8 Memorable Moments From The Brazilian Grand Prix

Just one week after the drama of the United States Grand Prix in Texas, the F1 pack were back racing at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil. Despite the threat of rain prior to the weekend, conditions remained dry throughout.

Nico Rosberg started from pole position, keeping cool under pressure from his team-mate to secure his fifth win of the season. It was a faultless drive and his first victory since the German Grand Prix in July. A spin for Lewis Hamilton prior to his second stop cost him the lead and he just missed out on the win.

Despite a speeding penalty and pitting in the wrong box, Felipe Massa finished a distant but popular third on home soil. Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel completed the top five. Here are 8 memorable moments from the Brazilian Grand Prix.

1. Status quo at the start

There wasn’t much movement at the start of the race, with Rosberg and Hamilton enjoying equal launches from the line. The McLarens got very close, with Button retaining fifth. Meanwhile Vettel dropped back to eighth after running wide at turn four.

Hamilton stayed out two laps more than Rosberg before his second pit stop, and it proved to be costly. The Englishman lost the rear of his car at turn four and suffered a half-spin, losing seven seconds.

3. Ricciardo’s run ends

Daniel Ricciardo’s run of 15 consecutive points finishes came to an end on lap 39 after a front-left suspension failure, which caused him to retire from the race. However, the result didn’t stop him smiling.

4. Wrong team, Felipe

Massa did a ‘Button’ and pitted in the wrong box at his third stop. He briefly visited the McLaren mechanics, before moving on to his Williams team, losing him a few seconds.

We witnessed some fantastic fights during the race, with plenty of overtaking action. Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen battled closely in the final stages, with the Finn losing out to Button and Vettel earlier on.

Romain Grosjean was enjoying a decent race until a power-unit problem caused him to retire on lap 63, with smoke pouring out of the back of his Lotus.

7. Rosberg just holds on

Rosberg put in a faultless drive to take his fifth win of the season and first in Brazil. Hamilton got close, but not close enough and finished 1.4 seconds down in second. It means Rosberg is now 17 points behind Hamilton with one race remaining in Abu Dhabi. To take the championship at the final round of the 2014 season, Rosberg will need to win with Hamilton placing third or lower.

Massa was third, scoring a popular podium after an eventful race. Button and Vettel were fourth and fifth, with Alonso, Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas completing the top 10. The podium interviews couldn’t get any more awkward, with three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet asking some rather unusual questions – including where Hamilton’s girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger is.