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A fortnight on from the previous
round, Formula 1 returns to the American continent for the Sao Paulo Grand
Prix. The Brazilian weekend features the penultimate Sprint, prior to the
final one of the season in Qatar.
Brazil has strong links to the
sport, with a rich racing legacy, as well as being home to several great
champions who have left an indelible mark on the history of Formula 1.
The Interlagos track, with an interesting mix of straights and corner
types usually provides a great show and close racing, with sudden rain
storms often adding to the uncertainty of the final result.
This
week, the Pirelli Podium Cap is green and yellow, echoing the colors of the
national flag. The special edition which the drivers will wear on the podium
is produced by Pirelli Design with creative input from the designer Denis
Dekovic and can be purchased on the dedicated e-commerce site https://store.pirelli.com.
The compounds
This year’s compound selection for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix harks back to
2023, with the C2, C3 and C4 as Hard, Medium and Soft, therefore one step
harder than the trio used last year.
Last year, the dry weather tyres
were not required for the race, but when used on Friday and Saturday
morning, they showed high levels of wear, as well as graining, especially on
the rear axle. The circuit had been completed resurfaced, thus leaving a
very smooth surface, less abrasive than in previous years, although still
with plenty of bumps around the track.
If conditions are similar,
with the inevitable variations due to the ageing of the asphalt, the
decision to bring harder compounds could thus extend the performance life of
the tyres, which are already more resistant to degradation than the 2024
range. That might allow the Soft to come into play, which last year was only
used for Sprint qualifying.
In 2024
Last year, qualifying and the race both took place on Sunday. With bad
weather forecast, the Race Director decided to run qualifying at 07.30, as
well as bringing the Grand Prix start time forward to 12.30. Dry weather
tyres were never used at any time during the day.
All drivers were on
Intermediates for the start and at half-distance the race was red-flagged as
the rain intensified. At that point, just five drivers had fitted Full Wets.
After the restart, all drivers completed the race on Intermediates, only
four of them running a new set. If it had been a dry race, data from the
previous day suggested that a two-stop was the most realistic option in
terms of race time and tyre management, given the wear rate seen during
Friday and Saturday’s sessions.
The track
The circuit named in honour of Brazilian racer José Carlos Pace, is 4.309
kilometres long. It was built between 1938 and 1940 and takes much of its
inspiration from three classic circuits: Brooklands in England, Roosevelt
Raceway in the United States and Montlhery in France.
The layout at
Interlagos is interesting, with hints of an anti-clockwise oval circuit,
which the drivers deal with 71 times in the race. It boasts 15 corners with
relatively balanced lateral and longitudinal forces that do not put any
undue strain on the tyres, as they are subjected to loads distributed
equally between the front and rear axles.
The combination of several
straights and much twistier sections offers plenty of overtaking
opportunities, although it also means there’s a higher risk of Safety Cars
and incidents.
At this time of year, the weather and temperature can
be very variable, with a risk of frequent rain and the inevitable use of wet
weather tyres.
A further peculiarity of Interlagos is the bumpy
nature of the track, as a result of it being built on relatively unstable
ground: just one more challenge for drivers and teams to deal with in terms
of set-up and tyre management.
Prior to last year’s
Grand Prix, much of the track was resurfaced with the aim of increasing grip
and smoothing out some bumps. This led to a much lower level of abrasiveness
and with more grip available, lap times were significantly quicker.
Keyword: colour
Brazilian Carnival is known the world over for the vibrant colours of its
setting and the costumes of the participants, embodying the country’s
festive spirit and cultural identity. Indeed, it was in Rio de Janeiro, home
to the famous carnival that Pirelli first introduced colour banded sidewalls
on their tyres, which is now a distinctive trademark of the Italian company
in Formula 1.
At the first round of the 1986 F1 season, held at Rio
de Janeiro’s Jacarepagua circuit, the Benetton team, owned by the eponymous
clothing company and noted for its innovative use of colour, introduced
something new, in the form of Pirelli tyres with completely coloured
sidewalls. The B186s driven by Gerhard Berger and Teo Fabi sported them for
the first stint of the race, much to everyone’s amazement. Up until that
day, tyres had remained almost exclusively black.
When Pirelli
returned to Formula 1 as sole tyre supplier in 2011 it introduced coloured
markings next to the logo for ease of identification. This idea reached its
peak in 2018 when there were no fewer than seven different colours to
identify the various compounds, the range being known as the “rainbow.”
However, this experiment only lasted to the end of that season, replaced by
the current white, yellow and red.
Statistics corner
To date, Brazil has hosted 51 Formula 1 World Championship Grands Prix, 47
named after the country and the last four after the city of Sao Paulo.
Interlagos has hosted 41 races, starting with the inaugural event in 1973.
In 1978 and from 1981 to 1989, the race was held at Rio de Janeiro’s
Jacarepagua circuit.
Of the races run at the José Carlos Pace
circuit, the most successful driver is Michael Schumacher with four wins and
ten podium finishes. If Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton were to win this
year, they would equal the German champion’s record at the Paulista track.
Of the teams, Scuderia Ferrari leads the way on 9 wins, just one ahead
of McLaren. Interlagos was also the scene of George Russell’s maiden Formula
1 win in 2022. |
