For the penultimate round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the sport arrives at the historic Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos, home of the Brazilian Grand Prix. In the not too distant past, the race was the scene of the first world championship triumph several times by great drivers such as Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
This year the race will have no value in relation to the fight for the world titles, already won by Max Verstappen and Red Bull. However, the event will represent a further opportunity to evaluate the performance of the single-seaters. In this sense, it will be interesting to see if Mercedes will be Red Bull’s main rival in the long-distance duel with Ferrari during the Brazilian weekend as well, as was the case two weeks ago in Mexico.
At the same time, the Italian team will also have to relaunch itself in view of the 2023 championship and in fact show that the disappointing race in Mexico City was only an isolated episode in the second part of the season, which overall was a difficult one for the Scuderia. The Brazilian circuit is located in Sao Paulo and takes its name from its location. It is in fact situated between the two artificial lakes: the Guarapiranga and the Billings.
Probably the presence of numerous bumps and different high levels of the asphalt is due to the geological nature of the underlying area. Also this year, the weekend will be marked by the third and final “sprint weekend” of the season after the rounds held at Imola and in Austria.
A format that will help the teams which will be able to do an excellent job in the simulator, and then find a good setup in the one hour of free practice before qualifying on Friday afternoon.
The track is 4,309 meters long and will be covered 71 times in the race. The circuit layout consists of 15 corners, 10 of which on the left and 5 on the right, to be tackled in an anti-clockwise direction. Although it does not reach the altitude of Mexico, the track is still located at about 800 meters above sea level.
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The power of the DRS on this track is sensitive in relation to the probable setup choices from medium / high load. The areas in which it is possible to open the rear wing are located at the main straight and between corners 3 and 4.
The main straight that starts at turn 12 measures 1230 meters and runs in about 14.6 seconds, while the section between turns 3 and 4, 820 meters long, takes around 10.3 seconds. The track has discrete altimetric variations that enhance the skill of the drivers, such as the blind corner to the left called “Descida do Lago” (Lake’s Descent) or the subsequent turn to the right known as “Ferradura” (Horseshoe).
The Interlagos track is not particularly demanding in terms of fuel consumption, also because of the thin air which reduces drag. The fuel requirement is 1.36 kg / rev. According to Pirelli, traction and braking will not particularly affect tire degradation.
This is because the circuit is very smooth and the absence of low-speed corners allows the teams more control over the deterioration of the rear wheels. Also for the Mexican stage, the Italian manufacturer opted for the central range of dry compounds: PZero White Hard C2, PZero Yellow Medium C3 and PZero Red Soft C4).
2022 Brazilian GP preview: mechanical severity and power unit
The characteristics of this circuit make it less severe for the braking system. The time used in braking is in fact equal to 17% of the lap time. Conversely, Interlagos is demanding for the power units, with the internal combustion unit that will go in full gas for 70% of the lap.
Not to mention the height mentioned above. This scenario will force the technicians to take special precautions given the estimated power loss of 1.6%. In order to compensate for this deficit, a higher turbo rotation speed will be needed, about 2,000 rpm more.
The commitment of the hybrid part, on the contrary, will not be as important as on other tracks. Obtained through the MGU-H motion generator, the energy recovery from the enthalpy of excess exhaust gases will have a value of approximately 2486Kj. While the MGU-K contribution will produce approximately 612Kj, for a total lap of 3098kj for each lap. In terms of lap time, these values are transformed into just over two seconds per lap, offering 16 km / h more in top speed.
As for the gearbox, the low number of upshifts / downshifts, 3053 gear changes per race, does not raise particular concerns for the teams. The most used gear is the eighth one, called into question 29% of the time, followed by the third gear, which takes about 18% of the time. The number of gear changes over the distance of the race is average when compared to the rest of the championship races.
2022 Brazilian GP preview: aerodynamic configuration
The tuning of the cars will depend a lot on the downforce that the car body will be able to produce. The estimated advantage produced by the use of the mobile wing is around 15 km / h speed on the main straight. While in the straight that connects corner 3 to 4, the backstraight, we are talking about a difference of about 13 km / h.
The compromise between load and top speed will be essential, for the correct vertical thrust useful to face the twisty part of the second section in the best possible way and, at the same time, to make the most of the high-speed sections which are encountered in the third sector of the Brazilian circuit. Here too, as on other tracks, albeit to a lesser extent, enjoying good aerodynamic efficiency will undoubtedly be an advantage that should not be underestimated.
The Interlagos track has two high-speed sections:
• Mainstraight: from turn 12 (Junçao, nda) to up to turn 1
• Backstraight: from curve 3 to curve 4
In the first two segments the DRS can be used in qualifying and in overtaking maneuvers in the race. The following illustration shows the radius and angle of all the corners of the Brazilian track. The fastest corners are those with the highest radius, while those with low travel speed are characterized by a high angle.
Key point of the first sector
S1 starts from the start / finish line up to the braking point of turn 4. The single-seaters proceed at full power from Junçao (turn 12, ed.) through the parabolic Subida dos Boxes (turn 13, ed.). A good 16 ″ 0 net, covering 1230 meters to reach the first part of the track at a speed of 341 km / h in eighth gear. In this section, with the support of the wake together with the DRS, speeds of over 350 km / h can be reached.
The braking of turn 1 is violent, the most severe of the track. Abrupt braking puts a strain on the driver and the braking system, with an estimated deceleration of 5.8 g, slowing the car up to 140 km / h by downshifting to third gear. This portion of the track has always been the scene of a lot of overtaking moves in the race. The most delicate point of the first sector is certainly the management of the perfect trajectory at the Senna esses. The ideal line allows drivers to launch themselves towards the backstraight in the best possible way, to undertake further overtaking before turn 4, facilitated by the possibility of opening the rear wing.
Key point of the second sector
S2 takes shape from turn 4 and ends in section 11 and 12 of the track. The most delicate segment is located between turn 6 (Ferradura, nda) and turn 7 (Curva do Laranjinha, nda). The first of the two is a right-hand bend which can be reached with a speed of 300-310 km / h in eighth gear.
Continuing towards the Laranjinha turn, a right-hand turn uphill in continuous acceleration, which you go through in full at a speed of about 240 km / h in sixth gear at the point of greatest lateral acceleration.
Key point of the third sector
S3 starts from Junçao braking to the finish line. This is the fastest segment of the circuit, as it includes the main straight 1230 meters long.
And Junçao is the only low-speed corner in the entire sector. At this point the slope of the asphalt changes and the descent turns uphill to the main straight line. The drivers arrive at the braking of turn 12 at a speed of 280 km / h in seventh gear. Braking is challenging because it is difficult to find the right detachment point and requires good aerodynamic balance. The top speed is essential to gain time in the uphill segment towards the finish line.
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