Looking Ahead
Just a week now separates us from the end of the 2013 season, and one of the most fantastic, passionate and emotive circuits on the calendar; Interlargos. For any Formula 1 fan it needs no introduction at all. It is quite simply one of the greatest F1 circuits of all time, topping the list with Spa, Monaco and Monza as places of pure, unadulterated, unregulated Formula 1 passion. It may be a little rough around the edges, but it is a place of pure delight to close out the season, one of unpredictable weather and the scene of so many exciting Formula 1 moments, such as last years' title decider, and that of 2007 and 2008. The crowd is so enthusiastic for Formula 1 despite only having a single driver left in the field now, the plucky Felipe Massa, as their pure love of the sport, and former heroes, is completely unbeatable. Mark Webber's final race will come for us next weekend, and it will be a fond farewell to Aussie grit. For 12 years he has been a very lovable member of the paddock, and a deserving winner that almost brought him a hard earned championship in 2010. Hopefully he can go out on a high in Brazil. Behind the inevitable Red Bull front row battle, Mercedes have a decent if not insurmountable cushion to Ferrari of 15 points and decidedly stronger form of late, which they will be hoping lasts for them to deliver second place in the constructors championship and the spoils it brings. Hamilton can also secure third in the drivers title should he prevent Mark Webber scoring eight points more than him, though he claims apathy to the cause. Ferrari will be looking for absolutely everything they can get to try and put themselves back on top of Mercedes, and Massa can be expected to show his colours in front of his adoring home fans in his final race for the Ferrari team. In a similar gap, Lotus trail Ferrari by 18 points, and with the loss of Kimi Raikkonen they are likely to struggle to make that up to the Scuderia, even with Grosjean's fantastic form of the last few races and Kovalainen's decent stand-in weekend. McLaren, in their worst season for over 30 years, trail Lotus by an incredible 213 points in fifth place. Whilst there seems little hope of a miracle for the Woking team, it is a track where a driver can overtake, which will suit Jenson Button down to the ground and with Perez desperate to show himself off in search of a 2014 drive there is likely to be a big effort. They sit 25 points ahead of Force India, who after another poor weekend in the US seem unlikely to be able to challenge for fifth place, but also sit 24 points clear of Sauber in seventh place. The Swiss team with the outstanding Nico Hulkenberg have been on a real charge in recent races, but with a couple of pointless finishes their pressure on Force India couldn't be brought to bear. They did however stretch their lead beyond Torro Rosso to 21 points after overtaking them, and with the junior Red Bull team struggling to get into the points it seems likely they have seventh sewn up. Torro Rosso, with Ricciardo in his final race before a move to Red Bull in 2014, will be seeking anything they can take from the final race with an unlucky Vergne wanting any kind of result. Despite an excellent US Grand Prix, Williams are highly unlikely to see the 27 points needed to equal Torro Rosso without extreme weather conditions, but are already finishing on a high having taken eighth with Bottas this weekend. Maldonado will take his final drive in a Williams, and both team and driver will be happy to see the divorce finalised. At the back, Marussia still hold their tenth position in the constructors' race over Caterham thanks to Bianchi's P13 finish way back in the searing heat of Malaysia, the second race of the year. Caterham will be desperate to equal them, as it would put them ahead based on other finishes, but a P12 finish will be hard to achieve without something incredible happening. The final position gets nothing, no prize money at all, and for the two teams it is critical that they get that money. Marussia might just be able to hold off the Caterham's for the 2013 plaudits. Also, if Chilton can just make it to the flag, he will be the first rookie in Formula 1 history to finish every race in his debut season. I just hope we can have some excitement for the final race that can leave a smile on my face, after a very disappointing and disheartening season since the mid-season turnaround in tyre performance. If we were to see Mark Webber win I would be very pleased, or incredibly Felipe Massa I would be ecstatic, though that seems unlikely. Onwards to Brazil. Vamos!