Mika Häkkinen: 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix

Mika’s Memories

Interlagos is a special place. It used to be one of only two anti-clockwise circuits, along with Imola, but now they are much more common.  It’s quite special because of the flat-out, high speed 1.2kms section from T12 to T1, then the straight from T3-T4 followed by the twisty infield.  

I liked racing there. I finished 4th three times in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and then took pole position, fastest lap and the win in 1998 and 1999 – my two World Championship winning seasons.  You get a lot of satisfaction from driving Interlagos well, you need a car which gives you confidence to brake and steer into the corners in the middle section, but you also need really good straight line performance for those quick parts.  

The crowd is fantastic in Sao Paolo, they love their Formula 1 and they enjoy a good race.  Let’s hope we see something a little bit special on Sunday.  With Max, Lewis, Lando and all the guys going for it, it’s a track which rewards hard racers.

Everything about Mexico is high.  The circuit’s high altitude means teams run high downforce but, because of the thin air, the cars reach high speeds, especially on the long pit straight where 350kph is possible in the current F1 cars.

The circuit has changed since I raced on it. We used to have the quick, demanding Peraltada right hander, almost a semi circle, as the final corner.  That’s where Ayrton Senna rolled his McLaren during Friday qualifying in ’91.  It’s a shame such a challenging corner has gone, but the new stadium section is popular with the fans and that helps to make the atmosphere really special.

Championship Form

It’s incredible to think that Max has won 16 races – the total number of races which used to make up the entire World Championship back when I was winning my two titles!  It does not matter whether Max is on pole or, as we saw in Mexico, a lower grid position. The car has the performance to win every time and he knows how to extract it.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Sergio Perez in Mexico.  He really wanted to win that race, but the first corner mistake was a high price to pay.  He and Lewis are in a fight for 2nd place in the Drivers’ championship and, with Mercedes having developed well in recent races, I think Sergio has a battle on his hands.

With three races remaining, Lewis has a clear goal and he loves racing in Brazil. He has won here three times and is basically an adopted son of Brazil, his hero being Ayrton Senna, so I think he will regard this weekend as a second home race.  That matters because Lewis is the kind of driver who can channel every motivation in producing extra lap time.

I thought Lando Norris’s drive in Mexico was one of his very best.  After the problem in qualifying he really focused on driving through the field and chasing down a great result. You could tell by watching him that he has total confidence in the car and knows how to get the lap time from it very consistently. He knows Brazil, while it’s the first time visiting for team mate Oscar Piastri, but the McLarens are likely to be in the mix for the top 6 in qualifying. From there the podium finishes can open up.

Ferrari is quick but not yet able to translate the speed from qualifying into race distance, which is when it matters. They are in a tight battle with Mercedes for second place in the Constructors’ championship, and it’s going to be one of the fascinating aspects of this weekend and the final two races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.

Finally, this weekend is the last Sprint Race weekend of the season. We have seen that affect teams before, thanks to there being only one practice session on a Friday, as this limits the time available to find the right set-up. Anyone going in the wrong direction with set-up will find it difficult to recover, adding another important variable to this weekend’s challenge.

Mika’s Tip

In my opinion there are two drivers who can stop Max Verstappen from winning the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend – Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris.  Max is going for win number 17 this season but the way Lewis and Lando are driving at the moment I think it’s possible they could cause problems for Red Bull.  I thought both of them drove brilliantly in Mexico, there is a real fire in their driving, and if they can continue that momentum into Interlagos anything can happen.

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