Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix

Circuit information

The Brasilian Grand Prix is held in the outskirts of Sao Paulo on the circuit called Autodromo Joe Carlos, named after a Brasilian F1 driver. The circuit, formerly called Interlagos, was built in 1936 when the owners of the land realized that it is not suitable for housing and decided to build a race track. The traditional name, Interlagos comes from the fact that it was built in a region between two large artificial lakes.  The original track allowed cars to keep their maximum speed for up to twenty seconds and was considered very dangerous therefore its layout has been changed to improve drivers' safety.

In spite of the major rebuilding in 1990 the current 4.4 kilometer long circuit still has a very long top-speed section that contains bumps and high-speed turns.  Many drivers consider Interlagos interesting as it follows the ups and downs of hilly ground, which makes it more challenging to the drives and requires more power from the cars' engines.

The facilities of Inerlagos, the organisation of the race  and general safety are often criticised. To address these issues the largest refurbishment of the circuit in the last 30 years was carried out in 2007. The existing asphalt was entirely replaced resulting in a much smoother track surface. At the same time, new grandstands were built while the pit lane entrance was enhanced to improve safety.

No doubt the 2007 F1 Championship was the most exciting one in the past decade. One of the greatest moments of the whole season was when Kimi Raikkonen became world champion when he made up a leeway of 7 points during the race.  Make sure that you buy your F1 tickets as the Brasilian GP might bring the same excitement in this season too.