Vettel and Alonso take it down to the wire as Schumacher bows out

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix preview

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The contest for the 2012 drivers’ championship title reaches its nail-biting conclusion in the final race in Brazil.

Michael Schumacher has plenty of experience of these. Five times in his career he competed for the championship in the final race and on two occasions he came away with the title.

He won a further five championship crowns to become the most successful F1 driver by far. Whether Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso succeeds him as F1’s next thrice-champion they will still not be halfway towards matching his achievement.

It’s six years since Schumacher made his first ‘retirement’ from Formula One, going up against Alonso for the world championship at Interlagos.

The odds of victory were stacked against him and a penalty in qualifying followed by a puncture in the race put success far beyond his reach. But on a day when Bridgestone’s tyres suited the track perfectly he tore through the field to recover an excellent fourth place.

This time it’s Alonso who heads into the final race trailing in the championship. But although his chances of winning look better than Schumacher’s did he’s likely to need a little luck to get on terms with Vettel.

Interlagos circuit information

Lap length4.309km (2.677 miles)
Distance71 laps (305.9km/190.1 miles)
Lap record*1’11.473 (Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)
Fastest lap1’09.822 (Rubens Barrichello, 2004)
TyresMedium and Hard

*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix

Interlagos track data in full

Interlagos falls a long way short of the exacting standards Bernie Ecclestone demands of new additions to the F1 calendar. But thankfully this marvellous track remains a fixture. It’s a superb venue for a last-race title decider.

This is an up-tempo circuit with a grinding uphill drag, two decent opportunities for overtaking and a rhythmic middle section where traffic can be a problem – as it was for Vettel with Narain Karthikeyan in America.

The quick corners and abrasive surface have led Pirelli to select the hardest tyres from their range – medium and hard – whereas last year they paired the soft and medium compounds for this race.

The stage is set for a suitably exciting conclusion to a marvellous season. We have a fabulous circuit, a crowd that tingles with racing passion, and two of the very best drivers in the world going head-to-head for the title. This should be a weekend to savour.

More on the the season finale

Brazilian Grand Prix team-by-team preview

Red Bull

Mark Webber’s alternator failure in America was the third such retirement for the team this year. They will be on red alert about the possibility of a repeat which could destroy Vettel’s title chance at this late stage.

There are two reasons to expect Red Bull will be able to avoid a similar problem here. They have switched to a newer version of the component which several other Renault-powered teams have already used. And the Interlagos circuit should be less likely to provoke the fault.

Red Bull’s alternator problem is linked to how the car works in very low speed corners. Valencia, Monza and the Circuit of the Americas – the track where alternator failures caused retirements – all have several very slow bends. Interlagos, being one of few tracks left on the calendar untouched by Hermann Tilke, only has two corners taken in a lower gear than third.

Red Bull are the form team in Brazil. They arrive at a circuit where they have won the last three races in a row and scored one-twos in their last two visits. But Vettel only needs a fourth place to guarantee the championship regardless of what Alonso does.

McLaren

It will be an emotional weekend for the team as Lewis Hamilton prepares to leave the team he has spent six seasons with, and who he has been part of for much longer.

As the last race showed he is entirely capable of going out on a high with a win. But the car’s fragility remains a serious question – yet another problem reared its head at the Circuit of the Americas, forcing Jenson Button out during qualifying.

Surprisingly McLaren haven’t enjoyed victory at Interlagos in seven years, when Juan Pablo Montoya won for them. Rectifying that and taking second in the constructors’ championship back from Ferrari are their goals for this weekend.

Ferrari

Although Alonso has never won at Interlagos he claimed both his world championships at the track in 2005 and 2006. His long wait for a third has included disappointments in 2007 and 2010, and whether it comes to an end this year does not rest entirely in his own hands.

As we saw in the USA there are no lengths Ferrari won’t go to ensure their driver gets his title. Though they will have to face the wrath of the crowd if they choose to force a gearbox penalty on local hero Felipe Massa again.

Massa’s qualifying and race pace in America revealed Alonso was not quite at the top of his game there, something which has rarely been the case this year. Massa often excels on home ground – a hat-trick of wins from 2006 to 2008 would likely have been his had he not been required to let Raikkonen win in 2007.

This year has showcased Alonso at his irrepressible best, and even with a 13-point deficit and a slower car, he cannot be discounted. The news of a cool weather front heading to the area will be of particular interest to him – wet conditions may provide the boost he needs to get within range of Vettel.

Mercedes

Far from being in contention for the world championship as he was when he first retired, Mercedes’ recent form indicates a points finish is the best Schumacher can hope for in his last race.

“Interlagos is the right place to round off my career because so much of the fascination of Formula One is rooted there,” he said. “I always enjoy the enthusiasm of the fans, and it’s simply a great circuit which has seen many memorable events and always produces spectacular races as the unique layout guarantees plenty of action.”

“For me, it’s also the circuit that brings back my memories of Ayrton [Senna]. My departure from Formula One
will probably be less emotional for me this time than in 2006, when we were still fighting for the championship and everything was much more intense.

“This time around, I will be able to pay more attention to my farewell and hopefully savour it too. I have had fantastic years in Formula One and a lot of support from fans around the world, and I wish to particularly thank them for that.

“Of course, I would be happiest if I could say goodbye with a strong race, and I am sure we will be doing everything we can to make it happen.”

Lotus

The form of Lotus will be a concern for Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen won in Abu Dhabi and both drivers were quick in America but Raikkonen was delayed by a slow start and pit stop and Romain Grosjean had a gearbox penalty and a spin.

Raikkonen has finished every lap of every race so far this year. He has happy memories of Interlagos despite having one of his ‘wins’ taken away from him after the event: “I have finished here every year since 2003 and been on the podium five times,” he said. “Actually, in 2003 they gave the winners’ trophy to me but afterwards it turned out I only got second.”

Raikkonen is third in the championship but Hamilton’s win in America has closed the gap between the two to 16 points. Although Raikkonen has previously suggested he wouldn’t mind dropping to fourth and avoiding the FIA’s end-of-season prize-giving ceremony, team principal Eric Boullier insists the team will “be going all out to make sure he keeps that spot”.

Force India

Force India look more secure in their seventh place in the constructors’ championship ahead of Williams. This will be Nico Hulkenberg’s final race for the team as he prepares to join Sauber next year.

Before then team principal Vijay Mallya is hoping he can pull off a repeat of his shock pole position on his only previous visit to the track: “We hope that Nico will be able to pull off what he did for Williams in 2010. That’s what is needed if we want to catch Sauber!

“Otherwise I hope we can end the season with a strong result. Two cars in the points would be nice.”

Sauber

Mercedes’ failure to score in the last five rounds has left an open goal for Sauber – one which they’ve failed to take advantage of so far. But the team has produced some surprises this year and one more could be enough to lift it ahead of the Mercedes into fifth.

Sergio Perez is keen to do that in his last race for the team: “The best way to say thank you, of course, would be a great result and to beat the team in front of us. This is my target.”

Toro Rosso

There’s just two points in it between Toro Rosso’s young charges, and the final race may decide which gets bragging rights at the team during the off-season. Jean-Eric Vergne is narrowly ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, and out-qualified him in America for the fifth time this year.

Williams

Bruno Senna is one of two home drivers in the field: “I’m extremely excited to go back home for the final race of the season.

“Racing at your home Grand Prix always has a different flavour to it and the energy and excitement you get from the crowd is amazing. I’ve only had the chance to race at home in Formula One twice, but on both occasions the crowd gave me an extra boost.”

Caterham

Alonso isn’t the only person who could use some help from the elements this weekend to succeed in the championship.

Caterham need at least a 12th-place finish to move ahead of Marussia in their battle for the lucrative tenth place in the constructors’ championship. That is unlikely to happen without seven cars retiring or being badly delayed in front of them.

HRT

Uncertainty hangs over the future of HRT, who look like they are heading into their final Grand Prix. Team principal Luis Perez-Sala paid tribute to his staff ahead of the race: “We will be facing our own challenge but I know that everyone will give their best, as they have done since we started with this amazing project.

“We managed to build it from scratch in record time and we can all be proud of what we have achieved. I am really proud of every single team member that made this happen, with their effort and commitment, and I am confident that in Brazil we can have a good race.”

Marussia

Marussia stunned Caterham by out-qualifying them in America. Was that a one-off result due to the low-grip surface or a sign of genuine progress? This weekend will provide another indication as they strive to keep ahead of their rivals in the championship.

2012 driver form

Q avgR avgR bestR worstClassifiedForm guide
Sebastian Vettel5.114.3312218/19Form guide
Mark Webber66.2912017/19Form guide
Jenson Button6.687.2411817/19Form guide
Lewis Hamilton4.475.3311915/19Form guide
Fernando Alonso6.053.351917/19Form guide
Felipe Massa10.118.2821618/19Form guide
Michael Schumacher9.4710.2532212/19Form guide
Nico Rosberg9.428.3811516/19Form guide
Kimi Raikkonen7.425.2111419/19Form guide
Romain Grosjean7.177.5821912/18Form guide
Paul di Resta11.539.9441518/19Form guide
Nico Hulkenberg11.7410.0642117/19Form guide
Kamui Kobayashi11.479.8731815/19Form guide
Sergio Perez12.218.8621514/19Form guide
Daniel Ricciardo14.681291718/19Form guide
Jean-Eric Vergne16.6312.5381615/19Form guide
Pastor Maldonado10.5811.5311915/19Form guide
Bruno Senna14.4212.1162218/19Form guide
Heikki Kovalainen18.4216.61132318/19Form guide
Vitaly Petrov1916.56131916/19Form guide
Pedro de la Rosa21.7819.29172214/18Form guide
Narain Karthikeyan23.1720.36152311/18Form guide
Timo Glock20.3917.24122217/18Form guide
Charles Pic21.3718.21152014/19Form guide
Jerome D’Ambrosio151313131/1Form guide

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2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

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Image © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Red Bull/Getty images, Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Sahara Force India F1 Team, Williams/LAT

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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56 comments on “Vettel and Alonso take it down to the wire as Schumacher bows out”

  1. It will be interesting to see the reaction of Brazilian fans if Alonso does somehow win, given the role Massa has been left to play. Interlagos is a perfect finale just because there’s so much that can happen, especially if it rains.

    My wish? A repeat of 2008 with the tables turned, Alonso winning, Vettel down in fourth, on the final laps, being chased by a faster Lewis Hamilton…

    1. If Alonso becomes WDC next Sunday I honor Massa with a minute of applause.

      Whoever wins, I want it to be dramatic, I doubt we’ll have a last turn drama like in 2008 but something unclear until the last 10 laps is OK, this season deserves a dramatic end, to bad it’s only about two drivers when at least two more deserved to be in the mix as well, thumbs up for Kimi and Lewis.

  2. I think to out-score Vettel by 13 points, at a track in which Vettel has been higher than 4th in the last 4 Grand Prix and in which he would have taken two wins had it not been for his gearbox gremlins last year. If alternator failures don’t have a say (and the indication is they’re unlikely to) then I can’t see Vettel losing the championship, especially given the Ferrari’s lack of qualifying pace in comparison to the Red Bull and the McLaren.

    1. @vettel1 I would have agreed with you but for one thing…rain. There’s a good chance of a thunderstorm around about Q3 and steady rain in the race as well. As we all know, it is a great leveller, and it hands the advantage back to the driver. Whatever happens in the championship I hope we are in for a cracker of a race, especially after last year’s insipid bore.

    2. He will need McLarens, won’t him? I hope their pace on wet surface has improved, otherwise McLaren will probably be far behind.

      Alternator is still Alonso’s best ally.

  3. Wouldn’t it make sense for Hülkenberg not to try to catch Sauber in the constructors in order to get more money for his future team.

    1. @mustalainen Interesting way of looking at things!

  4. @keithcollantine I think Vergne has outqualified Ricciardo 4 times, not 5 – Spain, Hungary, Belgium and USA?

  5. your thinking of alonso not being at the top of his games is not right. i think the updates on the car slowed the car, probably coz of wind tunnel issues they are having. even in the race massa was quicker than alonso. as some one said “typical ferrari, updated car is slower”

    1. What update are you referring to?

      1. heard they updated diffuser and under floor.

      2. Seems a bit convenient to blame that particular update. If it was that one – from reading what Ferrari said it seems there were others. If one of them wasn’t quicker he had the option of not running it, as he did in Singapore with the rear wing. Figuring out what to use and what not to use is part of the game.

        Alonso said as much on the Saturday: “We tried to find the best possible combination between all the parts we had available, as it’s not always the case that the latest part is the best choice, especially when you are at a brand new track.”

        1. I think the fact that Massa chose not to use the newer diffuser says a lot.

          1. Who knows what kind of say he had in it though. Might have only had one of them available. And Massa was always going to be the one used for base line comparison

          2. I dont really get what you are saying @bascb .

            He said himself that he preferred the older one after testing the new one.

        2. well just like you jup at every chance to blame alonso for everything, i took this chance to correct you when you were clearly wrong here.

          again its not what alonso said, experts from ams and bbc are saying updates dint work and massa’s car was faster.

          1. Rubbish. Keith has never ‘jup at every chance to blame alonso for everything’.

            Moreover, if Ferrari are so foolish that they make their number one driver’ s car slower in the decisive part of the season and thus favour their weakest driver, then I wonder why Alonso, one of the best drivers ever, has not left the team yet.

          2. I was a lot more receptive to your point of view until you accused me of having it in for Alonso. Of course I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I assume he’s infallible.

          3. I think you are stretching a little there. Keith has been many times a balanced writer, IMHO. I have heard of that diffuser as well, but yet Alonso was not on his best day in Austin. Something went wrong on that weekend, I don’t think his motivation, but something else. Maybe he was trying too much to maximize his car and ended up with a slower car?

    2. Ferrari and Alonso had three practice sessions to evaluate that update, and if they stuck with it, it means they felt it was an improvement. If it was an improvement indeed, then Alonso was just being slow. If it wasn’t and they still raced with it, then Alonso doesn’t “have the best team in the sport” as he so likes to state.

    3. Yes you are right. thats why Stefano Domenical say tuesday we will go in Brazil but with no more” experimenting”. It’s not that the update doesn’t work is that they need time to be performed…and Ferrari doesn’t have time..they are experimenting a lot of new things but now is to late…these experiments should have been made in Septembre to catch red bull not now…
      They are a little bit confused and i understand…but is not now that they have lost the battle…. is in August and September that they lost the battle with red bull…These were decisive months were red bull and Mclaren did a better job.
      Anyway this work can help for the next year with a better wind tunnel and some new requirements in the aerodynamic sector the problem should be fixed.

    4. It would be surprising if Alonso is faster than Massa in Interlagos. There are few tracks where Massa is faster than Alonso.

      Brazil is not the best place for Alonso, same as Suzuka where is not particularly impressive.

      1. @kimi4wdc This shouldn’t be a big problem as long as Massa is only one place ahead of Alonso.

        The really interesting situation is if Vettel has a car failure or other retirement, Massa is leading and Alonso is in fourth. With two cars between them the swap isn’t as straightforward. Will Ferrari ask Massa to give up the victory and three places to help Fernando and if so will Massa oblige again?

        In this case will the message be coded or open and honest as Ferrari have tried to play on with the gearbox issue. My guess would be not – even “Felipe, Hamilton and Webber and Fernando are all faster than you” would be too obvious so I suspect in this case it will either be a pre-agreed code phrase or an extra/botched pit-stop.

        1. I doubt Massa will lead. In fact I think Maccas will be the cars to beat this weekend with Vettel’s RB mixing it up with them. Even if Vettel doesn’t pick up a win, there’s still Lewis, Button, Webber and potentially Raikkonen to mix it up in front of the Ferraris. Don’t forget rain doesn’t only equalise the difference between Ferrari and RB it also brings the likes of Williams and Sauber into the mix, in fact I’m not sure if Ferrari should be hoping for so much rain, as the the midfield might catch them up.

        2. @jerseyf1 Wow!! Tricky!!! You’re right. That’d be a thought situation to handle. I’d never though of that one.

          A nice one: What if Vettel does retire, Alonso is driving 1º and Massa 2º??? Whould Alonso gift the win to Massa as a payback? I wouldn’t say so… but it’d probe better to Alonso’s image I think. So who would win? The intelligence or the passion/competitiveness of the driver.

          Anyway, it would be a nice gesture to see.

          1. i think he will give it to Massa.

  6. What a season we’ve had! Who would have thought that Jenson Button would only add 138 points to his tally (so far) after his supreme win in Australia, or that Fernando Alonso would be a factor in the championship this year? Let’s hope for a worthy title decider in Interlagos; it would be very anti-climactic to see Vettel wrap up the title by dominating qualifying and race, though if it stays dry that’s not an unlikely scenario.

    Regarding the two title contestants, I’m not a fan of either driver, but I hope Vettel takes it this weekend (in a more entertaining fashion than predicted above); the stunt Ferrari pulled last weekend after qualifying (and the illegal team order they issued in Germany 2010) make me lose sympathy with them. Also, Vettel had been ‘accused’ of being lucky in Abu Dhabi, but I feel that over the course of the season, Alonso has been by far the luckier driver. Overall, the combination of Vettel and Red Bull have impressed me more than Ferrari and Alonso.

    1. I have definetly viewed it as a season of two halfs: in the first Alonso was supreme, building a large lead whilst others faltered.
      In the second though Red Bull and Vettel found their feet and have since been utterly dominant. Since after Hungary Vettel has scored 151 points, 55 more than Alonso.

      As to who would be the more deserving champion, in my opinion whoever leaves Brazil with the most points will be the most deserving of the championship. There is almost no question though that Red Bull thoroughly deserved the constructors championship.

      1. I think Alonso deserves it more. Red-Bull have built a very dominant car and Vettel is supremely quick but it is rare for a driver to be so close to championship despite not at any point having the fastest car.
        I think it’d be a shame if he went unrewarded for such an effort. However Vettel, Lewis and Kimi have all also been brilliant this year.

        1. Alonso was just lucky the other front runners had some misfortune/stuff ups early on. otherwise he wont be in that position as it would be either of the mclarens up there. So he does not deserve it more than any other driver.

        2. Red-Bull have built a very dominant car

          Stop right there. No car has been dominant this season.

    2. I personally want Vettlel to take the title this weekend because I think that he thoroughly deserves it, but I also hope it is in an exciting, and nailbiting, finish.

      If Alonso does secure the championship then I hope it is in a way which can make us forget about the gearbox issues from the last race. For example if Vettel has a DNF I would rather see Alonso secure the title with a victory on Sunday rather than scrape it with another third place. This would avoid a bitter taste being left by the fact that his third title was effectively secured with the points gained by dubious tactics in Texas and so that he can show himself to be a worthy (three times) champion.

      Either way I hope that there is no interference from penalties or crashes in this championship finale.

  7. Only a complete Vettle failure will keep him from the title. Nothing suggests that Ferrari have enough to go toe to toe with the RedBull.

    Vettle Drivers Champion for the third time. Alonso, my personal favorite gets another Moss award.

  8. If Alonso wins on sunday i will be crying tears of joy.. if he loses, i will be crying tears of frustration. either way i will be crying during and after the race.

    1. Lol same here.

    2. unfortunately is not in Alonso’s hand. Alonso is the best driver in the grid no doubt about that. But this year ferrari have lost their battle with red bull. He can’t beat Newey
      Whatever this is gonna finish Alonso’s season has been magic.

  9. Kimi wins with Maldonado in second, followed by Hulkenberg. Alonso crashes out in early part of the race to make up for bad start. Vettel suffers an alternator failure with 25 laps to go after having a 30 seconds lead!!! Oh and Schumacher gets 4th!!!!

    ^___^;;

    What ever is outcome I’ll be up at 2AM to watch this race!

  10. My heart say Alonso for the title, and I’ve not been wrong this season so far…

    I really hope we’re in for a good race, and if there’s rain, then it’ll give Alonso his best chance. I still believe there’s enough cars to get between Alonso and Vettel (any 3 of Massa, the 2 Lotuses, McLaren, Maldonado, possibly even a Sauber)

    1. Lots of Alonso supporters hoping for rain; how ironic if it poured down on Sunday and, as a result, the race didn’t make it to full distance.

      1. +1 I would very much like to see the reaction from the fans, people would be furious. It would make for great entertainment.

  11. I really wish Schumacher gets a well deserved farewell. I hope he have a strong race probably just like it was in 2006 but in reality it wont happen. May be the last Hurrah for Schumi . Will be waking up till 1.00 Am in morning to watch him say good bye to F1 the last time.

    As for championship title, i wish alonso wins this time. He has been a more complete driver than vettel ( although i am a vettel fan) , so will be rooting for alonso to win title.

  12. All vettel has to do is finish above Alonso. Simple as, he has the faster better car and in my opinion more skilled so he should be able to get WDC. But as it’s been proven, F1 drivers are ultra competitive. We may see him try and pull out all stops to win and push too far that somethings gives and he DNF or a critical component fails and he finishes 6th or worse.
    He should still be faster in qualifying so I expect him to be on the front of the grid but come race sunday he should drive smart, not get into a race with the likes of Hamilton but keep his eye on Alonso.
    But after watching vettel for the last 3 years, he will probably start at pole, create a 2 second gap by the end of the 1st lap and cruise to victory with a 10 second gap. Such is this guys dominance and ability to maximise any advantage that makes him the best driver in the world.
    Alonso and Ham claim that they would win as much if they drove the same car, and I don’t doubt it but what I doubt is, would they make it look so comfortable and nonchalant

    1. What Vettel does best is put his car on pole and drive off into a big lead.

      Look at what happened to Alonso in 2010, trying to get the tactics right (albeit the title battle was more complex that year) meant the team lost focus on what they normally try to do which is to win the race. I say Vettel needs to try to do his usual job and just hope that the team of guys building the car and critical components have done theirs.

    2. More skilled…
      i doubt Vettel is more skilled than Karthikeyan…i mean yes Narain have had some bad races but he had a poor car in his hand…give him a Red Bull and you will see.

      1. @fanser – Don’t waste time insulting Vettel. Karthikeyan hasn’t done much that is impressive in his years in F1, losing to pretty much every teammate he’s ever had. That’s why he still has a “poor car in his hand”. Vettel, by contrast overperformed in a Toro Rosso, which alone makes him far more skilled, without even needing to talk about what he has done for Red Bull.

    1. It’s a bit early but 7 hours of rain in Saturday night followed by 12 hours in the light part of Sunday. 24% chance of thunderstorms. I guess it will be swimming games then?

      1. What’s really intriguing is the fact it’s forecasting 33 degrees on Saturday and then 19 degrees on Sunday! I know it’s just provisional, but that’s quite extreme if you ask me…

  13. I think Alonso needs an awful lot of luck to win the WDC. Something must happen to Vettel in order to produce the result he needs or weather and/or SCs have to play in his favor.
    This year we saw only 4 results, if repeated would make Alonso WC – 2 were Vettel’s DNFs (ITA, VAL) and 1 was a penalty against Vettel (GER) – in MAL Vettel had a puncture while being on 4th which forced him to pit.

  14. Alonso still has highest average race finishing position! Insane! It just goes to show who has been the most consistent driver this season. Oh God, I hope he wins the title this year. That Grosjean’s idiocy in Belgium is still haunting me at nights! :)

    1. If you remove Vettel’s 22nd position at Monza, where his alternator failed on lap 47/53, then his average finishing position is 3.29.

  15. How do the constructor standings work for teams that do not score any points? Are the highest finishing positions of both teammates taken into consideration? I.e. Even though Glock scored his 12th place earlier in the season, if Heikki finishes 12th in Brazil, will Caterham finish ahead of Marussia because Petrov’s highest finish was 13th versus Pic’s 15th?

    1. @jonnypwtf That’s basically it, the combined non-scoring performances of the two drivers in each team are taken into account.

      At present Marussia are ahead because their best finish is a 12th place (one) and Caterham’s best finish is a 13th place (three). If Caterham draw level with them on 12th places, they will move ahead because whatever happens they will have more 13th places (Marussia have none).

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