Brazil GP Friday Factbox

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
October 31 2008

The final race weekend of the season is underway. There are many events going on, such as the WDC and WCC tittles fight or the bid farewell of Coulthard. BMW Sauber has compiled some interesting facts from the first day at Interlagos for you .

Two race distances: Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica contested the Friday practice at the "Autodromo José Carlos Pace" in focused style. Over the course of the two 90-minute practice sessions, the BMW Sauber F1 Team pairing completed a total of 149 laps, representing a practice mileage of more than 640 kilometres.

Maximum reliability: Should Nick make it to the finish line in this Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver will have finished his 20th consecutive Formula One race. In the history of the sport, only three drivers have succeeded in achieving a longer streak of GP finishes.

Farewell No 1: The race on Sunday will represent the final Grand Prix in the career of David Coulthard, currently the oldest driver on the Formula One grid. To date, the Red Bull driver has contested 245 races, celebrated 13 GP wins, secured 12 pole positions and set 18 fastest race laps. Altogether, the Scot has scored 535 World Championship points at the pinnacle of motor racing. His best result of the 2008 season so far was the third place in the Canadian Grand Prix that was won by BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Robert Kubica.

Farewell No 2: For the fourth time, following on from 2004, 2006 and 2007, Formula One holds its season finale at Interlagos. Next year, however, this won't be the case. In 2009, the Brazilian Grand Prix will represent the penultimate round of the season, with Arabian emirate Abu Dhabi - making its debut on the GP calendar on 15th November - the venue of the 2009 season finale.

Title decider: Once again, Sao Paulo will be the venue of the decider in the battle for both the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton contesting the Brazilian Grand Prix as title favourite. Prior to the season finale, the Briton holds a seven-point lead over his championship rival Felipe Massa (Ferrari). Consequently, finishing fifth would be enough for Hamilton to secure the title.