Endgame: The 2011 Brazilian GP
Closing out the 2011 Formula 1 season, the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix saw Mark Webber’s long-awaited first win of the season, some technical difficulties for the now-crowned 2011 champion Sebastian Vettel, and good drives by the supporting cast.
After last race’s rear suspension failure that sidelined Vettel’s Red Bull on the first lap, today’s gearbox troubles at Interlagos weren’t terminal, but did keep the German prodigy from notching his 12th win of the year, relegating him to second place behind his teammate Webber. The Australian qualified second, and had an excellent drive, with Vettel keeping the pair of Red Bulls comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack.
I was especially disappointed for Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari, after undertaking a brilliant passing maneuver to take third place from Jenson Button’s McLaren early in the race, only to see the British driver retake third in the closing laps and secure the final podium spot. Not only was Alonso unable to participate in the trophy-hoisting post-race, the three additional points tallied by a third- over a fourth-plate finish would have pushed the Spanish double world champion past Webber for third in the season-ending points standings.
In the spirit of the newly-descended Christmas season, here’s a brief wish-list for F1 next year:
- After the dominance of the “Big Three” of Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, it would be nice to see another team make a comeback (Williams?) or stake a new claim on the sport (Mercedes? Sauber?)
- The jury is still out on the merits of DRS after its first season in F1. It undoubtedly allows for more overtaking, but adds another layer of regulation to an already over-regulated sport. Still, I’d like to see what, if any, new strategies emerge in the offseason to exploit its full potential. Here’s hoping for its return.
- I sincerely hope the US Grand Prix returns to the calendar. Its status is somewhat in limbo at the moment, but if everything is ironed out to the satisfaction of all parties involved, it will be great to have F1 return to the States, putting more race distance between the present and the infamous 2005 US GP, the bitter memories of which still linger.
Stay tuned for 2012!