The Formula 1 World Championship has now made camp in Brazil for the São Paulo Grand Prix, which takes place at the famous track named to honour the memory of José Carlos Pace, a talented Brazilian driver from the 1970s who won a Formula 1 Grand Prix and also competed successfully in endurance racing with Ferrari, and better known simply as Interlagos. This weekend’s 21st round of the season – there are just four more to go – is again run to the Sprint format, which means there are 58 points up for grabs and just the one free practice session to prepare the cars prior to Sprint Qualifying.
The circuit. The Interlagos circuit encapsulates the very essence of Formula1: fast, technical and unpredictable, which is why it has been the scene of so many memorable battles and races that have gone down in history. The track features climbs and drops with changes of gradient and the middle sector has plenty of slow corners where aerodynamic downforce can make the difference. The first part of the lap from Esse di Senna to Descida do Lago (turn 4) offers overtaking opportunities, aided by the ability to use DRS. The middle sector from turns 6 to 11 is twisty and tests a car’s traction and balance. The final sector from the Junção corner to the Subida do Boxes and then the start-finish line is a key part from where drivers try for maximum speed all the way to the first corner, which is another ideal overtaking opportunity.
Weather. It can rain a lot in São Paulo in November and the forecast for this coming weekend is not that encouraging. However, the weather can change very rapidly at Interlagos, partly because it is situated at the moderate altitude of 700 metres above sea level. It’s not unusual to have a wet session followed by one when the sun beats down and the track temperature reaches 40 degrees.
Tyres. Run over 71 laps, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix can often call for a two-stop strategy in dry conditions. This is partly down to the track layout which makes overtaking relatively straightforward. However, in case of rain, teams need to be alert, ready to react to the changing track conditions.
Programme. The only free practice session starts at 11.30 local (15.30 CET) in preparation for Sprint Qualifying at 15.30 (19.30 CET). Saturday’s action begins with the fifth Sprint race of the season at 11.00 (15.00 CET) followed by qualifying for the main event at 15.00 (19.00 CET). The Sao Paulo Grand Prix gets underway at 14.00 (18.00 CET).
Fred Vasseur - Team Principal
At Interlagos we will tackle the fifth Sprint weekend of the season, which means another interesting test for the whole team, both physically and mentally. In this compact format, every detail matters, from the preparation work in Maranello to the real-time support from the remote garage. We come to Brazil with a positive attitude, off the back of two solid weekends in Austin and Mexico, where we maximised the potential of the car and the goal now is to keep this momentum going, focus on execution, and be ready to react to whatever weather conditions we encounter in São Paulo.
