TheBrazilianGrandPrixfirstappearedontheFormula1calendarin1973andit’snevermissedayearsince.Therehavebeen48BrazilF1GPs,withtenhostedatRio’sJacarepaguaandtheremaining38atInterlagos,attheJoseCarlosPacecircuit.
The venerable Interlagos circuit may be getting on in years and a little creaky in places but it remains a classic venue. The cramped and always packed paddock gives the circuit an electric, old-school feel, while the atmosphere on track is even wilder, enlivened by hordes of passionate and extremely noisy fans who pack the grandstands throughout the race weekend.
Interlagos provides them with great racing too. From the downhill run through the Senna-S, to the big overtaking point of the Descida do Lago, and the long, looping run across the hillside before the big blast from Junçao to the start-finish straight.
In recent years it’s seen some incredible races, such as Lewis Hamilton’s last gasp championship snatch-and-grab in 2008 and Sebastian Vettel’s soaking wet, white-knuckle ride to claim his third championship in 2012. There are undoubtedly more thrillers to come from this great old circuit.
“The positive we can take from Mexico is that recent changes to the car allowed us to make a good step forward with our performance and I want to convert that into a clean weekend with points in Brazil. The Interlagos track is great fun, anticlockwise, tight and twisty with ups and downs, like the drop to the Senna esses and the short lap always keeps you busy, as even the finish straight is really one long corner. The whole track has been resurfaced and we only get one hour of free practice to find out what it’s like as this is another Sprint weekend, so I expect that, like in Austin, Saturday’s race will be the best opportunity to check our long-run pace for the Grand Prix. Looking at the weather forecast, there’s a chance that, at some point, rain might make life even more interesting!“
“Last weekend wasn’t the weekend we wanted, but hopefully we can bring the pace we had in the car in Mexico and convert that into scoring points this weekend. It’s a sprint weekend, so we’ll be doing a lot of racing. It’s also the end of the triple header, so it’s going to be a tough weekend for sure. Brazil is a track that’s got a lot of history and it’s one I’ve always wanted to drive for a long time, so I’m excited to do that for the first time.”
Brazil is a track that’s got a lot of history
Liam Lawson 
