A chair for three!

They are three within sixteen points when twenty points are still in play. Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull are vying for the title this weekend against Jenson Button, the leader, and his teammate at Brawn GP, Rubens Barrichello.

The advantage clearly goes to the Briton. With a fourteen-point lead over the Brazilian, Button knows he will be crowned on Sunday if he scores four points in Interlagos. In short, if Button finishes third, regardless of Barrichello’s result, the Championship will be his. Because even if the Brazilian wins his home Grand Prix, Button will still have a ten-point lead over him. Another win by Barrichello in the final race in Abu Dhabi, accompanied by a zero score from his teammate, would not allow him to seize the title. Because Button would then lead his partner in the number of wins (six to four, in this scenario).

The chances of Sebastian Vettel, who is sixteen points behind Button, are even slimmer. A simple sixth-place finish for the Briton on Sunday would dash any hopes of victory. The German must also perform exceptionally, either by winning at least one of the last two races and finishing second in the other, and hope that his two rivals do not score any points to win. A mathematically possible but unrealistic scenario, given how consistent the Brawn GP drivers have been this season.

To regain their courage, Barrichello and Vettel can draw inspiration from the example of Kimi Räikkönen in 2007 or Alain Prost in 1986. The Finn in his Ferrari, who was 17 and 5 points behind Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso respectively with two races to go, eventually surpassed the two McLaren-Mercedes drivers by a single point on the evening of the last race. Alain Prost in his McLaren-Tag Porsche, third in the championship with two races to go, also benefited from the internal struggle at Williams-Honda between Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, as well as other circumstances, to claim the title at the end of the season.

One factor could complicate the calculations of the three contenders: the weather, which is expected to be bad at the end of this week in Sao Paulo. While a deluge hit the economic capital of Brazil on Thursday morning, rain is forecast for Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s race could be disrupted by showers.

Here is the mindset of the interested drivers. Sebastian Vettel said he prayed for rain successfully. “I really like the circuit with its climbs and descents, a layout that should suit his Red Bull because there are many corners where you need downforce, which is our strength,” he observed. “I can only win. The pressure is on Button and Barrichello. For me, it’s quite simple. You don’t have to be a genius to understand that I need to win these two races and that those two encounter difficulties,” he estimated.

Sebastian says the pressure is on us. I don’t think that’s the case, replied Button. It’s the same for everyone. It’s the first time I’m fighting for a Championship, just like Sebastian [Vettel] and Rubens [Barrichello]. It’s an exciting situation to experience, emphasized the Briton who knows he has a significant advantage.

Returning after several difficult years, Rubens Barrichello remembers that the road was long for him before arriving in Brazil. “I feel so good to be here. For me, it’s already a winning year,” noted the eternal optimist. “I can only say thank you for the car, for the victories I’ve had, and even for the opportunity I have to win here. That hasn’t happened to me in a very long time. I hope the car will be at the performance level we desire,” stated the Brazilian.

Answer on Sunday…