This weekend, Formula 1 returns to Brazil, and during the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s tragic passing, as already seen in Imola in May, events and tributes will be held at Interlagos. Pirelli, in collaboration with the Senna Institute, will auction a special version of the Pole Position Award in Brazilian national colors and featuring the logo of the legendary Brazilian driver. Additionally, as with the past five races this year, there will be a special edition of the Pirelli Podium Cap, also in the colors of the national flag and with Senna’s logo, honoring a driver who will forever be remembered not only by all Brazilians but also by all Formula 1 fans.
The São Paulo Grand Prix will mark the end of Formula 1’s long stretch in the Americas, which started with the Austin race, continued in Mexico City, and now heads to Interlagos.
Coincidentally, the Brazilian circuit, like the previous two, has been resurfaced. However, while only certain sections of the tracks were repaved in Austin and Mexico City, all 4309 meters in São Paulo, including the pit lane, have been renewed. The work was only recently completed, and the asphalt was thoroughly cleaned using a high-pressure water system that removed the shine typically seen on fresh bitumen and increased the surface’s abrasiveness.
Therefore, the track surface will be an entirely unknown factor for drivers and teams this weekend. Adding to the complexity, Pirelli has chosen to bring softer tire compounds to Brazil than last year: the C3 as the Hard, C4 as the Medium, and C5 as the Soft.
The Sprint format will also return this weekend, meaning teams will only have one practice session to find the best setup, although, as seen in Austin, the “short” race actually proved quite useful for fine-tuning the car’s balance for the main Grand Prix.
At Interlagos, the lateral and longitudinal forces exerted on the tires through the 15 turns of this counter-clockwise circuit are of medium to low intensity and are evenly distributed across both axles. Furthermore, the new track surface could lead to faster lap times, thereby increasing tire stress.
The circuit, named after José Carlos Pace, offers several overtaking opportunities but is also known for the high probability of a Safety Car and extremely variable weather. Usually, the fastest strategy involves two pit stops, favoring the use of softer compounds. Last year, all drivers but one opted to start on Softs, but a red flag after the start allowed a switch to Mediums before finishing the race on another set of Softs. This year, the softer compounds may open up a wider range of strategy options, making the race even more thrilling.
Interlagos has hosted 40 Grands Prix, although only the last three have carried the name of the São Paulo Grand Prix. The previous 37 were titled the Brazilian Grand Prix, which was also held ten times at Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepaguá circuit.
The most successful driver in Brazil is Alain Prost with six wins, though only one of these was in São Paulo, a track where Michael Schumacher holds the record with four victories. Ayrton Senna tops the pole position chart with six wins in his home country, equally divided between the two circuits. At Interlagos, four other drivers matched Ayrton Senna’s tally: his fellow Brazilians Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen, and Lewis Hamilton. Among the teams, McLaren leads with 11 victories, although Ferrari has the most wins at Interlagos, with nine. The British team tops the list of pole positions for this event with 11, and nine pole positions on this weekend’s track.
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