Formula One / James Frankland / 26 November 2011 /

Sebastian Vettel has every chance of finishing the season in style and veteran driver Rubens Barrichelllo may well be amongst the points in what is likely to be his last-ever race, says James Frankland.

With his 15th pole position in 2011, Sebastian Vettel today surpassed Nigel Mansell's record of 14 pole positions in a single season. Mansell may have achieved the feat from just 16 races - a strike rate of 88% - whereas Vettel has needed 19 races (79%) to overhaul the 1992 World Champion. But there's no denying the German has equalled the feisty Brummie's domination of their respective campaigns.

Vettel ([1.83] to win) is joined up front by red Bull wingman Mark Webber ([7.0] to win), who won here two years ago and is faced with the prospect of ending the year winless if he does not take the chequered flag first on Sunday. He and the rest of the leading drivers face the prospect of tackling Interlagos' notoriously changeable weather in order to take victory, with heavy showers predicted for tomorrow's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Brazil is a circuit which rewards differing approaches - there is no one 'right way' to get a quick laptime round here - with high and low downforce settings giving very similar laptimes. It is how those laptimes are delivered which may hold the key to tomorrow's race, with Red Bull almost untouchable in the slower middle section but McLaren, whose drivers line up third (Button - [6.4] to win, [1.7] podium) and fourth (Hamilton - [7.6] to win, [1.77] podium), lightning-quick in the first and last sectors, where the track has a couple of lengthy straights. If McLaren can get the jump on Red Bull, they could find themselves in the box seat with the blue cars unable to close up for a pass.

One statistic that has been mentioned a lot lately is that in 2011 we have tied, on seven, the lowest number of drivers to feature on the podium in a season. The Red Bull duo and McLaren pair have been joined by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and, thanks to early season pace which has since dropped off, the Lotus Renault drivers Nick Heidfeld - since replaced by Bruno Senna - and Vitaly Petrov. You can write off Senna and Petrov for a podium finish here but any of the other five can be considered. I think Button represents the best chance to get ahead of the Red Bulls, especially if rain intervenes, and at [1.6] he's a strong contender for the podium.

Looking further down the field, you have to wonder if this race will be Rubens Barrichello's 322nd and last Grand Prix. The veteran Brazilian, who grew up just behind the Interlagos grandstands, looks set to be replaced at Williams by either Finnish ex-world champion Kimi Raikkonen or compatriot Valtteri Bottas, the team's current test driver. Rubens has qualified 12th and you have to feel that his home crowd will spur him on to deliver a points finish.

Recommended bets:

Sebastian Vettel to win @ [1.83]
Jenson Button to finish on the podium @ [1.6]
Rubens Barrichello to score points @ [4.5]

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: