F1 2018: 5 Early Predictions for the Brazilian GP

The 2018 F1 World Drivers' Championship has been decided, with Lewis Hamilton winning his fifth title in the exact same place he did last year, with almost the exact same race. Max Verstappen won in Mexico but had his thunder stolen by the British driver who has managed the unlikely feat of equaling Juan Manuel Fangio with 5 driver's titles. However, as we head into Brazil, Ferrari still are hunting for the Constructors' title and will be eager to take at least that away from Mercedes with some solid late performances.

Max Verstappen seems to be on a roll in the last part of this season, and Daniel Ricciardo looks like he is on the exact opposite of 'a roll.' Red Bull will be looking to finish the season strong and prepare for next year, and at this point, the Honey Badger will just be aiming to finish a race cleanly. With two races to go, the might of the season may be wrapped up, but Vettel and Raikkonen need to go hard and pull one back from Mercedes, while the Silver Arrows will be in overdrive to clinch both titles before Abu Dhabi.

What exactly will happen in Brazil? We have no idea, but like always that won't stop us from guessing!

#1 Vettel takes Pole at Interlagos

We saw last weekend in Mexico that while Vettel was respectful in defeat, congratulating his British rival, he was undoubtedly heart-broken. Having a champions mentality though, we don't see Ferrari taking any course of action except for going full out and putting all their efforts into a good weekend, starting with Saturday. Hamilton is a supreme Pole driver, and Bottas and Raikkonen will both be looking for Pole, but with the title race behind him, Vettel will be keen to show that he can still drive.

We see the number 5 Ferrari streaking across the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace and allowing Ferrari a minor victory in what has been a very disappointing season so far. Whether the German can convert from Pole to victory is another question entirely, but as far as Saturday is concerned, we see the Scuderia being just a second or two above the rest.

#2 Alonso & Raikkonen have the battle of the weekend

Last time out in Brazil we saw Fernando Alonso duke it out with the retiring Felipe Massa in the Williams and have the fight of the weekend. This time, it will be the Spanish driver leaving F1 and we see him having a go at one of his other historical career rivals, The Iceman. The two have fought over the title in the past, most notably in 2005 when Alonso came out on top, as well as in 2007 where the Iceman clinched the drivers' title.

At Interlagos, we see Alonso looking for some fun, and finding his way close to Kimi to have a fight with the Ferrari. While the days of a McLaren fighting a Ferrari with each having a fair shot are well in the past, and while we may see the Papaya Orange have a resurgence next year, it will be up to Alonso's driving to bring it to Kimi this Sunday.

No doubt a battle like this will almost certainly end with a Ferrari on top, but if there's anyone who can give Raikkonen trouble in a backmarker car, it's Fernando Alonso.

#3 Hamilton DNF's

With the championship in his hands, Lewis Hamilton is under far less pressure than he was before the Mexican Grand Prix to win races. The Englishman does not have any consequences for taking risks now and will be looking to have some fun after what has no doubt been a stressful season for him. With this attitude in mind, we see Hamilton trying a Ricciardo-style late brake while trying to get an overtake to wow the crowd.

Of course, this isn't perfect for Mercedes, who still need to get some points before they can confirm the Constructors' Title. However, this is fitting as in a tough sport like F1, nobody is perfect, not even the 5-time world champ in Hamilton.

We saw the British driver have a not so amazing race in Mexico as well, where tyre wear and a frustrating strategy by Mercedes meant that he was sliding around in his title-winning race. We see this trend continuing in Brazil, although with not as much tension as he is already the undoubted title holder in 2018.

#4 Hulkenberg finally gets his podium

One of the most intriguing stories in Formula One is that of Nico Hulkenberg. The driver who has been long touted as one of the most talented around has the record for the most race starts without achieving a podium. Even in 2018, the Renault driver has been best of the rest for a while, almost certain to clinch that P7 spot in the drivers' championship, behind the Ferraris, Mercedes and Red Bulls.

We see Hulkenberg finally get on that podium this time out in Brazil, maybe through a chaotic race or some rain that gets him into that P3 position. He has had some strong showings in Brazil before, most notably pulling off a Pole Position at the same circuit in 2010. However, in that race, he only managed P8 and did not even manage to take his best historic position of P4.

On Sunday in Brazil, we see Hulkenberg proving why he is the best of the rest this season, and finally managing to get that Renault of his onto the podium.

#5 Verstappen takes his third win of 2018

While at the beginning of the season it may have looked like Daniel Ricciardo would be the superior Red Bull driver, the tables have surely turned, with Max Verstappen being 70 points ahead of his teammate right now. Verstappen has taken two spectacular wins, with his first coming in Austria, and his second just recently in Mexico.

Brazil has historically been a strong race for him, always scoring points at Interlagos and famously his performance in the wet in 2016 to take an unlikely podium when many drivers crashed out. We see the Dutchman finding some more luck in Brazil, maybe taking advantage of some more rain to pull out a surprise win as he does.

Verstappen has never won from Pole, and with our prediction of Vettel taking Pole, we believe that this trend will continue and we will see Verstappen grab another 25 points maybe starting from around sixth on the grid. Either way, we predict an entertaining race in Brazil that ends with another victory for Red Bull.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.