Brazilian GP 2014

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

Race Notes - Rosberg leads Hamilton in Mercedes 1-2 at Interlagos

Nico Rosberg, Brazilian GP 2014
© Active Pictures

 

Nico Rosberg won the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos over his Mercedes GP team mate Lewis Hamilton, winning by 1.4 seconds. Brazilian hometown favorite Felipe Massa in the Williams-Mercedes finished third, 41 seconds behind.

Hamilton continues to lead the world championship, but the gap has closed to just 17 points over Rosberg with the double points paying finale in Abu Dhabi in two weeks time to decide the title between the Mercedes GP drivers.

It is Rosbergs fifth win of the year, compared to Hamiltons 10 wins. Mercedes GP has taken 15 wins with eleven 1-2 finishes for the Mercedes GP team for the 2014 season so far.

Jenson Button in the McLaren-Mercedes finished in fourth, followed by Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull-Renault in fifth, Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari in sixth, his team mate Kimi Raikkonen in seventh, Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India-Mercedes in eighth, Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren was ninth, and Valtteri Bottas in the second Williams finished in the final points paying position.

Leading up to the race the weather is looking good, but history has shown that conditions can change quicker - and rain was forecast for today.

Rosberg sits on pole with world championship leader Hamilton on the outside of the front row. The Williams of Massa starts third alongside his team mate Bottas in fourth. Button starts fifth alongside Vettel. Magnussn and Alonso are on the fourth row, and Daniel Ricciardo and Raikkonen round out the top ten.

Pirelli have a choice of the yellow sidewalled soft and white sidewalled medium compound tyres. If the weather remains dry expect a three stop strategy.

Adrian Sutil will start from the pit lane after a Power unit issue before the start.

Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat, Hulkenberg and Sutil will start on medium tyres, the rest starting on soft tyres.

The lights go out and the race starts, with Rosberg taking the lead over Hamilton, Massa and Bottas.

Magnussen and Alonso pass Vettel for 6th and 7th.

At the end of the first lap the Mercedes, Williams abd the McLarens run in pairs.

On lap 3 Rosberg pulls out a 1.2 second lead over Hamilton.

On lap 4 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m15.610s.

Vettel and Ricciardo chase Alonso for seventh place.

On lap 5 Pastor Maldonado pits and switches to medium compound tyres. Rosberg is told by the team to move the brake bias forward, as his rear brakes are getting hot.

On lap 6 Massa pits and switches to medium compound tyres. He rejoins in 16th place. His team mate Bottas pits the next lap as well as Button and Vettel, They all switch to medium tyres.

On lap 8 Rosberg pits from the lead for medium tyres, along with Alonso, Magnussen and Ricciardo.

Hamilton pits from the lead the next lap, and comes out just behind Rosberg. Bottas sets fast lap at 1m15.357s.

On lap 9 Jean-Eric Vergne pits from sixth place.

At lap 10 Hulkenberg leads Kvyat by1.3 seconds, both yet to pit, followed by Rosberg (1.1s), Hamilton (0.6s), Grosjean (2.4s), Massa (1.5s), Bottas (2.0s), Sutil (0.0s), Button (0.6s), Magnussen (3.8s), Alonso (2.9s), Vettel (0.4s), Ricciardo (0.6s), Raikkonen (4.5s), Esteban Gutierrez (1.2s), Sergio Perez (1.6s), Vergne (0.7s) and Maldonado (0.9s).

On lap 12 Rosberg passes Kvyat for second place. Button passes Sutil around the outside of the first corner for eighth place.

On lap 13 Hamilton passes Kvyat for third place. Massa is handed a 5 second stop/go penalty for speeding in the pits, the team tells him they will serve it at the next pit stop, and that he needs to open up a gap.

On lap 14 Rosberg passes Hulkenberg for the lead at the first corner. Hamilton is told to conserve his rear tyres. Hamilton says he is feeling vibrations from his front tyres.

On lap 16 Hamilton passes Hulkenberg for second place, and trails his team mate by 2.2 seconds.

Vettel is told to drop back from Alonso in order to save his tyres.

On lap 17 Hulkenberg pits for the first time. Massa passes Kvyat for fourth place.

On lap 18 Vettel passes Sutil for tenth. Rosberg complains of oversteer. Kvyat pits for his first pit stop. Grosjean is the only driver yet to pit.

At lap 20 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 2.0 seconds, followed by Massa (5.8s), Bottas (2.9s), Button (0.8s), Grosjean (5.5s), Magnussen (0.9s), Alonso (2.1s), Vettel (1.5s) and Ricciardo (1.5s) in tenth.

On lap 21 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m15.120s. Red Bull tells Ricciardo that drivers are blistering the right front on the medium compound tyre.

On lap 23 Magnussen passes Grosjean, who is the last driver not to pit, for sixth

On lap 25 Hamilton sets another fast lap at 1m15.024 and closes to 1.1 seconds of Rosberg in the lead.

On lap 26 Massa pits and sits to serve the five second penalty before the team decends on the car to change the tyres. Massa rejoins in 13th.

On lap 27 Rosberg pits from the lead for more medium tyres. Hamilton sets a new fast lap at 1m14.303s. Bottas pits and has a slow stop as the team tightens his belts. Magnussen pits as well.

On lap 28 Button, Ricciardo and Vergne all pit. Hamilton half spins at turn 4. He rejoins but has lost time. Hamilton pits, and rejoins 7.2 seconds behind Rosberg.

On lap 29 Perez is under investigation for speeding in the pit lane, and is handed a five-second stop/go penalty.

Hamilton is told by the team that all in not lost and to stay calm.

At lap 30 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 6.7 seconds, followed by Raikkonen (3.7s), Hulkenberg (5.9s), Massa (3.0s), Kvyat (2.9s), Button (0.0s), Vettel (3.2s), Magnussen (0.8s) and Alonso (2.2s) in tenth.

On lap 31 Button passes Kvyat for sixth place.

On lap 32 Hamilton closes the gap to Rosberg to 5.8 seconds.

On lap 35 Raikkonen pits from third place, and the car drops off the front jack. The team recovers and Raikkonen is sent on his way after the slow stop.

On lap 37 Hulkenberg pits from third place. Vettel passes Kvyat at the first corner for fifth place.

On lap 39 Rosberg tells the team to stop giving him details of the gap to Hamilton - as he slowly closes the gap, now at 4.1 seconds. Kvyat pits for more medium tyres.

Sutil and Ricciardo both pit. Ricciardo sits in the pits with a brake issue - the team eventually retires the car.

At lap 40 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 3.4 followed by Massa (15.5s), Button (6.0s), Vettel (4.5s), Magnussen (2.2s), Alonso (1.8s), Bottas (8.8s), Hulkenberg (0.4s) and Raikkonen (1.6s) in tenth place.

On lap 42 Hamilton cuts the lead to Rosberg to 2.9 seconds.

On lap 43 Raikkonen passes Bottas for ninth place. Bottas pits for another long stop as the team worked on the front right corner of the car.

On lap 45 Alonso closes and passes Magnussen at turn 4 for sixth place. Maldonado pits for another set of medium tyres.

On lap 49 Hamilton continues to chip away at Rosbergs lead, the gap down to 1.9 seconds.

Kvyat passes Perez for 11th place. Magnussen pits for a third stop and takes another set of medium tyres.

Perez, Vettel and Gutierrez all pit.

On lap 50 Rosberg pits from the lead for another set of medium compound tyres. Massa and Button pits as well for medium tyres.

Massa drives through the McLaren pit next door by mistake, but continues through to the Williams pit.

Hamilton pits the next lap for a 2.5 second stop and rejoins just behind his team mate.

On lap 53 Alonso pits from third place.

Rosberg's lead over his team mate is 0.5 seconds. Rosberg sets fast lap at 1m13.961s.

On lap 54 Massa passes Hulkenberg to take back third place to the cheers of the Brazilian crowd.

On lap 55 Hamilton is told watch out for his right rear tyre getting too hot. Rosberg sets another fast lap at 1m13.937s.

On lap 56 Button is battling Raikkonen for fifth place.

On lap 58 Hamilton chases Rosberg with a 0.5 second gap, the pair approaching traffic ahead.

At lap 60 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 0.5 seconds, followed by Massa (29.7s), Hulkenberg (5.1s), Raikkonen (5.3s), Button (0.5s), Vettel (0.5s), Alonso (3.6s), Magnussen (9.3s) and Kvyat (2.1s) in tenth place.

On lap 61 Kvyat and Grosjean both pit. Hulkenberg pits to take soft tyres - to satisfy the regulations.

Button and Raikkonen continue to battle for fouth place.

On lap 62 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m13.555, the two Mercedes drivers continuing to trade lap times.

On lap 63, the gap is out to 0.9 seconds.

On lap 65 Alonso is chasing Raikkonen hard for sixth place, the two battling side-by-side.

On lap 66 Grosjean pulls to the side of the track, his day is over with a mechanical problem.

On lap 69 Alonso passes Raikkonen at the first corner for sixth place. Rosberg has a 0.6 seconds lead over Hamilton.

Rosberg holds on to win his fifth win of the season and keeps his championship hopes alive into the final race of the season in two weeks time. Hamilton finished second and Massa was third.