F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Preview: Prediction, talking points and form guide as Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel battle it out

But you'd be wrong, for while the drivers' title was decided, Hamilton's Mercedes team now have the chance to clinch the constructors' gong in Sao Paulo.

Talking Points

The main focus will be on whether Mercedes can finish the weekend in Sao Paulo 43 points clear of Ferrari.

That would allow them to retain the teams' title and earn each of their 900 staff a bonus of at least £10,000. The other main subject will be that of Daniel Ricciardo.

The Red Bull driver was furious in Mexico after yet another retirement and even threatened to quit the team for the final two races of the season.

The Aussie has since had a change of heart but he is due a good finish in Sao Paulo.


Form Guide

Mercedes have struggled of late. They were off the pace in Austin where Ferrari were the quickest, while in Mexico City it was Red Bull who looked strongest.

Last year, Sebastian Vettel won in Brazil and the German will be eyeing a strong finish to the season after blowing his title hopes whereas Hamilton could be forgiven for taking his foot off the gas.

Anything Else?

Last year's Brazil Grand Prix was marred by gun threats. At least two teams and two FIA officials were caught up in armed robberies.

At one point, shots were fired and unsurprisingly teams cancelled their plans to stay on for tyre tests. The FIA say more security measures will be in place this time around. We will have to wait and see.

Track Stat

It is 10 years since Hamilton won his first world title at Sao Paulo.

His fifth place in 2008 was enough to clinch him the crown at the expense of Brazilian race-winner, Felipe Massa.

He said what?

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: "Mexico was a bittersweet weekend. On the one hand, we're extremely happy for Lewis.

He is the best driver of his generation and his fifth Formula One World Championship puts him among the absolute greatest this sport has ever seen.

"On the other hand, we cannot be satisfied with our race performance in Mexico. Qualifying looked promising but just a few laps into the race, we knew that we'd run into big issues with the tyres.

"We started to analyse those problems immediately after the race and have made progress with understanding the challenges we faced and why.

It's important to apply all our learnings to make sure we come back strong in Brazil.

"Our target for this season was to win both championships, not one title or the other, so our mindset is one of unfinished business as we head to Sao Paulo.

"We have a big battle on our hands for the constructors' title and we have lost ground to Ferrari in each of the past race weekends – even though we had the base performance to do better.

"This is the moment to keep our feet on the ground, focus clearly on the objective and trust in our processes and people to deliver."

Predicted Podium

Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

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