The pressure is on for Rosberg this weekend, as a win here would seal his first world championship. However, Hamilton will not give up on the fight and any mistake from Rosberg could hand the title to his teammate. With rain forecast for the race, it is set to be a tough challenge for the two title contenders.
Last year, it was Rosberg who took victory in Brazil. Although this was after Hamilton had sealed the world championship. This season, a repeat of his performance in 2015 would be enough to clinch the world championship this weekend.
Rain forecast
Rain is forecast for both qualifying and the race, which could play a part in the championship fight. Mercedes lead in a hot, dry Friday practice and if these conditions continued across the whole weekend, they would be likely to take a dominant 1-2.
However, the Sunday is forecast to be 10°C colder than Friday and the chance of rain is very high. Red Bull are hoping for rain because this could could give them a chance of taking another victory. Ferrari’s cars also favour the colder conditions, having struggled recently in the hotter races. Therefore, if it is a wet race, it is unlikely to be an easy victory for the Mercedes drivers.
This could make Rosberg’s championship challenge harder, requiring a second and third to guarentee the title win. If he was to finish behind third, he would have to either beat Hamilton in Abu Dhabi or hope Lewis doesn’t finish first. The pressure is definitely on for Rosberg to perform, as this could be his only chance of winning the world championship in his career.
Massa’s final home Grand Prix
Massa has raced in Brazil numerous times during his Formula One career, and has had a fairly successful run here. With two wins and three pole positions, he has enjoyed some good races at Sao Paulo. Massa is looking forward to this race, and hoping for a strong result in front of his home fans for the final time.
Red Bull could seal second
Despite a poor start to the season, Red Bull have managed to overtake Ferrari in the fight for second in the championship, and could seal second this weekend. For Ferrari to keep the battle going until the final race, they have to score 20 points more than their rivals.
Red Bull have seemed to be much more competitive in the second half of the season, and poor strategy calls have also lost Ferrari points this season. Therefore, it is likely that Red Bull will secure the second place here in Brazil.