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Posted on Tuesday, 10.13.09

Formula One - Brazilian Grand Prix Preview

The Sports Network

Date: Sunday, October 18th

Start Time: 11:30 a.m. (et)

Site: Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Interlagos -- Sao Paulo, Brazil

Track: 4.309 km (2.677 miles), 15-turn road course

Laps: 71

Miles: 190.067

Capacity:

Total purse:

Payouts:

Year: 37th

On TV: SpeedChannel

Announcers:

On Radio:

Race record: Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004 (1 hour, 28 minutes, 01.451 seconds)

Qualifying record: Rubens Barrichello, 2004 (1 minute, 10.646 seconds)

2008 Finish

Defending champion: Felipe Massa (not defending)

Runner up: Fernando Alonso

Pole winner: Felipe Massa, 1:12.368 (finished 1st)

Top 10:

1. Felipe Massa (Start: 1)

2. Fernando Alonso (6)

3. Kimi Raikkonen (3)

4. Sebastian Vettel (7)

5. Lewis Hamilton (4)

6. Timo Glock (10)

7. Heikki Kovalainen (5)

8. Jarno Trulli (2)

9. Mark Webber (12)

10. Nick Heidfeld (8)

Average speed: 194.865 k.p.h.

Time of race: 1 hour, 34 minutes, 11.435 seconds

Margin of victory: 13.298 seconds

Caution flags:

Lead changes:

Past winners

2008 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 194.865 k.p.h./1:34:11.435

2007 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 207.972 k.p.h./1:28:15.270

2006 Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 199.731 k.p.h./1:31:53.751

2005 Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW, 205.439 k.p.h./1:29:20.574

2004 Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams-BMW, 208.516 k.p.h./1:28:01.451

2003 Giancarlo Fisichella, Jordan-Ford, 152.902 k.p.h./1:31:17.748

2002 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 200.098 k.p.h./1:31:43.663

2001 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes, 185.373 k.p.h./1:39:00.834

2000 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:31:35.271

1999 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:36:03.785

1998 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes, 1:37:11.747

1997 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams-Renault, 1:36:06.990

1996 Damon Hill, Williams-Renault, 1:49:52.976

1995 Michael Schumacher, Bennetton-Renault, 1:38:34.154

1994 Michael Schumacher, Bennetton-Ford, 1:35:38.759

1993 Ayrton Senna, McLaren-Ford, 1:51:15.485

1992 Nigel Mansell, Williams-Renault, 1:36:51.85

1991 Ayrton Senna, McLaren-Honda, 1:38:28.128

1990 Alain Prost, Ferrari, 1:37:21.258

1989 Nigel Mansell, Ferrari, 1:38:58.744

1988 Alain Prost, McLaren-Honda, 1:36:06.857

1987 Alain Prost, McLaren-TAG, 1:39:45.141

1986 Nelson Piquet, Williams-Honda, 1:39:32.583

1985 Alain Prost, McLaren-TAG, 1:41:26.115

1984 Alain Prost, McLaren-TAG, 1:42:34.492

1983 Nelson Piquet, Brabham-BMW, 1:48:27.731

1982 Alain Prost, Renault, 1:44:33.134

1981 Carlos Reutemann, Williams-Ford, 2:00:23.66

1980 Rene Arnoux, Renault, 1:40:01.33

1979 Jacques Laffite, Ligier-Ford, 1:40:09.64

1978 Carlos Reutemann, Ferrari, 1:49:59.86

1977 Carlos Reutemann, Ferrari, 1:45:07.72

1976 Niki Lauda, Ferrari, 1:45:16.78

1975 Carlos Pace, Brabham-Ford, 1:44:41.17

1974 Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren-Ford, 1:24:37.06

1973 Emerson Fittipaldi, Lotus-Ford, 1:43:55.6

Last race

Race: Japanese Grand Prix (October 4th)

Site: Suzuka Circuit -- Suzuka, Japan

Miles: 191.224

Laps: 53

Finish line order: Sebastian Vettel, Jarno Trulli, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg

Time of Race: 1 hour, 28 minutes, 20.443 seconds

Average speed: 208.900 k.p.h.

Margin of victory: 4.877 seconds

Caution flags:

Lead changes:

Lap leaders:

Entry list

#1 Lewis Hamilton (Stevenage, England) Mercedes/McLaren Vodafone

#2 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Mercedes/McLaren Vodafone

#3 Giancarlo Fisichella (Rome, Italy) Ferrari/Marlboro

#4 Kimi Raikkonen (Espoo, Finland) Ferrari/Marlboro

#5 Robert Kubica (Krakow, Poland) BMW-Sauber

#6 Nick Heidfeld (Monchengladbach,Ger) BMW-Sauber

#7 Fernando Alonso (Oviedo, Spain) Renault/ING

#8 Romain Grosjean (Geneva, Switz.) Renault/ING

#9 Jarno Trulli (Pescara, Italy) Toyota/Panasonic

#10 Kamui Kobayashi (Amagasaki, Japan) Toyota/Panasonic

#11 Jaime Alguersuari (Barcelona,Spain) Ferrari/Red Bull/Toro Rosso

#12 Sebastien Buemi (Aigle,Switzerland) Ferrari/Red Bull/Toro Rosso

#14 Mark Webber (Queanbeyan, Australia) Renault/Red Bull

#15 Sebastien Vettel (Heppenheim, Germ) Renault/Red Bull

#16 Nico Rosberg (Wiesbaden, Germany) Toyota/AT&T

#17 Kazuki Nakajima (Aichi, Japan) Toyota/AT&T

#19 Adrian Sutil (Grafelfing, Germany) Mercedes/Force India

#20 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Mercedes/Force India

#21 Jenson Button (Frome, England) Mercedes/BrawnGP

#22 Rubens Barrichello (Sao Paulo, Brz) Mercedes/BrawnGP

Leading contenders

Name	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Fernando Alonso	19th		3rd	4th	3rd	2nd	3rd	2nd
Kimi Raikkonen	12th	12th	2nd	2nd	2nd	5th	Won	3rd
Sebastian Vettel							18th	4th
Lewis Hamilton							7th	5th
Mark Webber				18th	17th	21st	20th	9th
Jenson Button	10th	4th	12th	20th	7th	3rd	19th	13th
Rubens Barrichello	21st	21st	11th	3rd	6th	7th	16th	15th

Notes

Last season, Felipe Massa claimed the final race of the season in Brazil,as he outlasted the field for his sixth win of the 2008 campaign and 11th ofhis F1 career. Despite winning the race, Massa finished second to LewisHamilton in the race for the Formula One World Championship. Massa, whostarted on the pole for the third straight year, easily defeated FernandoAlonso by over 13 seconds. Hamilton was on the verge of losing the title toMassa as he was running sixth on the final lap, but the McLaren driver passedToyota's Timo Glock and grabbed the coveted fifth spot as he entered the lastcorner.Glock along with Massa will not compete this week. Glock suffered injuriesduring qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this month, while Massacontinues to recuperate after his crash during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifyingback in July. Kamui Kobayashi will replace Glock in the field.With two races remaining, Jenson Button owns a 14-point advantage over RubensBarrichello and a 16-point lead over Sebastian Vettel. In 15 races, Button hassix wins and 14 top-10 finishes, however he has placed in the top-3 just oncesince June.After four straight top-5 finishes, including three seconds, Kimi Raikkonenbroke through into the winners circle in Brazil back in 2007, as he defeatedFelipe Massa by 1.5 seconds for the 15th of 17 career F1 titles, leapfroggingFernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to capture the 2007 Formula One driverschampionship. With the win, he became Ferrari's 15th World Champion and thefirst since 2004.In 2006, pole sitter Massa stole the show, as he cruised to a whopping victoryover Alonso in the season's final race. Michael Schumacher, who was making hisfinal F1 start, placed fourth. Starting first on the grid, Massa dominated therace and finished 18.6 seconds ahead of Alonso for the second of his 10 careerFormula One title.Alain Prost was a six-time winner of this race, while Schumacher recorded fourwins in Brazil. Prost finished with 51 career wins, while Schumacher 91.Built back in 1973, the original track was 4.949 miles in length, one of thelongest of any track used in any era. It was made up of a sweeping outersection, followed by a tight and twisty trail through the infield. The trackis very bumpy, and it takes great reflexes and skill to have control of thecar in any given situation, the tight corners posing some serious problems forthe speeding machines. A chicane has since been placed at the first corner, toslow the cars down.Giancarlo Fisichella secured his very first Grand Prix victory - and Jordan'sfinal win - in the 2003 event, despite the fact that Kimi Raikkonen wasinitially declared the winner in a confusing accident strewn event.The pole sitter has won this race twice in the past three years, includinglast year when Massa turned the trick. Emerson Fittipaldi was the first winnerfrom the pole back in 1974.The 2009 Formula One season concludes November 1st with the inaugural runningof the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.10/13 17:53:54 ET

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