Brazilian F1 Grand Prix 2014: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
The Formula One world championship moves on to Interlagos, Brazil this weekend for the penultimate race of the 2014 calendar.
With Lewis Hamilton on a five-race winning streak, will the British driver move a giant step closer to a second world title success this weekend? Team-mate and rival Nico Rosberg will be seeking to ensure the race continues on to Abu Dhabi in a fortnight's time, where double points will be on offer.
The battle is beautifully poised as the world championship heads to one of the sport's greatest and most loved circuits.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Start Time
Sunday's Race: 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET
Driver Lineup
| Nico Rosberg | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| Sebastian Vettel | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull |
| Fernando Alonso | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari |
| Kevin Magnussen | Jenson Button | McLaren |
| Daniil Kvyat | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso |
| Felipe Massa | Valtteri Bottas | Williams |
| Esteban Gutierrez | Adrian Sutil | Sauber |
| Romain Grosjean | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus |
| Sergio Perez | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India |
Both Marussia and Caterham have been given permission to miss the race due to their ongoing financial concerns. The former announced on Friday it has ceased trading, per BBC Sport.
TV Schedule
The following covers Sky Sports' plans for all sessions of the Brazilian GP 2014:
| Practice One | Friday | 12 p.m. | 11:45 a.m. |
| Practice Two | Friday | 4 p.m. | 3:45 p.m. |
| Practice Three | Saturday | 1 p.m. | 12:45 p.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 4 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| Race | Sunday | 4 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. |
For those in the UK, live coverage of all sessions can be found on the Sky Sports F1 channel. BBC Sport, meanwhile, will provide daily highlights of the weekend's events (times here).
For fans in the US, live coverage of some sessions can be found on the NBC Network.
As It Stands:
With two rounds of the season remaining and a maximum of 75 points up for grabs, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton currently holds a 24-point lead over teammate Nico Rosberg.
Regardless of Rosberg's result this weekend, Hamilton cannot seal the title in Sao Paulo. Should he win and his teammate fail to even finish, the British driver's lead would lie at 49 points with 50 available at the season finale in UAE.
Despite the potential for Formula One's double points change to disrupt his season, Hamilton remained positive when talking to the press, per BBC Sport: "It is what it is. There's no point in getting upset about it. It's just about being positive. I've driven the best I've ever driven this year. If I continue to do what I've been doing then there's no doubt in my mind that I can come up winning."
The top of the world championship standings currently look like this:
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | British | Mercedes | 316 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | German | Mercedes | 292 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Australian | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 214 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Finnish | Williams-Mercedes | 155 |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | German | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 149 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Spanish | Ferrari | 149 |
Formula One's changes, though, have had the desired effect—ensuring that the title battle will remain open until the end of the season. Hamilton has won 10-of-17 races this campaign, including the past five, yet he could potentially win this weekend and still lose the title later this month.
Also per BBC Sport, Rosberg guaranteed that he will keep fighting for every point this weekend in Brazil: "It will be the same approach from me: fully committed, full attack, try and be on pole in qualifying and then win Interlagos and that's it."
There are still many points to be had and a lot can still happen.
The battle between Rosberg and Hamilton has been a great boost for Formula One, following consecutive seasons of dominance from Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel.
With two teammates going head-to-head in competition to end the German's reign at the top of the sport, the battles between the pair and tension off the track have harked back to the sport's golden eras and the battles between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, or Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
Hamilton, of course, has previous experience when it comes to securing the world title in the final race of the season, pipping local favourite Felipe Massa to the crown at Interlagos in dramatic fashion.
He will hope to add more positive memories from the track this weekend, but whatever happens, he will head to Abu Dhabi needing points to seal what would be a second world title crown.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
