Formula 1 and his final sprint in Brazil, where ‘Checo’ will defend himself against Leclerc

The Mexican Sergio Perez (Red Bull) will defend second place in Formula One World Championship -Mathematically resolved a month ago in favor of his partner, the Dutchman Max Verstappen– against Monegasque charles leclerc (Ferrari) in Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, the penultimate of the year, which will take place this weekend at the Interlagos circuit and where the qualification will be decided, for the third time this year, by a sprint test.

‘Czech’who by winning this year in Monaco and Singapore raised his number of victories in the premier class to four, has 280 points, 136 less than Verstappen -who a month ago was declared a two-time champion by winning the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka- and more than five Leclerc; in a World Cup where English George Russell (Mercedes) is fourth, with 231 units, and still has a mathematical chance of finishing runner-up; even if they are very far away.

The last ‘double program’ of a World Cup will start in Sao Paulo, closing a weekend later, at Yas Marina, a circuit that will host the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; and where, with the title of constructors also decided in favor of the team of ‘Checo’ and ‘Mad Max’, the main thing that remains at stake is the runner-up. In the case of the team event, it will be decided between Ferrari and Mercedes: so far with an advantage of 40 points for the ‘Scuderia’.

penultimate Big prize of the year, which bears the name of the most populous city in Brazil, will be held at the José Carlos Pace Autodrome, a 4,309-meter track with 15 curves – including 10 on the left – scheduled to finish on Sunday with 71 laps , counterclockwise, to complete the 308.5 kilometer route.

The Brazilian test, where the intermediate range compound tires are rolled in the dry – C2 (hard, identified by the white stripe), C3 (medium, yellow stripe) and C4 (soft, red) – will be the third and last . of the year, after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, in Imola (Italy), and the Austrian Grand Prix, at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, where the qualification will be decided by a sprint test ( approximately one third of the hundred races of Sunday).

This Friday will be played the first free practice session and the “pre-qualification” -with three eliminatory rounds-, which will dictate the initial formation of Saturday sprint testwhich will take place hours after the second and this time the final rehearsal.

The reduced test will not only determine the grid for Sunday’s race, but will distribute points to the first eight: the first will add 8, the second, 7; and so on up to the eighth, which will add one to your personal account. In a Grand Prix where two Spaniards will try to take as much as possible, Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).

sainz, who this year has eight podium finishes, just finished fifth in Mexico – where Verstappen broke the record for wins at the same course, taking it to 14; and ‘Checo’ finished third – and sixth in the World Cup. With 212 points, four fewer than the seven-time English world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), named Honorary Citizen of Brazil.

Sir Lewis was recognized in an action that took place on Tuesday in the Chamber of Deputies after which he dedicated “the honor to Ayrton Senna – who won three world championships for Brazil before dying in an accident at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, in Imola – to his family, his friends and his fans”.

sainz is looking to finish the World Championship ahead of the eccentric and spectacular champion from Stevenage and should not be left out to overtake the other Mercedes, Russell, who is 19 points ahead of him in the final overall standings.

Alonsowho celebrated his two world titles (2005 and 2006, with Renault) on this very circuit, was ninth, with 71 units, in a World Cup where his Alpine once again left him ‘thrown away’ in tenth opportunity (the Oviedo man easily took double the points he accumulated) in Mexico, two Sundays ago.

The Spaniard will run for the nineteenth time at the track where he has never won but where he has added eight to the 98 podiums he has in the motorsport honor division; and where he finished three times second.

In Interlagos, sainz He achieved, in 2019 and in a McLaren, the first of his fourteen podiums in F1. Last year, the talented rider from Madrid finished sixth in a race where Fernando was ninth and ‘Checo’ -who has 25 ‘drawers’ in the premier class-, fourth.

In Brazil, no one has won as many times as four-time French world champion Alain Prost, who rang the Marseillaise six times, although he did it five times at Jacarepagua, the Rio de Janeiro circuit: where it ran for the final season in 1989.

Among the active ones, the most successful are hamilton -who last year celebrated his third victory at Interlagos, after his achievements in 2016 and 2018- and the four-time German champion Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), who retired for ten days and climbed to the top of the podium in Sao Paulo in 2010 and 2013 (with Red Bull) and 2017 (with Ferrari).

Alonsothat if he hadn’t lost those nearly 70 points due to Alpine’s unreliability, he would have clearly been ahead of his teammate, the Frenchman. Stephen Ocon -which exceeded it by 11 units-, still hoping to surpass it in the final stage of the championship.

To do this, the Spaniard hopes to take advantage of the “variable” weather conditions that, according to him, can be found both “in qualifying, in the sprint and in the race.” The spoils of points are greater in Sao Paulo, where Alpine must defend -or even strengthen- fourth place in the Constructors’ World Cup, where it leads McLaren by seven points (153-146).

Although, without risking anything, but given its status as an apex predator, no one should doubt that Verstappenwinner of the two sprint races held this season, will be out to add to his own record with his fifteenth victory of the season at Interlagos.