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Brazilian Grand Prix—in a glimpse
Brazilian Grand Prix 2013 marked a satisfying end to the season for many drivers. The top three, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso totally justified their positions and the driver in P4, Jenson Button came as a surprise since he had a very bad season with no wins at all. The early retirement of Lotus driver Roman Grosjean was disappointing after he finished on podium four times in the last five races.
Season end—only way to stop Vettel
With a convincing win in Brazil on Sunday, he has equaled Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins and Albert Ascari’s record of nine consecutive wins, both in a single season. His countryman, Nico Rosberg, who was on P2 on grid, had a brilliant start where he snatched the lead from him but sadly couldn’t hold it for a long time. In lap two, without the use of DRS, Vettel regained the race lead when he overtook Rosberg in turn one.
Red Bull Racing team had an awful day at pits. After messing up Webber’s first pit stop, they made it worst for both their drivers when they hopped into the pits at the same time. The crew was unable to find the front right tyre for Vettel which resulted in Webber losing six seconds who was queued behind the German.
All these problems did not become a hurdle between him and his final victory of the season. The pole-setter won his career’s 39th race.
Alonso makes the podium in last race
Ferrari finally had a chance to smile after the Spaniard finished third, behind his mate Webber. His battle with Webber would last in his mind for a very long time now. The two who get along well off field showed true competitiveness in Brazil. Webber’s pit stop delays in lap 24 got him behind Alonso in third position but to a great relief for the Red Bull, Webber passed Alonso in lap 26.
Button was behind Alonso who was more than 20 seconds behind him. “It was unfortunate that it did not rain. We are a lot more competitive in wet conditions,” he said in the podium ceremony.
He would be hoping to get a better car next year from Ferrari which can help him stop Vettel. Since the 2014 has new rules and regulations, Ferrari can get back on track and dethrone the Red Bull.
Webber’s 12 year old career comes to an end
He finished his career’s last Formula one season third behind the Ferrari driver Alonso with 199 points. Along with teammate Vettel he helped Red Bull win the Constructor’s Championship for the fourth time in a row. He came second in Brazil behind the Champion after entertaining the Brazilians with his driving skills and the battle for P2 with Alonso.
The Sao Paulo circuit saw a six-year-old kid in Webber during the podium position. He did everything to make his last podium ceremony memorable. It was very respectful of Vettel when he asked the interviewer to interview Webber first and not him. It was a sight to admire which showed the humility of the young champion.
Massa’s drive through penalty
The Brazilian, who was on the podium last year, finished the race seventh on Sunday. His race was filled with different emotions like being proud, frustrated and of course sad as the race was his last for Ferrari and getting his eight –year-old professional relationship with the “Prancing Horses” to an end.
In all the melancholy, he was forced to experience a negative moment when he was given a drive through penalty in lap 33 for crossing the white lines on the pit entry with all the four wheels. He was warned about it in the previous lap by his race engineer Rob Smedley. He took the drive through penalty in lap 35 and rejoined the track behind the McLaren Segio Perez in the eighth position.
Grosjean failed to end year with points
The one of the highlights of this season, Grosjean, faced an early retirement in Brazil in lap three. His engine gave up leaving a lot of smoke, which can be very dangerous because the drivers on the other side of the smoke cannot see if there is any car ahead of them.
The Frenchman has had a very impressive F1 with six podium finishes out of which three came in a row, starting in Singapore. He was on podium in India when Vettel was crowned the World Champion. He and Rosberg had made the moment even more special by carrying Vettel on their shoulders.
With Brazilian GP, here comes the end to one of the most fantastic, single-driver-dominated Formula One season. Vettel will cherish 2013 forever. The upcoming year is a new chapter in the auto sport. There will be no F1 for next four months. Let’s wait till March for the season-opener 2014 Australian Grand Prix.
