One’s home race is always important and nowhere is that more evident than for Rubens Barrichello at the Brazilian Grand Prix. It hasn’t been the greatest season for the veteran driver, but he hopes for a good showing over the weekend.
The Brazilian born driver, in the effort to have the best car possible, has equipped his Williams with a brand new engine, as power and the right setup are key to a strong race finish.
"The Williams tends to suit Brazil, and I have a new engine for this race," explained Barrichello to Sky Sports. "Achieving a good set-up and qualifying result is important, but it’s not always easy to set the car up - you need strong traction and balance."
The Brazilian Grand Prix has long been either the final or the penultimate race of the Formula One season and it has never disappointed. The track is fast and features some fantastic corners that really test the car and driver.
We’ll see if Rubens can pass that test when the race gets underway.
While most of us have let the incident in Germany between Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa die off, some are still sour over the event. Today, Nick Heidfeld said that it would be a shame if the team orders incident influenced the outcome of the F1 Championship.
Currently, Alonso sits on top of the driver’s table by 11 points and seven of those points were earned at Hockenheim, where Massa was told to move aside to let Alonso pass.
"If Alonso wins the championship with a margin less than the 7 points, it would devalue the championship — that’s a personal view," said former FIA president Max Mosley.
Mosley isn’t the only one who feels this way, as the Red Bull team boss agrees, stating that it would be frustrating if the Spanish driver took the title.
Ferrari has already fined $100,000 for the move, as team orders in F1 are banned at the moment.
The truth has finally come out from McLaren, as they have just admitted that they might reconsider their decision to support both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button during the course of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The team had stated that they would support Button, despite the fact that the driver is just about out of the contention for the championship. Hamilton is in much better shape at the moment and the team may need Button to help him out during the race.
"We’ll see what the situation is during the race," said boss Martin Whitmarsh to the BBC.
At the moment, Hamilton is only 21 points back of Fernando Alonso, while Button is 42 points back with only 50 points up for grabs, so it would make sense to give Hamilton everything he needs to help run down the Ferrari.
"We’ll see what happens over the course of the weekend," added Whitmarsh. "There’s a good relationship between the two drivers. I’m sure they are going to co-operate with each other.”
Williams have agreed to supply transmissions for the Hispania Racing Team next season, as they hope to climb out of the cellar with some help from a former champion.
Hispania have not had much success this season and have yet to score a point finish. Due to their lack of success, many have wondered if the team will be around for the 2011 campaign. This new partnership is key to that future.
If there is one area that links these two teams, it’s the fact that both Williams and Hispania have their engines supplied by Cosworth, making it a bit easier to adapt the gearboxes for the Hispania cars.
As far as the competition goes, Lotus have signed a deal with Red Bull Technology for their gearboxes in 2011, but Virgin have yet to make any major deals. Like the other 2010 newcomers, Lotus and Virgin Racing, Hispania started the season using Xtrac gearboxes.
The Brazilian Grand Prix is this Sunday, so be sure to tune in.
McLaren have just confirmed that they will back Jenson Button in his title defense at the Brazilian Grand Prix, despite the English driver being 42 points behind with only 50 points up for grabs.
His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, is only 21 points behind and could use the support of Button, but that’s just not going to happen.
"He has vowed to fight on and we will be supporting him fully next weekend," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh to the BBC.
"Jenson knows you can’t lift the title without being a resolute fighter."
Button knows that it’s a long shot, but he has said that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he backed down and did not try and defend his title. He has stated that he will continue to fight until it’s mathematically impossible for him to win.
Currently, Fernando Alonso sits atop of the standings, with Mark Webber, Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel close behind. Webber is currently the closest to Alonso, as he is only down 11 points.
Despite being so far down and behind four other drivers, Button remains upbeat.
"It’s totally possible I could win at Interlagos, take home maximum points and have none of the other title contenders finish, he said to the BBC.
