”

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

Only at McLaren would you see such detailed, almost pedantic checks. After spending that money on the service, here's hoping it counts for something!

[Gaz]

From autosport.com:

McLaren achieved the most expensive tenth-and-a-half improvement in the British team's long history, by working meticulously on Lewis Hamilton's car between the Chinese and Brazilian Grand Prix, according to Ron Dennis.

After Hamilton qualified fourth for the decisive round of the 2008 championship that, the team's boss revealed that technicians at Woking had been tasked after Shanghai two weeks ago with checking and servicing every single component of the 23-year-old's MP4-23.

At 3000 individual parts, the week-long task would have cost McLaren about $7m, the Daily Mirror newspaper said.

"It's the most expensive 0.15 of a second in our history. We have checked every single part and even eliminated the infant mortality of new parts," Dennis said.

He then questioned the wisdom of Ferrari's seemingly ‘aggressive’ fuel strategy for the last qualifying session of 2008 in Brazil, but some wondered if a strategy stranding Hamilton on the back of the second row, and among notable enemies like Fernando Alonso, is wise.

"I do not believe Lewis Hamilton will make it past the first corner of the race," former champion Nelson Piquet told Globoesporte. "There are many drivers in the field who do not like him.”

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

Only at McLaren would you see such detailed, almost pedantic checks. After spending that money on the service, here's hoping it counts for something!

Lol yeh love piquets comment

I'll translate that for you "Lewis beat my son in GP2, to a seat in F1 and also beat Alonso but my son can't and i'm bitter about that"

[McLaren Fan]

Here's a very good preview from F1 Fanatic:

Brazilian Grand Prix pre-race analysis
2 November 2008 by Keith Collantine

How can Ferrari use Kimi Raikkonen to help Felipe Massa win the championship?

How can Ferrari use Kimi Raikkonen to help Felipe Massa win the championship?

Felipe Massa starts the Brazilian Grand Prix from pole position with title rival Lewis Hamilton down in fourth on the grid.

But which of them is carrying the most fuel? Can Hamilton avoid trouble at the start? And how will the expected rain affect the race? Here are my pre-race thoughts on the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The grid and the start

Felipe Massa shares the front row with Jarno Trulli, who starts from the front row of the grid for the first time this year.

Massa should be worried about what Trulli can do from that position. At Singapore Truli gained two places at the start (11th-9th), at Fuji he gained three (7th-4th) and at Shanghai he collided with the driver he started alongside. None of those scenarios are what Massa has in mind for turn one tomorrow.

What will work in Massa’s favour is that the odd-numbered slots on the grid are on the ‘clean’ side of the track: that’s good news for him and team mate Kimi Raikkonen, exactly as it was last year. As Raikkonen said today:

I am in a good starting place and I prefer to be third than second, it is a pretty good place to start.

It’s bad news for Lewis Hamilton, who starts in fourth. Heikki Kovalainen, who starts fifth, may have no option but to pass his team mate at the start. Trying anything too clever may end up in a disastrous collision. And if Fernando Alonso gets away cleanly from sixth, Hamilton could be facing a repeat of his 2007 nightmare scenario once again.

An added complication is the incline on the Interlagos grid - the driver at the front of the grid are on an uphill slope, the drivers at the rear are pointing downhill.

If it does rain tomorrow as forecast (see below) the race may be started behind the safety car as it was at Monza. That would be perfect for Massa, who would be guaranteed an unchallenged, unimpaired run into the first corner - unless he screws up the start like Rubens Barrichello did in the same situation five years ago.

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix grid

Strategy

Here the laps on which the top ten qualifiers pitted last year and their qualifying times:

1. Felipe Massa 1′11.931 - 20, 50
2. Lewis Hamilton 1′12.082 - 22, 36, 56
3. Kimi Raikkonen 1′12.322 - 21, 53
4. Fernando Alonso 1′12.356 - 22, 52
5. Mark Webber 1′12.928 - DNF
6. Nick Heidfeld 1′13.081 - 25, 51
7. Robert Kubica 1′13.129 - 19, 38, 58
8. Jarno Trulli 1′13.195 - 22, 43, 63
9. David Coulthard 1′13.272 - 23, 42
10. Nico Rosberg 1′13.433 - 23, 54

Several drivers opted for three-stop strategies last year in order to reduce the numbe of laps spent on the super-soft tyres. This year they do not have that problem - Bridgestone has brought the medium and soft tyre compounds - so two-stop strategies are likely to be the order of the day.

Massa’s considerable time advantage (0.4s over Trulli, 0.5s over Raikkonen) has led many to speculate he’s very light on fuel. That’s probably part of it, but he’s always been good for a hot lap of Interlagos. This is his third consecutive pole position, and in 2004 he stuck his Sauber in fourth on the grid.

Although Hamilton’s first timed lap was scruffy his second was much better, so he probably tends towards being a few laps heavier. However, it would be unusual if he did not pit on the lap after Massa’s first stop, because were the safety car to come out after Massa’s stop and before Hamilton’s it would utterly destroy his race.

How far can Ferrari use Raikkonen to assist Massa? Raikkonen is very likely to stil be ahead of Hamilton at the end of lap one. And Massa needs Hamilton to finish outside the top five to win the title. So will Ferrari create a ‘Raikkonen train’ to let Massa (and potentially Trulli) get away and hope a few cars pass Hamilton?

It’s been done before - Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine adopted similar tactics with Jacques Villeneuve at Suzuka in 1997. But that was before the rule banning team orders was introduced - could Ferrari get away with such blatant team tactics in 2008?

Rain

Did Nico Rosberg qualify poorly because he has a wet weather setup?

Did Nico Rosberg qualify poorly because he has a wet weather setup?

If the forecast heavy rain does arrive, then most of the assumptions above will be thrown out of the window. The teams have done no running on the track in wet conditions this weekend and there is no provision in the rules for such practice to be added.

The teams are allowed to make some modifications to their cars if it rains, but they are limited to adding tape to brake and radiator ducts to keep them in the correct working temperature ranges.

They cannot alter any other parts of the car setup than they might normally be allowed to. It is possible that some teams gambled on wet weather coming tomorrow and put their cars on more suitable setups accordingly. A glance at the grid suggests Williams have gone towards a wet-weather setup.

The last time we saw heavy rain at Interlagos was in 2003. On that occasion several drivers aquaplaned off the road at turn three because poor drainage caused a mini-river of water to flow across the track. The resurfacing work carried out last year may have solved that problem.

For the title contenders, rain is an added threat as it brings a greater degree of unpredictability. However Hamiton will probably welcome the rain more than Massa, as he has fared much better in wet conditions this year. More analysis of the likely impact of wet weather here.

Safety car

Rain also increases the chance of safety car periods - but whether they occur in the dry or the wet they have the potential to decide the championship in a random and highly unsatisfactory manner.

As we saw in Singapore a poorly-timed safety car can destroy a driver’s race through no fault of their own. When the safety car is deployed, the pit lane entrance is ‘closed’ and if a driver is forced to pit (or face running out of fuel) they automatically incur a penalty.

Neither of the two championship contenders has suffered that misfortune this year. If it were to happen tomorrow it would be a terrible way to decide the championship, especially given that the FIA have had two years to fix the problem.

[cap-dude]

Everyone is so damned paranoid about this race.
But its only natural, considering last year, and the amount of faffs all year long. Anything can happen, and anything will happen judging by this year. I mean, Vettel won in an STR.

I just hope its a good finish to a brilliant year.

[FerrariFan63]

I do expect the drag down to the first corner and the first few corners after that to be the most tense part of the race.

[McLaren Fan]

That will most likely be the tensest part of the race, but I'll be pretty anxious throughout the whole thing. Hamilton hasn't got as much margin for error as he perhaps could have had, and anything can go wrong: punctures, for instance, can happen to anybody. Then, if there is to be wet weather, it will most likely be akin to a monsoon: it never rains in Sao Paulo; it pours; and in that weather, anybody can go off the track.