Brazil: pre-qualifying 2018

Interlagos is perhaps my favourite circuit on the calendar. Races can be good in the wet or the dry, and it rains quite a lot. This can help some people (Verstappen and Hulkenberg could be ones to watch) more than others.

With the Drivers’ title wrapped up (although the Constructors’ is still just about in play for Ferrari), the focus at the sharp end will be on winning rather than clocking up the points to fall over the line. Renault have more or less won the best-of-the-rest division, but will still be keen to ensure Haas have little chance of coming back.

The 2019 Drivers’ market is up, though not the Constructors’. I think Gasly at 26 and Leclerc at 8.5 may be worth considering, each way (fifth the odds top three), though I haven’t backed either at the time of writing.

Pre-practice, Ricciardo was 4 not to be classified. In the last 8 races he’s failed to finish 4 times, and has 8/19 DNFs over the course of the season. Why are his odds so long?

It’s been announced Vietnam will host a race in 2020. One suspects we’ll suffer another identikit street circuit in Hanoi, but we’ll see.

Ricciardo has a 5 place grid penalty for new bits and bobs. Ocon also has a penalty, though I, er, forget the details.

In first practice, Verstappen was fastest, ahead of Vettel by half a tenth, with Hamilton the same margin back. Ricciardo was about four-tenths off his team mate, but a couple of tenths ahead of Raikkonen and Bottas. Grosjean and Magnussen led the second division, followed by Leclerc and Ocon.

Second practice had Bottas top of the time sheet, a full three-thousandths of a second ahead of Hamilton. Vettel was seven-hundredths off the pace. Ricciardo and Verstappen were a few tenths further back, followed by Raikkonen, Grosjean, Leclerc, Magnussen, and Ocon.

Third practice was led by Vettel, two-tenths up on Hamilton. Bottas and Raikkonen were both half a second off the ultimate pace, with Verstappen and Ricciardo further back and seemingly out of the contest for pole. Magnussen and Grosjean once more made Haas the best of the rest, with Gasly and Leclerc rounding out the top 10.

Weather forecast is for it to be dry in qualifying.

Right now it’s looking like a Vettel-Hamilton duel, with perhaps the German the favourite. I’d want reasonable odds, though, or daftly long ones on the Finns.

Vettel was just 1.83 for pole and Hamilton 2.62. Both too short to tempt. Bottas and Raikkonen were 6.5 and 13. Again, doesn’t especially appeal (mildly surprised the odds aren’t more similar, but there we are).

No tip. Qualifying is at 5pm. The pre-race ramble will be up tomorrow.

Morris Dancer