Vettel wins after overtaking Bottas at start as several cars collide
Hamilton up to 4th from pitlane start
Ocon, Vandoorne, Magnussen, Hartley out
Kayleigh: Would love a Bottas win today! Vet and Ver on the podium. Both McLarens into the points would be wonderful too.
Simon Baker: Title battle may be over, but in truth I can't wait for the #BrazilGP, external should be interesting to see what happens.
Image source, Getty ImagesWill Valtteri Bottas join the four current drivers to have won in Brazil?
Felipe Massa (2008, 2006), Sebastian Vettel (2010, 2013), Kimi Raikkonen (2007) and Lewis Hamilton (2016) have all tasted victory here.
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A podium for Fernando Alonso? Steven Daminger on Twitter thinks so.
You can make your top three predictions here.
Image source, .The pit lane is open and the drivers are away to the grid.
A reminder that Lewis Hamilton is starting from the pit lane, not 20th...
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Image source, Getty ImagesNicest guy in the paddock? No-one ever has a bad word to say about Felipe Massa.
My colleague Jamie Strickland wrote a feature exploring why Massa is loved so much when he first 'retired' last year. You can read it here.
#bbcf1
Tanya Smith: Massa is a true gentleman of the sport and one of the best drivers who haven't won a title. He will be missed on and off track.
Phil Slocombe: Felipe was one of my favourite drivers; he showed great courage to return to F1 after his head injury.
Image source, Getty Images
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer at Interlagos
Image source, Getty ImagesMcLaren-Honda’s progress in the second half of the season has been masked by their repeated grid penalties, the MGU-H turbo hybrid recovery unit still lasting only two races, so guaranteeing penalties every other grand prix. On pace, though, they are competing with Force India and Renault as best of the rest behind the big three. And here in Brazil, on a track with a long straight where power is important in overall lap time, Alonso qualified seventh, just 0.019secs behind Sergio Perez’s Force India-Mercedes, which McLaren reckon has about 70bhp more.
Others dispute that, but what could not be argued was that he was second-slowest on the speed traps, ahead only of team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne, 3km/h down on the next slowest car and 16km/h slower than Perez. Alonso said. “It was a good qualifying for us. we were not happy with the performance and balance yesterday but today everything came back to normal and we were able to push in qualifying. Definitely good opportunity. We did start at the back lately in grands prix in Japan, Malaysia, Austin and Mexico but we were close to the points every race but starting sixth is a good opportunity to score points and hopefully we execute the race properly.”
A podium for McLaren?
Image source, Getty ImagesAaman Khan: All we need is some rain and a safety car or two and I predict Vettel to win from Hamilton and... Alonso.
Aaman going big!
A reminder of the starting grid after penalties have been applied - it feels like every race I'm adding this caveat.
The lowest position Lewis Hamilton has won a race from is sixth - the 2014 British Grand Prix. At the 2016 Russian Grand Prix he finished second after starting 10th.
Image source, .Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer at Interlagos
Image source, Getty ImagesMax Verstappen was half a second off pole in his Red Bull, which was perhaps a surprise after the team’s strong performance in qualifying in Mexico last time out. The Dutchman was complaining of poor balance for much of the weekend, but by the time he had looked at the data from qualifying he thought he knew where he had lost out.
“I looked at the GPS data and we’re definitely missing half a second on the straights - and that’s the gap,” Verstappen said. “We could improve the balance a little bit, but looking at it afterwards, it was still not too bad compared to the pole guys. We knew it was going to be more painful on this track and I think it showed again.
“If you look at sector two, where the corners are, we only lacked eight hundredths and there is still a bit of a straight going on. Maybe just one or two corners where we could have been a bit better, and the rest, we lost out on the straight. There are not that many corners on this track so it’s a bit painful. In the race we should be closer, but if it’s going to be close enough, I’m not sure.” Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was struggling for pace, especially on the super-soft tyres. He set his best time in Q2 on the soft tyre so he could start the rest on it.
Image source, Getty ImagesAlex Withington: Never forget Felipe's post race performance after the 2008 decider. Showed great heart for the fans amid his personal despair.
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Image source, Getty ImagesHow will you remember Felipe Massa the F1 driver?
Let us know your memorable Massa moments via #bbcf1, text in on 81111 (UK only) or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
Image source, ReutersFelipe Massa tearfully said farewell to his adoring home supporters at last year's race, and gets to do it again this year having reversed his decision to retire 12 months ago.
This time, though, it is final: the Williams driver says he is definitely leaving F1 after the concluding race of the season in Abu Dhabi in two weeks' time.
"It's for the last time," he said during the pre-race drivers' parade. "It's my last in F1 in Brazil.
"It's an amazing feeling, especially when you see the whole grandstand singing and suporting. That's really amazing."
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer at Interlagos
Image source, Getty ImagesLewis Hamilton’s crash in qualifying has opened up a golden opportunity for Sebastian Vettel to do what Ferrari very much need and win a race in the second half of the season. Really, he should be starting on pole, but after a blistering first lap, Vettel was over-cautious into Turn One on his final run, as the drizzly rain became slightly harder, and he never quite recovered the time he lost. That enabled Valtteri Bottas to pip him to pole.
“For the race, I think it’s fine,” Vettel said, "but I would have loved to be ahead. It was close. I think I chickened out a little bit on the brakes for the final run into Turn 1 and lost a bit too much time. Our long run [pace] looked good, in particular against Valtteri, so let’s see what happens.”
The weather radar isn't going to be needed today. Not a cloud in the sky as the drivers kick back and soak up the sun for the drivers' parade.
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Image source, Rex FeaturesIncidentally, John Watson holds the record for winning from the furthest back on the starting grid.
He won the 1983 United States Grand Prix West from 22nd position.
Jeremiah Kariuki: Hamilton may be starting from the pitlane. But that should not count him from a podium finish! Good strategy and a Safety Car at the "opportune time" for him. What a race this may turn to be.
Image source, Getty ImagesAndrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer at Interlagos
It had looked as if Lewis Hamilton might go through the entire season without making a single serious mistake. But that prospect was ended shortly after 14:00 local time on Saturday, when he most uncharacteristically misjudged the Ferradura-Laranjha double right-hander, the most difficult corner on the track, on his first flying lap.
“The car is bottoming throughout the corner,” Hamilton said, “and often when it bottoms it stalls the floor and that often happens when the car is cold and the tyres are cold. These sorts of things happen. (Tyre) pressure was on the lower side but grip felt good that’s why I was going for it. I hadn’t gone in any quicker than before but still, it was my fault and i take full responsibility for it.”
Hamilton is starting from the pit lane after Mercedes broke parc ferme regulations to fit a new engine and make other changes: “I can only go forwards from there and will try to give it everything I got,” he added.
Image source, Rex Features