Brazilian F1 Grand Prix 2017: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
Fresh from winning his fourth Formula One World Championship, Lewis Hamilton will look to close out his season in style by winning the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race on the season's calendar.
Hamilton's form won't be the only focus in Sao Paulo on Sunday. This will be Felipe Massa's final GP on home soil before he retires at the end of the season.
Here are the schedule and viewing details for the race:
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Date: Sunday, November 12
Start Time: 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports F1, NBCSN
Live Stream: Sky Go, NBC Sports App
Massa recently made it clear he will retire at the end of the season, a move he says is final after backtracking on his 2016 decision to step away from the sport.
Following the shock retirement of then-newly crowned world champion Nico Rosberg at the end of the 2016 season, Valterri Bottas moved to Mercedes to fill the German's spot for the following campaign, and Massa remained with Williams to help out in the Finn's absence for 2017.
Things didn't go too well for Massa at this race last year, as he fell victim to a crash early on. Naturally, the 36-year-old will be bidding to sign off in style in his native country this time.
Even so, a strong finish may be beyond Massa given his recent struggles, per Luke Smith of NBC Sports: "Massa's form is such that a strong result to sign off on may only be a finish as high as seventh or eighth, yet you can be sure the Williams driver will be giving his all to impress at the track he grew up on and came to taste success at in F1."
Massa will be buoyed by the pull of ending his career the right way. Yet it will be far from easy considering the form of Hamilton and Co.
The latter sealed the title in Mexico last time out and is already targeting victory in South America, per the Daily Telegraph: "So, I come here with this greatest feeling, amazing energy, and want to absorb that positive energy and try to shine my light as bright as I can here in Brazil."
Hamilton won at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace last year and has the chance to turn on the style now the championship pressure is off.
A strong finish isn't just on the agenda for Hamilton and Massa. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen is already putting together a brilliant end to his season.
Verstappen won the Mexican GP and is the rising star of the sport. The 20-year-old provided a great boost for Red Bull when he recently extended his contract to 2020.
His father revealed how the decision to stay was influenced by the team's resurgence during the second half of this season, per Autosport.com's Erwin Jaeggi and Jonathan Noble.
Red Bull have certainly offered a solid indicator of being able to supplant Ferrari as Mercedes' biggest rivals next season.
Their progress will ultimately be determined by Verstasppen's burgeoning talent, so another quality performance in Brazil will go a long way to proving both his and Red Bull's case to push Hamilton all the way next season.
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