© Vladimir RysCircuit Scout: InterlagosDiscover what’s best about the Brazilian Grand Prix from a driver’s point of view.
Afterayearaway,FormulaonereturnstotheAutódromoJoséCarlosPacefortheBrazilianGrandPrix.
The 2019 race was a thrilling event with Max winning, and Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz claiming their first career podiums, but the most memorable moment of all was the fact that Alex Albon was sitting in P3 on the penultimate lap, looking to claim his first F1 podium when he was clipped by Lewis Hamilton, while the Brit tried an overtake attempt. This contact spun Alex, who then had to re-join the race in P15.
So, who better to ask about Interlagos than Red Bull Racing Honda’s Test and Reserve Driver Alex himself?
The Brazilian Grand Prix has a long and interrupted history (until last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The first Formula One race was in 1972 and since 1990 it has been held at Interlagos, or to give it its proper name: Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Interlagos was built in 1938 – the designers took inspiration from three other popular tracks: Roosevelt Raceway in the USA, Montlhery in France and the iconic Brooklands in the UK. The track boasts banked corners and the famous Senna S, it has a length of 4.309km and this year the race will be 71 laps long.
Now you know the facts, let’s go for a lap with Alex…
Circuit Scout: Interlagos© @sou_draws
When you picture Brazil, you probably imagine endless amounts of sunshine, but that’s not the case. “The weather is always unpredictable,” said Alex. But it can make for great racing. “It’s a great track for racing there’s always a lot of dicey battles, it’s got a great flow to it.”
Brazil is one of the rare circuits that is anti-clockwise making it hard on the drivers. “It’s actually physical for drivers, your body, especially your neck, is so conditioned for clockwise circuits that it makes Interlagos physical, and it’s a small track so there’s not much rest time.”
Lights out, time to go…
The action begins straight away at Interlagos with the first left hander being the best place to make a move. “Turn one is the best overtaking opportunity, you can go on the outside or the inside, it’s also a great place to overtake on restarts,” Alex explained.
Turn One At Interlagos© Getty Images
Like Alex said earlier, there is no rest and it’s straight into turns two and three. “Turn two and three are flat out corners, turn three is an easy flat, but it’s still a great corner.”
After the long straight out of turn three you come up to turn four which Alex claims is a great place to overtake, unless: “it’s two Ferraris!”
This is where the circuit turns into a rollercoaster “These are the best corners on the track,” explained Alex. “As you go up the hill towards the turn, it goes blind. You come in looking at the corner and then it vanishes, which is a really cool and makes for a great sequence of corners, a bit like Eau Rouge – but Brazilian style.”
These turns are halfway through sector two and offer the drivers plenty of options. “You really have to feel the groove through eight and nine,” said Alex. “There are a lot of cambers, so there’s not really a strict line. If your car understeers you can go high on the banking and it drops back down. So, you have to find your own line and it changes depending on how you drive.”
Close To The Apex At Interlagos© Getty Images
This is the now-famous corner where Lewis made contact with Alex and took away his chance of a podium in 2019, so he obviously has a strong opinion of turn 10. “It’s not a great over taking place,” joked Alex. “It’s a tricky corner – even when you’re alone – it’s easy to lock up the fronts here.”
This is the start of sector three and Alex thinks this is the most critical corner on the track. “This is the corner where you can lose the most time. There is a long straight that leads onto it. And the tyres are on fire here. You’ve just come out of sector two, which is all wiggly, and the tyres just haven’t had time to rest – they’re screaming hot as you come into the corner and it can make the car feel terrible, and that makes the exit difficult. It’s a very important corner.”
Alex is clearly a fan of Interlagos, but does it get full marks? “It’s a great track to drive. But I think there isn’t enough high-speed corners to give it ten out of ten. It’s a historic track with lots of character and is good for racing, there’s also a great atmosphere!”
Score: 9/10
Charged For The Fight In Brazil© Getty Images
