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Brazil was a great weekend for the team. Of course, it didn’t go exactly to plan for me but second place in the circumstances was a good recovery and it was a great moment to get a record-breaking one-two finish for all the people who have worked so hard to give us this amazing car. I really felt like I connected with the fans in São Paulo and their support was just incredible – I still can’t get over it now. That really inspires me heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. People talk about how long it’s been since I won the title – but I honestly feel like I’m fighting for my first World Championship all over again. Sure, I’m older and maybe a little bit wiser than I was back then. I’ve learnt a lot in the years since 2008 – but I’m still the same driver. I still have the same hunger, the same will to win, and I’ve been giving it everything I’ve got from the word go this season. I’ve had ups and downs along the way – but I’ve never once given up. I’ve managed to fight my way back from whatever has come my way and my approach doesn’t change for this race. I’ve got a good record at the Abu Dhabi circuit. Last year was actually the only time I’ve not started on the front row or finished on the podium. But I’ve also had some misfortune there over the years – particularly in 2012. I’m hoping that bad luck won’t play a part this time around and I know that the team has been working flat out to make sure it doesn’t. I’m feeling relaxed, I’m feeling confident and I’m ready to win.
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After the disappointment of Austin, Brazil was just the way to bounce back with a great weekend for both me and the team. I felt in control from the very beginning and it was a big positive to take the lessons from Texas and put them into action. Of course, it wasn’t enough to regain the lead in the Championship as Lewis drove a strong race to finish just behind me. But the gap is smaller than before and I absolutely believe I still have the chance to take the title in Abu Dhabi. It won’t be easy, but I’ll be full attack – just as I have been all season. Although this has been my first year fighting for a World Championship, I’ve never felt more comfortable than I have done this year. The team behind us have done an incredible job and it’s great that they’ve given both of us equal opportunity to compete with each other. There have been difficult moments just as there have been amazing moments – but this is what Formula One is all about and I hope that everyone watching at home has enjoyed the story of this battle as much as I have. Win or lose, double points or no double points, I feel proud of what I have achieved this year and especially proud to have been a part of this fantastic season for the Silver Arrows. I go into this race with no fear and with every belief that this can be my title. It’s not over until that flag drops!
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
To claim two one-two finishes from another pair of back-to-back races was a great achievement. When fatigue can so easily become a factor this late in the season, everyone has stepped up their game to ensure a record-breaking end to an incredible year. Of course, our drivers were no exception and Brazil provided another tense, exciting battle – once again demonstrating how evenly matched they are. Nico controlled the race in impressive fashion – particularly given the disappointment he felt after Austin – while Lewis proved his fighting spirit once again to recover from a spin and push his team-mate all the way. Now, they head to the final race with a World Championship on the line. When we look back through the season, each driver has had his share of ups and downs and both have shown great strength of character to recover from setbacks. As a team we are fortunate to have such a talented line-up and both are worthy champions in the eyes of everybody behind them at Brackley,
Brixworth and Stuttgart. Of course, there will be bitter disappointment for one of them and great joy for the other. While it won't be apparent to them at the time, both have long careers ahead of them and they have proven their credentials for the years to come. You only have to look back to such great battles as that of Lauda and Prost in 1984 to see what can be achieved. This was the last title for Niki, who won that year, and Prost was defeated in that battle. But he then went on to win four Championships before he retired. A top driver always has the ability to engineer another opportunity and both our boys have proven themselves to be just that: top drivers. It is now down to us to ensure that this fascinating year concludes in the right way by giving Lewis and Nico a platform to settle the title purely on the track. It is fantastic for the sport to have such a finale in what has been one of the great seasons of Formula One. I for one cannot wait to watch the race in Abu Dhabi and I’m sure those at home feel the same. May the best man win!
Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)
Brazil brought yet another exciting race with a great contest between Nico and Lewis and it was fantastic to set a new record for one-two finishes. In doing so, the team has surpassed a benchmark that I remember being set by McLaren during my first season in Formula One and one which I never thought we would see broken. That is still sinking in and is testament to what has been achieved by the team this year. In terms of the battle for the Drivers’ Championship, it was a race which once again demonstrated how evenly matched our drivers have been all year and underlines the fact that either of them would be a worthy World Champion. Unusually for Interlagos, rain did not play a role in the weekend. What we did see, however, was the impact of a revised tyre selection. It was positive to see that, despite concerns during running on Friday, the tyres performed well in the race and added to the spectacle with a three stop race, which is a credit to the job Pirelli have done this season.
We now look ahead to Abu Dhabi, which has been the scene of a number of exciting title showdowns in recent years – none with such intense focus as this season with double points on the table. We will be running the weekend exactly as we would normally do with the absolute aim of giving both drivers an equal and fair shot at the title. Nothing is more important in our minds and in our preparations as we approach this race. Yas Marina is an impressive facility, with the track itself containing a large quantity of corners and requiring high skill levels from the drivers to put together a fast lap. We can expect a significant following both at the circuit and around the world for such a dramatic conclusion to the season, so we hope to put on a good show.
In The Cockpit
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Lewis
Abu Dhabi is one of the newest circuits on the calendar and the venue is just spectacular – particularly with the twilight timing, starting off as the sun sets and finishing in complete darkness.
For Turn One you need to make sure you get the car all the way over to the right-hand side of the track, braking just before the 100m sign and powering flat-out through the exit and uphill through Turn Two. You’re then into the long right-hander of Turn Three, which is seriously fast and just seems to keep going and going. That then switches straight into the slight left-hand kink of Turn Four, dropping you down the other side of the hill and into the stadium complex.
The Turn Five / Six chicane is really tight and very low grip, as is the Turn Seven hairpin which follows immediately afterwards. You have to take a really wide entry to this corner and it’s absolutely crucial to carry as much speed as possible, due to the mega long DRS straight which begins on exit.
You’re brake really late into the first part of the Turn Eight / Nine chicane and it’s so easy to lock either the rears or the fronts. You have to take a really tight line to the first apex so that you can carry as much speed as possible through the second and down another DRS straight, which features the slight kind of Turn Ten. This is another prime overtaking opportunity and, if you don’t have a Mercedes-Benz power unit, you’re going to wish you had!
The Turn 10 / 11 / 13 combination is very low speed and the car is skating around all the time through here. You can brake late for the next left hander at Turn 14 but, once again, hitting the apex is important as it’s so easy to run wide and ruin your exit. It’s flat out through the double right of Turns 15 / 16 and you have to get the steering straight as early as possible for braking into Turn 17 as it’s easy to lock the right front.
You can carry quite a lot of speed through the two left handers of Turns 18 / 19, taking a lot of kerb and running wide on the exit of 18 in particular, before a short blast down the straight into Turn 20. You have to brake just a little bit into here, carrying as much speed as possible before backing right off for the final corner – using all of the run off as you head down across the start / finish line to complete the lap.
Nico
The Abu Dhabi race gets better and better every year. It’s slowly becoming a highlight of the year, with more fans turning up to watch every time we go there. There are more and more activities around the race too, with live music and all sorts of other things happening around the harbour. This is right at the centre of the circuit and you see so many boats moored up there for the weekend – it’s almost becoming a mini Monaco!
The track itself is good to drive too, with a couple of good overtaking opportunities at the end of the DRS straights where you see a lot of action during the race. The twilight timing is great for the TV pictures but can be a little bit tricky for the drivers. You can cope with that, thought, by using dark visor tear-offs, so that when the light starts to fade you can remove the strip and have a clear visor as opposed to the tinted one needed when the sun is setting across your eye line. That brightens everything up again which works well when you head into darkness.
Of course, it’s the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi this year and also double points. It’s a bit of a strange one – a bit artificial in my mind at least – but at the end of the day if it’s keeping the Championship alive until the very end then so be it. From that perspective it’s good entertainment for the people watching in the grandstands and around the world. It’s the same for everybody, so you just need to make the most of it!
