Interlagos has seen glorious scenes for some of this F1 season’s title contenders in recent times – cautiously optimistic seems to be their collective mood as we head there this year, and with such an excitingly close title fight, who can blame them?
Fernando Alonso (SPA), Ferrari – 1st (231pts) 
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Both of Fernando’s back-to-back world titles for Renault arrived at the last race of the season (as it was then) in Brazil, but the Spaniard has been through a lot in the last four years, and is taking a very mature approach to the race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace this year, as he says in his ferrari.com diary. “I am back in the lead of the championship for the first time since way back after the Australian Grand Prix. However, we know that with this points system and the gaps as they are, the standings don’t really mean that much: it only takes one race – as indeed we saw in Korea – for the situation to turn itself around. All the same, It’s always better to be in front than behind!” he opines. “Naturally, I’ve got great memories of this track because it was here that I secured my two titles, in 2005 and 2006… I don’t want to think about the chances of history repeating itself for a third time: I know it is theoretically possible, but that does not count for me. I have said it before and I say it again: we will do the maths in Abu Dhabi.”
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Mark Webber (AUS), Red Bull Racing – 2nd (220pts) 
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With Mark at the forefront of the championship from the word go this season, it’s easy to forget that Brazil last year was only the Australian’s second ever GP win. While that was largely overlooked by the press in the light of Jenson Button’s sealing of the 2009 world championship at Interlagos, there’s little chance that Mark’s achievements will be overshadowed this year. He might have lost his championship lead to Alonso after his Korean exit, but since that race Webber has sounded more upbeat than perhaps at any other time of the season. “I can absolutely still win it – this was only my second non-finish of the year,” he said on redbullracing.com and markwebber.com. “Positions aren’t the most important thing, points are, and they can change very quickly. I’m back with the others now on points, but there are still two races to go and I’ll do my absolute best.”
markwebber.com
Lewis Hamilton (GBR), McLaren – 3rd (210pts) 
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Whatever happens this weekend, Interlagos will always have a very special place in Lewis’s heart after he sensationally snatched the title from under the nose of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in the last two corners of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. The champ of two years ago is realistic and cautious about his chances this time, as he told his own website. “It's going to be tough,” he commented. “We saw again in Korea that we've probably only got the third-fastest car, so we're probably not the favourites – but that's OK… I've had some good races in Brazil, it's a place where you can really make a charge work, so I go there feeling very optimistic and hopeful of another good showing… At this stage, the aim has to be to go to Abu Dhabi with a mathematical possibility of winning the title.”
lewishamilton.com
Sebastian Vettel (GER), Red Bull Racing – 4th (206pts) 
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Of the five drivers in this list of ones to watch, Seb is the only one who has neither won the Brazilian Grand Prix nor sealed a world title there, which tells you something about the 23-year-old German’s quality in challenging so many heavyweights for this year’s drivers’ championship. Only bad luck prevented Vettel reeling in the leaders after his engine failed as he led in Korea, but he is in bullish mood, in every sense. “There are still 50 points available in the drivers’ championship,” Vettel told redbullracing.com after the Korean race. “We will keep our heads down for the last two races. We have a very strong team and a strong car, and we know we are the quickest. I can go to sleep tonight knowing I did everything I could today and we still have everything to play for.”
redbullracing.com
Jenson Button (GBR), McLaren – 5th (189pts) 
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Like his team-mate, Jenson can take encouragement from similarly fond memories of glory here. “The Brazilian Grand Prix is a special race for me because it's where I won the world championship last year. This will be the first time I’ve been back since then, so I'm really looking forward to it," he said on jensonbutton.com. "When I was here last year, I learned an important lesson: I qualified 14th while my team-mate [Rubens Barrichello] put his car on pole – but when I thought it was almost all over, I threw caution to the wind and drove one of the most attacking, best drives of my F1 career… Given the points situation, I know that I face an uphill struggle to hold onto the world title, but I'll be giving it everything I've got this weekend to stay in contention. I fought hard to become the 2009 world champion, and I won’t give up my title without a fight."
jensonbutton.com
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