Weekend Motorsports Preview: Formula 1 is Back

This weekend does not offer the prototype racing of last weekend, but it does have the return of Formula 1 for its 16th race of the year. It will be one to watch with the possibility of Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel scoring their respective championships. 

In the WRC, VolkswagenVolkswagenGermany, 1938 > present98 models
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31 videos
Motorsport could score its first championship. 

Formula 1

Formula 1 has its 16th round with the Grand Prix of India at the Buddh International Circuit. Qualifying at the 16-corner, 3.192-mile (5.125 km) circuit starts at 2:00pm local time on Saturday, October 26. The 60-lap race starts at 3:00pm local time.

Sebastian Vettel has led the first two practice sessions for the race. In the first session, Mark Webber was second, and Lewis Hamilton was third. In the second practice session, Webber was also second, and Romain Grosjean was third.

Vettel is certainly a favorite to win the championship. He only needs to score four points than Fernando Alonso to guarantee himself his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship. In Alonso’s favor, his second place position is guaranteed in the race thanks to a 30-point lead over Kimi Raikkonen. The big race will be Lewis Hamilton hoping to make up his 16-point deficit on Raikkonen to take over third place.

Red BullRed BullAustria, 2004 > present12 models
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needs 25 points to guarantee its World Constructors’ Championship title over Ferrari. Vettel and Red Bull could conceivably clinch both championships in India. Depending on how the race goes, FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
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, MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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and LotusLotusUnited Kingdom, 1952 > present68 models
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could still take over second place in the constructors’ championship.It is setting up for quite a championship fight.

NASCAR

NASCAR is going into its 33 of 36 rounds with a 500-lap, 263-mile (423.257 km) race at half-mile Martinsville Speedway oval. The race starts at 1:30pm on Sunday, October 27.

Jimmie Johnson has retaken the lead in the drivers’ championship with a four-point lead over Matt Kenseth. Kyle Busch is in third in the championship with26 points off of Johnson.

V8 Supercars

The V8 Supercars enters its 13th of 15 rounds for two races at the 2.98 km (1.85-mile), 15-corner Surfer’s Paradise street circuit in Queensland, Australia. Both races will be 102 laps, and race one will start at 2:20pm local time on Saturday, October 26, and race two will start at 1:35pm local time on Sunday, October 27. Qualifying is at 10:30am on Saturday, October 26.

Jamie Whincup is leading series championship by 114 points over Craig Lowndes.

WRC

The Rally de Espana runs from October 25 to October 27 as the penultimate round of the 2013 WRC Championship. Sebastian Ogier has already won the WRC Drivers’ Championship, but his team, Volkswagen Motorsport, only needs to score one point to guarantee the championship as well. It will run over 15 stages over three days.