GET TO KNOW
THE CIRCUIT
A carnival atmosphere really does dominate in Brazil, and watching Formula 1 cars alongside the locals is something every F1 fan should experience. With a local driver back on the grid too in the form of Gabriel Bortoleto, there will be no stopping the party at Interlagos.
What’s the circuit like?
Like many pre-World War II tracks, Interlagos features banked corners, with the drivers beginning their lap on a sort of half oval – in fact, between 1957 and the track’s return to the F1 calendar in 1990, Interlagos could be run as a giant oval. After wiggling through the Senna S and down to Turn 4, the drivers then go through a snaking in-field section with some challenging camber changes, before slinging back up the hill and through the banked final turn.
When was the track built?
Building work began on what ended up being called the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace – but what is more commonly referred to as Interlagos – all the way back in 1938. The track designers took their inspiration from three main circuits: Brooklands in the UK, Roosevelt Raceway in the USA and Montlhery in France.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Buoyed by the success of Brazil’s Emerson Fittipaldi, Formula 1 first jetted into Interlagos for a World Championship race in 1973. Fans were treated to a home win in the first three Brazilian Grands Prix, with Fittipaldi victorious in 1973 and 1974, while Carlos Pace won in 1975.
SAFETY CAR
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Trivia
Interlagos was built in 1938, on a plot of land unsuitable for housing. The circuit is named after Jose Carlos Pace, who won here in 1975 for Brabham.
FIRST GRAND PRIX:
1973
TRACK LENGTH:
305.939km
LAP RECORD:
1:10.540
Valtteri Bottas (2018)
Previous winners
2024 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 George Russell (Mercedes)
2021 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2019 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Previous polesitters
2024 Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2019 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
PIT STOP
TIME LOSS
20.8s
(including 2.5s stationary)
OVERTAKES COMPLETED IN 2024:
72
POLE RUN TO TURN 1 BRAKING POINT:
The Driver's Verdict
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault F1 driver
Interlagos has a tricky first corner, you can brake much later than you imagine and carry speed into the apex – but go too late and it's easy to lock up the front left.
The middle sector here is all about the flow, the corners come thick and fast. One lock-up in either of the tight right-handers and it puts you off line and out of sync for the whole lot. It's easy to lock up as well because you are loaded laterally on the entries there. It's a technical sector where the rhythm is everything.
The final corner is critical, it's all about exit speed to carry you onto the whopping straight back up the hill. You've got to get the right balance between opening up the corner and taking too much kerb as well, which can unsettle the car and cost you exit speed.
Overall it's a short but fun circuit to drive. The anti-clockwise nature and long, loaded left-handers make this one a bit harder physically for the drivers as well. By the end of this race you might be feeling it on the neck, which isn't used to being loaded up so much on that side.
Current Form
What can be expected going into the Grand Prix weekend?
With four rounds remaining in the 2025 season, the battle for the Drivers' Championship is still very much on. The fight took another twist last time out in Mexico after Lando Norris returned to the top of the standings for the first time since April, though the Briton leads by only one point from team mate Oscar Piastri.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, has continued to close the gap in third place, with the Red Bull driver now just 36 points adrift of Norris. Of the three title contenders, Norris arguably arrives into the weekend with the momentum off the back of a dominant victory in Mexico City.
However, Piastri will be keen to bounce back following a trickier run of late that has seen him finish off the podium for the last four races, and the McLaren racer is likely to welcome the higher grip conditions at Interlagos.
But with the possibility of showers arriving during the event – a weekend in which the Sprint will make its penultimate appearance of the campaign – Verstappen would be one to watch in such conditions, given the Dutchman's stunning drive to victory on a wet track back in 2024.
A strong result for the reigning World Champion could see him gain even more ground in the championship, while a solid points haul for Red Bull might put the Milton Keynes-based outfit ahead of either Ferrari or Mercedes in the ongoing close duel for P2 in the Teams’ standings.
Behind that battle, Williams still have a firm grip on P5, while the midfield scrap remains as close as ever as only 12 points separate Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Haas and Kick Sauber in the fight for sixth place. Who will have the edge this weekend in Sao Paulo?
Iconic Moment
Senna's emotional home race victory
There are countless memorable moments from the career of Ayrton Senna, but one particular highlight came when the three-time champion scored an emotional victory in his home race during the 1991 season.
Having started from pole position, Senna led for 65 laps before the gearbox on his McLaren started to fail. With the rain clouds gathering and just one gear available to use, the Brazilian driver managed to make it across the line in P1, marking the first time that Senna had claimed a win in front of his local fans.
