Formula One Vault

PRIXVIEW – São Paulo Grand Prix

Round twenty-one brings F1 to another highlight of the season as we head to São Paulo in Brazil. Officially called Autodromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos has always been referred to by its former name from when it was built in the late 1930s, retaining the name Interlagos until 1985.

Interlagos, built in the 1940s, retains many of the challenges that it had back then despite being halved in length thirty-five years ago. The circuit was built on a hillside around a natural bowl, is also a circuit which presents a variety of different challenges for teams and drivers.

Adding to the challenges are the inclines, grass run-off areas, bumpy track surface and unpredictable weather. Anything can happen, mixed conditions are also common, being in a region of the world where the weather can change in minutes from a warm sunny afternoon to torrential rain.

This is a technical circuit where you need a good car in the corners where a good exit is key because there are only two main ‘straights’/ flat out section, between Curva do Sol (Turn Three) and Decida do Lago (Four) and the climb up the hill from Jucao (Twelve) through thirteen, Subida dos Boxes (Fourteen) and Arcquibancadas (Fifteen) before breaking for the Senna S (One/Two).

This leads to one of the key overtaking spots as cars brake into the first corner after a largely flat-out final sector. The more technical sector from Ferradura (Horseshoe/Six) to Mergylho (Eleven) requires the opposite, good cornering and the ability to get the power down on the exit of Jucao for the flat-out final sector. The circuit can also be impacted by changeable conditions.

The race is also at higher altitude, which acts a bit like a performance leveller in terms of power unit performance, though in the hybrid era, this has become less important, though the gaps can be a lot closer. This could create two very tight qualifying sessions as when you add the changeable conditions, anything can happen.

Interlagos translates into English roughly as ‘Between two lakes’, which were built in the early 20th century to supply the city with water and electric power. The circuit has been home to classic title deciders over the last two decades. Though it remains at the end of the season, it’s now unlikely given recent calendar expansion, but it still can be an important stepping stone towards winning the championship.

The first Grands Prix were held during WWII at Interlagos, though between 1972 and 2019 the race was called the Brazilian Grand Prix. Built in the confines of one of the neighbourhoods, the race has a carnival atmosphere and the fans always come out for locals Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton and Bruno Senna, Felipe Massa or this year’s Sao Paulo’s latest star Gabi Bortoleto.

Pace was killed in a plane crash in 1977. Attached to its facilities, there is a kart circuit named after Ayrton Senna, following his death at Imola. São Paulo-born drivers have always gone well in their home city, Pace the circuit of named after winning in 1974. When the race returned to Interlagos in the 1990s, Senna took his only home win in 1991 and 1993, Felipe Massa in 2006 and that dramatic 2008 title decider.

1977 saw Reutemann take the lead at the start before going on to take a ten-second victory ahead of James Hunt and Niki Lauda, who gained position. It returned to Interlagos two years later with Jacques Laffite to complete his and Ligier’s conquest of the opening South American rounds in Argentina and Brazil.

The following year and until 1989, the race moved to Rio, at the now demolished Jacarepaguá, now the Barra Olympic Park after being demolished in 2007. The tropical conditions in Rio made the race one of the most physically demanding of the season, with drivers often collapsing at the end of the race.

The races in Rio were dominated by Alian Prost, who was named ‘king of Rio.’ he took four wins as well as beating his teammate Ayrton Senna, who started on pole in their first race as teammates. The 1988 race was particularly notable. Senna started from the pit-lane in his first race for McLaren; he began a furious charge that brought him up to second behind his teammate Prost, but he was disqualified for switching to his spare car after the parade lap had begun.

The 1989 event was the last race at Jacarepaguá. It was won by British driver Nigel Mansell in his Ferrari, in the first Grand Prix won by a car with a semi-automatic gearbox, and it also saw German Bernd Schneider and American Eddie Cheever collide, and Cheever collapsed twice after he exited his car due to exhaustion.

Senna’s success saw the race return to the redeveloped Interlagos in 1990, which has largely remained unchanged since, though like many circuits, some of the gravel traps have been replaced by tarmac run off, though in areas, the grass and gravel remains ready to catch drivers out if they make mistakes or

But the biggest changes came with the rebuilding of the entry to the pit lane and it was entirely replaced in 2013. The shortened circuit over the last thirty-five years has retained its reputation for chaos and drama.

Senna’s victory the following year is seen as one of the greatest drives in the sport’s history. Throughout the race, his gearbox failed in the closing stages, making the car much more difficult and physically demanding to drive, but he still eventually won, holding off Williams driver Riccardo Patrese. His exhaustion was so high that he had to be extricated from his car.

1993 was a race of variables; it began to rain heavily early into the race, and Prost, now driving a Williams, had a rare accident on the main straight and retired. Senna went on to win in a McLaren from Prost’s teammate Damon Hill.

1994 saw Senna, now driving for Williams, spin his recalcitrant car going through Juncao late into the race. He was running in second, trying to catch German Michael Schumacher, who went on to win. Senna would be killed six weeks later at Imola, admitting to one of the most tragic and controversial seasons in the sport’s history.

1995 was a very controversial race that initially had the cars of race winner Michael Schumacher and Britain’s David Coulthard excluded for apparently using illegal fuel during the race, but then reinstated.

Since 2004, this race has been one of the final rounds, though the addition of Las Vegas and Qatar since 2023 has made it less likely that this can be the championship decider.

Between 2005 and 2009, five dramatic races saw titles won and lost, sometimes by just one point. 2005 saw Fernando Alonso take his first title and become, at the time, the youngest world champion with third. He also took his second title the following year after Michael Schumacher, in what was expected to be his final race, retiring with a puncher.

Alonso and his rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton took on Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 in a three-way shootout for the championship. Hamilton looked on course to win the title in his debut season, which would have seen him pass Schumacher as an eight-time champion, but a gearbox problem saw him drop down the order and lose his four-point lead, missing out by a point but beating Alonso to second on countback.

Alonso would lose his status as the youngest champion to Lewis Hamilton following a dramatic climax in 2008. Going into the final laps, rain fell, forcing a late change to inters, while Massa won the race and nearly the title. Hamilton in one of the most dramatic climaxes to a season, got past Timo Glock into fifth at the final corner on the final lap to take the title by one point.

Button’s fifth place from fourteenth on the grid was enough for him to secure the 2009 World Championship, becoming the tenth British champion and the first British champion to succeed another since 1969 when Jackie Stewart succeeded Graham Hill as World Champion.

2012 was another classic title decider as Vettel fought Alonso for a third world title, it looked as if Alonso was going to take it as the Red Bull driver made a poor start dropping him to last after spinning off at the Senna S on the opening lap, dropping him to last. But it was a hugely impressive drive by the German, who managed to overtake several cars getting up to sixth, though Alonso was second, Vettel still took the title by three points.

2014 saw the totally dominant Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Hamilton finish 1–2 in the race. 2015 saw Rosberg win again; he had spent most of that season demoralised and at the mercy of his teammate Hamilton, who won his third Drivers’ Championship. Hamilton won a chaotic and wet race in 2016, which was defined by multiple accidents, safety cars and red flags, making it the longest race ever at Interlagos lasting for just over three hours.

Vettel took victory again in 2017 after overtaking Valtteri Bottas at the start, going on to control the remainder of the race with a nearly three-second win. Hamilton recovered from a pit lane start following a crash in qualifying to finish fourth behind Kimi Raikkonen. The race saw numerous first-lap crashes, with Romain Grosjean losing the rear and clipping Esteban Ocon, while Stoffel Vandoorne and Kevin Magnussen also retired due to a collision on the first lap.

Hamilton and Bottas finishing one-two in 2018 saw Mercedes secure a fifth consecutive constructors, while Raikkonen took his final podium. Max Verstappen took victory in another chaotic race in 2019 after overtaking Hamilton twice during the race, with his final pass with six laps remaining to win, while the Mercedes driver was given a late penalty following contact with Alex Albon.

Following COVID this race is the only one to have featured the sprint format every season, but will revert to the traditional format for 2026.

Following a Covid hiatus in 2020, the race returned in 2021, being renamed the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and ever since has been the only race to feature the sprint format. Hamilton was excluded from qualifying and started the sprint last, recovering to fifth for the Grand Prix ahead of title rival Verstappen. In the race, Hamilton once again came threw to take victory by ten seconds after undercutting the Red Bull at the second round of stops, to win.

2023 saw Verstappen win both the sprint and Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris. In the Grand Prix, the Dutchman took a dominant eight-second victory ahead of Norris as he looked unstoppable, and he took his fifty-second win of his career, moving him ahead of Alain Prost to go fourth in the all-time Grand Prix winners’ list. He mastered both starts after the race was stopped early on following a multi-car collision through the Senna S.

Every time Norris tried to pass Verstappen he had an answer and closed the door, which prevented the McLaren from overtaking. A slow second start for Fernando Alonso allowed Norris down the inside at the Senna S on the restart before the McLaren fended off Lewis Hamilton, who got into third.

Race & Circuit Guide

Round		21 of 24
Race		Formula 1 MSC Cruises Grand Premio de Soa Paulo 2025
Venue		Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, São Paulo, Brazil
Configuration		2000 Grand Prix
Circuit Length		4.309km (2.677mi)
Sprint	Laps	24
	Race Distance	103.416km (64.248mi)
Race	Laps	71
	Race Distance	305.879km (190.064mi)
Lap Record	Race	01:10.540 (Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+, 2018)
	Outright
Most wins (drivers)		Alain Prost (6)
Most wins (constructors)		McLaren (12)

Fast facts.

• Five Brazilian drivers have won on home soil since the Brazilian Grand Prix became a part of the world championship in 1973. Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Felipe Massa took two wins apiece, whilst Carlos Pace won once.
• Brazilian drivers have taken more poles than drivers from any other nation at Interlagos. A Brazilian has started from the front here on ten occasions.
• Max Verstappen won last year from seventeenth on the grid. It was the first time in almost twenty years that a Grand Prix had been won from as far back as seventeenth.
• The 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix was the penultimate time an F1 race was won by over a lap.
• Since their return to the sport in 2010, Mercedes has never failed to see both of their cars reach the chequered flag at the Brazilian Grand Prix – until Valtteri Bottas retired from the 2019 event. At least one of their cars has scored in all of the past fourteen Interlagos races.
• Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz recorded the first podium finishes of their careers at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. It was the first time that two drivers had taken their maiden podium finish in the same race since the 1994 German Grand Prix.

Event timetable

What happened in 2024?

Practice saw Lando Norris top the times with a  10.610 on the soft tyre to put himself ahead of George Russell by just under two tenths. The McLaren driver once again looked on fire and was miles ahead of his championship rival, Max Verstappen, by over a second. Ollie Bearman put his Haas third, having been called in to replace Kevin Magnussen, who was unwell. The 2025 Haas driver will at least take part in sprint qualifying and the sprint.

Sprint qualifying saw Oscar Piastri leapfrog Norris and beat him in the final moments by three hundredths. Piastri secured pole by employing an alternate tyre strategy from Norris, as McLaren had a decisive edge over the rest of the field. Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari third, but he could not get close to the McLaren, going over a quarter of a second off Piastri and two-tenths behind Norris.

Norris would go on to win the sprint after McLaren instructed in the final laps for him to switch places with Piastri. But McLaren looked comfortable on race pace as both cars were nine-tenths ahead of Norris’s championship rival, Max Verstappen, who looked not to have the pace to challenge during the shortened format.

Leclerc was a second ahead of his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz but both appeared to struggle for pace to fight at the front, Ferrari struggling to show the strong race pace they have had in recent races. George Russell finished five seconds ahead of Pierre Gasly, who held onto seventh scoring important points for Alpine.

As dawn broke on Sunday, Grand Prix qualifying got underway, with Norris taking pole in another wet and wild breakfast session. Norris set a 23.405, beating George Russell by almost two tenths while his main rival Verstappen was knocked out in Q2, highlighting volatile conditions; the pole sitter was almost knocked out. Esteban Ocon put his Alpine fourth between the two RBs, the Frenchman three and a half tenths behind Tsunoda as he went ahead of Charles Leclerc.

The conditions continued into the Grand Prix, where Verstappen won a chaotic, accident-filled filled and action-packed race by finishing nineteen seconds ahead of the two Alpine’s. The Dutchman bounced back after starting seventeenth and steadily coming through the field to take his first win since Barcelona back in June in a race which ran for just under the three-hour time limit thanks to safety cars, red flags and accidents throughout the race.

Esteban Ocon was second ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly by three seconds, a huge boost for the French manufacturer following a turbulent season when their future had been questioned. For Gasly his second podium at Interlagos in an equally bonkers Sunday in Brazil. He finished seven-tenths ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell.

Charles Leclerc brought his Ferrari home fifth as he finished just over a second ahead of Norris, after he stopped too early before the conditions changed.

Championship Standings

What to watch for?

Interlagos, as we saw last year, is a race where anything can happen as we get very changeable conditions, and as we always say at these kinds of races, we get safety cars, red flags, and yellow flag. Meaning teams need to be able to be react quickly. Added to this is the fact that this is an old school, hilly, grass and gravel-lined circuit, which creates drama.

We also again have the sprint format, which teams should be used to at Interlagos as this has since the introduction has always been a sprint weekend. As we know practice will be very busy as the teams have a lot of work to do, but they need to be wary of these factors. Even the champions in the past have been caught out, and there has been incredible comebacks

This weekends qualifying’s and races are all about reacting. This race is always unpredictable, while on paper it should favour McLaren, they will not only face pressure from Red Bull and Ferrari but conditions. Lando Norris took a brilliant win and the championship lead from Oscar Piastri in Mexico City. This fight to me feels like it has now swung towards Norris, who has a points lead.

I feel if Norris can maximise that slight advantage this weekend, we seen him do better than Piastri in changeable conditions and he since Piastri’s difficult weekend in Baku has been behind Norris. Also Norris has scored four podiums from six opportunities and finished ahead of Piastri in every race.

Max Verstappen still remains a threat, but I think he realistically needs a series of strong results to win his fifth championship. The Red Bull isn’t there, though we know that if we do get changeable conditions, he will be a bigger threat. Also, Interlagos is one of his stronger races, but they have been mixed at more technical circuits.

It looks like Ferrari has finally turned a corner and has been fighting nearer the front. I think Lewis Hamilton has been let down by his performances in qualifying and there could be pressure on him. There are rumours starting to emerge that his contract will not be renewed next year, with Ollie Bearman being lined up as his potential replacement

I think this weekend is important for Bearman, he returns to a circuit where he had his worst race last season. The Englishman has more experience now, it will be interesting to what he has learned from last year. But as we have been saying all season that the midfield is tight and that will again be a factor this weekend as we have a under seventy-second lap, and anyone could be at risk

2023 vs 2024 Race Data

2024 Lap time comparison

Tyres