2022 Brazil GP Qualifying Update and Tips – JP
2022 Brazil GP Qualifying Update Tips
James Punt has already posted an ante-post preview. Check it out here. Now, it is time for his 2022 Brazil GP Qualifying Update, see who he is backing below.
2022 Brazil GP Qualifying
It is hard to read too much into a single 60-minute practice session, but this is the nature of sprint race weekends. There are also some showers around which further muddies the waters.
The first thing to say is that this is a short track and the gaps between the cars is small. Small mistakes will be punished by dropping grid places, but only for tomorrow’s sprint race.
The Red Bull was the fastest car this afternoon but for once it was Perez fastest, the first time he has been fastest in FP1 since Azerbaijan, and he went on to win that one. He was just 0.004 ahead of Leclerc and 0.008 faster than Verstappen. Sainz was fourth, Hamilton fifth at a more detached 0.187 off Perez’ time, and Russell sixth 0.202. So very little between the top 3 teams. The fastest qualifier will be one of those unless we get a weather intervention to mix things up.
Understeer For Verstappen
Verstappen was complaining of understeer, and he hates understeer. If Red Bull can dial that out between sessions, then he will likely get pole, but Leclerc is going to be right there. If they don’t it is between the two Ferraris and Perez, who it must be said is more comfortable with understeer compared to Verstappen.
Leclerc has said that they will be running their power unit at full power this weekend, despite the altitude. We shall have to see how that works out for them, but it should be fine for qualifying.
Wet Conditions
The live pictures are just coming through and it is indeed wet. The drivers now must go straight into qualifying in conditions they have not run on this weekend. Not only is it raining, but the clouds have descended and visibility is at the point where the medi-vac helicopter may not be able to take off and that could mean a long delay until conditions improve.
We have had five qualifying sessions with rain or wet/drying conditions in 2022 and the driver with the best record is Verstappen with three poles and an average of 2.6. Carlos Sainz comes next with one pole and an average of 4.2, Leclerc is third with one pole and 4.6. Alonso is fifth with an average of 5.2, just ahead of Perez on 6.00.
Verstappen Fav
The odds for this session have Verstappen at 2.25, Leclerc 3.20, Sainz 7.00 and Perez 12.00.
You can make a case for all four, but Verstappen in the wet is a proven expert, and on this track, but will his car still have understeer? Red Bull are very good at changing set ups overnight to find the sweet spot, but they have only had a couple of hours here.
Leclerc is a mighty qualifier but not so much in the wet. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, has produced some fine wet weather performances, pole at Silverstone for example, and he might be a dark horse. It is worth a small e/w play at the odds.
2022 Brazil GP Qualifying Tip: 0.5 point e/w Carlos Sainz to be fastest qualifier @ 7.00 with Ladbrokes, Skybet
Two teams didn’t run the soft tyre in FP1, McLaren and Alpine, which makes their times look poor. Alonso was 11th, Ocon 13th, Norris 15th and Riccardo last. Alonso and Norris are good in the wet. Fernando Alonso was second in the wet Canadian session, Norris 3rd at a wet Imola. Alonso looks backable to be the fastest qualifier without the big six.
