The 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix was the end of an era. The V8s were going to be running their last race. Mark Webber was to retire after the race to go run sports cars. And Sebastian Vettel was set to break yet another record. And all of that happened. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the storybook ending for Webber as his teammate picked up his 9th straight win.
F1 2013
F1 Power Rankings: Brazilian Grand Prix
We’ve reached the final race of the 2013 Formula One World Championship and it’s the end of an era. Not only are the old 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8s on their way out after eight years but so is @AussieGrit Mark Webber after twelve seasons at the top-level of motorsport. Given that it’s Webber’s final Formula One Grand Prix, I thought that it was only fitting that I bumped him up from #2 in the Power Rankings to #1.
Formula One United States GP: German/Austrian Two-Step
Coming into this weekend’s race, there were only two races on the current Formula One calendar where victory eluded Sebastian Vettel. One is Hungary and he won’t get a chance to rectify that for another eight months. The other is the United States Grand Prix which he only had two attempts at winning.
Well, actually, you can change that to the United States Grand Prix was one of the few races he hadn’t won after absolutely dominating the second running of an F1 Grand Prix in Austin.
F1 Power Rankings: United States Grand Prix
There are just two races left in the season but Sebastian Vettel is still on a mission. He’s never won a race in America. The US Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix are the only two races currently on the calendar that he hasn’t won. Can he win the second-to-last race of the season and cement himself as the Penultimate Warrior? Find out in this week’s F1 Power Rankings.
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: The Song Remains the Same
While it feels like Sebastian Vettel has completely and utterly dominated the 2013 Formula One World Championship, it was comparatively close up until the summer break. At that point, Vettel was 38 points ahead of the competition. Since then, he’s won every single race. That includes Sunday’s running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
F1 Power Rankings: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Well, the season isn’t over but it may as well be. Sebastian Vettel is the World Drivers’ Champion for the fourth consecutive season. Red Bull is the World Constructors’ Champion for the fourth time. The only thing not settled is who’s going to finish 2nd. So who do I have making a late run? Find out in this week’s Power Rankings.
F1 Indian Grand Prix: A Coronation
Nobody came into this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix expecting anything other than the end result. I don’t necessarily mean the win for Sebastian Vettel though that wasn’t a surprise. No, I mean that no one was particularly surprised that Vettel was able to easily clinch his fourth consecutive Formula One World Drivers’ Championship with a win and a surprising non-points finish for Fernando Alonso.
F1 Power Rankings: Indian Grand Prix
Well, are we all still pretending that Fernando Alonso still has a prayer to win the World Drivers’ Championship or have we just given up on that? It’s a 90-point gap with four races to go. All Vettel has to do is come out of this race with a 75-point lead and he wins his fourth-straight title. If he finishes in the top five, he wins the title. If Alonso misses the podium, Vettel wins the title. Yeah, it’s basically done.
So, yeah… Get excited for the Power Rankings…?
F1 Japanese Grand Prix: Two Stops or Three?
This is Sebastian Vettel’s World Championship. The rest of the drivers are just making up the numbers. Of the 21 other drivers on the grid this season, only five have more wins in their careers than Vettel has wins this season. In fact, after winning this weekend’s race at Suzuka, Vettel’s season wins total matched the career win total of his teammate, Mark Webber. I think this fella might be a decent driver.
F1 Power Rankings: Japanese Grand Prix
We’ve reached the final quarter of the 2013 Formula One World Championship but the season is almost over. Sebastian Vettel has a 77 point lead over Fernando Alonso with five races remaining. Sure, it’s unlikely that he’ll clinch this weekend but it’s certainly a matter of when, not if, Seb will win the crown. But there are still races to run and powers to rank.