Nico Rosberg converted pole into victory at Interlagos, holding Lewis Hamilton off by 0.8 seconds and cutting the title gap to 17 points.
The 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 9 November 2014 at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won the 71-lap race from pole position, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton and Williams driver Felipe Massa.
Nico Rosberg converted pole position into victory at the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix, holding off teammate Lewis Hamilton at Interlagos by 0.8 seconds. The win cut Hamilton's lead in the drivers' table to 17 points and kept the title fight alive for the final round. A spin by Hamilton on a pit stop lap left him chasing a race he had briefly led.
Why was the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix important?
Run on 9 November 2014 at Interlagos, the Sao Paulo circuit, this was the 18th of the 19 rounds of the season and the 42nd running of the event in the series, and it saw Mercedes take a one-two that narrowed the championship gap.
This was Rosberg's fifth win of the season and his eighth overall. Mercedes locked out the top two places, and the result left the title fight wide open for the final round.
A pole-to-flag win for Rosberg that kept the title fight alive, with Hamilton left to fight back from a turn four spin.
What was the championship situation before the race?
Hamilton led the drivers' championship with 316 points, 24 ahead of Rosberg in second, while Daniel Ricciardo was third. Valtteri Bottas was fourth on 155 points. Mercedes had already secured the constructors' title at the Russian Grand Prix, and Red Bull had ensured second place in that table.
Because double points applied to the Abu Dhabi finale, the drivers' title could not be decided in Brazil. If Hamilton won and Rosberg scored nothing, Rosberg would still be 49 points behind and in mathematical contention. Hamilton said he would take zero comfort from the lead, with 50 points still to play for.
What changed at the circuit and in the paddock?
Bernie Ecclestone allowed Caterham and Marussia to miss the race because of their financial struggles and the cost of travel. The track had been resurfaced in mid-2014, and the pit lane had been re-profiled with a new entry and a chicane to slow cars after several accidents in national races.
The pit lane exit was moved away from the track to create a run-off area at turn two. Procedures for the tractor crane at the Senna S chicane were also changed after Jules Bianchi's crash in Japan. Pirelli had originally nominated the Hard and Medium tyres, but after drivers criticised the low grip and wear at Sochi, it switched to the Medium and Soft, with unanimous support from all 11 teams.
The FIA re-tested its Virtual Safety Car system during practice. Driver changes were made in the first session, with Daniel Juncadella replacing Sergio Perez at Force India, Felipe Nasr in Bottas's Williams and Max Verstappen in Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso.
How did practice and qualifying go?
In the first practice session Rosberg was fastest at 1:12.764, two-tenths ahead of Hamilton. Juncadella spun at turn six and hit the turn eight barrier, and In the second session Rosberg set the day's fastest time of 1:12.123. Alonso's Ferrari caught fire between turns three and four, and he leapt out to fetch an extinguisher before the marshals arrived.
Rosberg was fastest in all three of the final sessions. His final session lap was 1:10.446 on soft tyres, and Hamilton was second, having spun under braking for the Senna S chicane. Massa and Bottas were third and fourth for Williams.
Qualifying ran in three parts of 18, 15 and 12 minutes, with the 107 per cent rule in force. Rosberg took pole with a time of 1:10.023, his tenth of the season and the 14th of his career. The lap broke Rubens Barrichello's 2004 pole record by six-tenths of a second, and Rosberg won the first FIA Pole Trophy.
Hamilton lost time entering turn ten and qualified second. Massa was third after traffic slowed his last timed lap and he locked his tyres at the Senna S. Bottas was fourth, but aborted his final lap after locking up three times. Button took fifth, Vettel was sixth, Magnussen seventh, Alonso eighth, Ricciardo ninth and Raikkonen tenth.
Esteban Gutierrez was the fastest driver not to reach the final session, and Hulkenberg was 12th. Daniil Kvyat was demoted ten places for an engine penalty carried over from the United States, which let Romain Grosjean inherit 14th. Perez received a seven-place penalty for causing a crash with Sutil in the United States, which put Pastor Maldonado into 16th.
How did the race unfold?
The race started at 14:00 Brasilia time in dry, sunny conditions, with the air at 23 to 24 degrees C and the track between 46 and 50 degrees C. Sutil started from the pit lane after his mechanics reconfigured his cooling system. The first ten cars started on soft tyres, with four on the medium compound.
Rosberg kept the lead at the Senna S chicane. Vettel over-committed at the Curva do Sol braking zone, ran wide defending from Magnussen, and dropped back behind Ricciardo. Kvyat climbed from 17th to 13th on the first lap, and by the end of the lap Rosberg led Hamilton by 0.8 seconds.
Massa was the first leader to suffer severe blistering on his soft tyres and pitted at the end of lap five. He was given a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Rosberg made his first stop at the end of lap seven, and Hamilton pitted from the lead at the conclusion of lap eight and came out just behind his teammate.
With the stops done, Hulkenberg led from Kvyat and Grosjean. Rosberg was held up in traffic, and Hamilton had to manage his right-rear tyre temperatures. Rosberg passed Kvyat for second on lap 12, and Hulkenberg reported a blistered front-right tyre. Rosberg took the lead into the Senna S on lap 14. Hamilton used DRS to pass Hulkenberg on the following lap.
Massa passed Kvyat for fourth on lap 17, and Alonso moved past Sutil for tenth. Hamilton's right-front tyre had blistered, but he set a new fastest lap and stayed close to Rosberg, who was managing his own tyres. The two drivers pulled away from Massa.
What happened in the middle of the race?
Rosberg made his second stop on the 26th lap, which handed the lead back to Hamilton. On lap 28 Hamilton's rear tyre locked at Descida do Lago, and he spun into the run-off area. He rejoined seven seconds later, pitted on that same lap and emerged second, 7.4 seconds behind his teammate.
Hamilton then closed to within five seconds of Rosberg by lap 35 on blistered rear tyres. On lap 39 Ricciardo's front-left suspension moved unsteadily on the main straight, and he entered the pit lane to retire, ending a streak of 15 consecutive finishes. Hulkenberg passed Bottas for eighth on lap 42 by putting him onto the run-off area at the Senna S.
Alonso passed Button on the inside of turn five on lap 45 after Button's defence compromised his exit. Hamilton closed to 1.9 seconds at the start of lap 50, and Rosberg made his final stop from the lead on the same lap. Massa passed Hulkenberg for third on lap 54, and then Button passed Raikkonen on the outside at Descida do Lago on lap 61.
Grosjean stopped on track near a fire marshal with smoke from his engine on lap 65 and retired. Hulkenberg passed Magnussen for eighth on lap 68, and Alonso moved into sixth when Raikkonen lost traction at the bottom of the hill at the Senna S. Hamilton came within 0.8 seconds of Rosberg on the final lap, but he could not get close enough to pass.
What was the final result?
| Position | Driver | Team | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | Pole position; fifth win of the season |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 0.8 seconds behind after a turn four spin |
| 3 | Felipe Massa | Williams | Five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane |
| 4 | Jenson Button | McLaren | Fifth top-four finish of 2014 |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | Poor start |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | Passed teammate Raikkonen late on |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | Lost traction in the closing laps |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | Passed Magnussen on lap 68 |
| 9 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren | Worse tyre degradation than Button |
| Tenth | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | Held off Kvyat in the final laps |
The result reduced Hamilton's lead in the drivers' championship by seven points, to 17. Ricciardo finished third in the table despite retiring, and Vettel moved to fourth on 159 points, two ahead of Alonso. Mercedes extended its constructors' lead over Red Bull to 278 points.
How did the drivers and press react?
At the podium interviews, conducted by Nelson Piquet, Rosberg said he was happy with the weekend sweep and felt comfortable attacking in his Mercedes. Hamilton called the race amazing despite his spin, and admitted the error had probably cost him the win. Massa said his podium chances had been reduced by his penalty.
Vettel said his poor start brought back memories of his first-lap collision with Bruno Senna in 2012. Bottas blamed severe tyre graining on his final stint for losing positions, and Williams' Rob Smedley said the team's race had been a character-building event.
The press praised Rosberg. Andrew Benson of the BBC called his weekend copybook, and the Daily Telegraph's Daniel Johnson called it the finest victory of his career. David Tremayne of The Independent wrote that Rosberg had finally avenged himself on Hamilton.
Raikkonen dismissed his late battle with Alonso as normal racing, and Alonso said he had to save fuel in the closing laps, which left no chance to attack Vettel.
Why does the race still matter?
The race was a milestone for Mercedes, which recorded its 11th one-two of the season. That result broke McLaren's 1988 record and gave the team a 15th victory of 2014, which equalled the joint record held by McLaren and Ferrari. Rosberg led the race four times for a total of 59 laps.
The result kept the title alive into Abu Dhabi, where double points applied. Hamilton admitted he would take nothing for granted, with 50 points still to gain.
