[Official] Brazilian Grand Prix 2022: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 21 of 22

[Born Racer]

Interlagos – this is one of the great circuits and almost always stages drama and emotion. The raucous and ebullient fans cheer from the grandstands that sit so close to the circuit that they make an amphitheatre of it. The track plunges downhill into Turn 1, setting the drivers off on a rollercoaster ride of a lap, with some interesting gradient changes affecting the corners.

São Paulo continues to bring us nail-biting tension, spectacular overtakes and big upsets year on year. This is raw racing in an old school setting at a place with evocative corner names instead of mere numbered turns, like many modern tracks.

Max Verstappen could take an important record – that of best wins percentage of a season – if he wins here and in Abu Dhabi.


The history

Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton arrives in Brazil having been made an honorary citizen of the country. His popularity has grown and grown here, even more so after his spectacular 2021 racing, when he won from title rival Max Verstappen and team-mate Valtteri Bottas after charging through from 5th on the grid, a position he had earned after starting at the back of the sprint. The sprint returns this weekend to make its final 2022 appearance and although it has been derided by some, in 2021 it was fantastic to watch the build-up to a great Grand Prix victory feature two fights through the field, with Lewis working his way up to 5th in the first race and then climbing the final tricky four places in the Grand Prix. It made the combination of qualifying, sprint and Grand Prix feel like a real cumulative event.

Hamilton almost took the title at his first attempt back in 2007, but just missed out, as did Alonso, with Kimi Räikkönen sneaking through to snatch it away with the victory. Hamilton also famously beat Felipe Massa to the title in 2008 after Massa “was champion for thirty seconds”, as people said. He vanquished the McLaren pair, who finished the season tied on points, but with Lewis coming out ahead of Fernando in the title race on countback.

This claim is really a misconception, as Ferrari and Felipe celebrated too early. It had been raining and Hamilton and race leader Massa both pitted for intermediates, but in their haste to celebrate, the Scuderia had not allowed for Hamilton finding a way past Timo Glock who was slithering about on his dry-weather tyres. That he did so at the final corner of the season to take the points he needed capped one of the most dramatic endings to a sporting event in recorded history. The Constructors’ Championship seemed little comfort for Ferrari, as a mechanic headbutted a glass wall in the pits and Fiat president Luca di Montezemolo reportedly broke a TV.

2008 was one of two home victories for Massa. The other was in 2006 when he led from pole to the finish. It was Michael Schumacher who made all the headlines, though, in what was expected to be his final race, after having hit problems in qualifying, which restricted him to 10th on the grid. He was relegated to 19th place on Lap 9 after a collision and made it back to fourth, overtaking Kimi Räikkönen near the end.

It nearly wasn't the only win for Kimi. In 2003, Fernando Alonso, then with Renault, shunted on the start-finish straight, bringing out the red flags in a wet race in which he speared into the inside wall. Räikkönen was declared the victor on countback, despite Giancarlo Fisichella taking the chequered flag having overtaken the McLaren driver. The Jordan winner entered the pits on fire in a strange ending to the race. The decision to award the win to Räikkönen was overturned in the F.I.A. Court of Appeal in Paris a few days later when it was confirmed that Fisi was in fact the winner, because he had crossed the line in the lead two laps before Alonso’s crash (the race result was taken from the running order two laps before the race stoppage). Fisichella claimed his winner’s trophy back from Kimi in a bizarre start-finish ceremony at the next Grand Prix, taking Jordan’s final win in Formula 1.

In 2012, Sebastian Vettel took his third consecutive championship, despite spinning on the first lap and narrowly avoiding being hit. Another memorable year was 2001, when Juan-Pablo Montoya announced his presence on the Formula 1 scene with an audacious move on Michael Schumacher to take the lead, before being taken out by Max Verstappen’s father Jos.

Back in 1997, eventual world champion of that year Jacques Villeneuve won the race after having got in a tangle at the first corner. Unlike these days, if there was a red flag back then, you could jump into the spare car.

All these examples are fairly modern, but Brazilian Grands Prix had started being run at the Gavea circuit in Rio de Janeiro in 1936. Interlagos was first developed when, in the late 1930s, two property developers bought the land, only to discover it was unsuitable for housing. It was completed in 1940. Just like the previous race in Mexico City, the first Grand Prix held at the circuit in 1972 wasn’t a world championship event, joining the Formula 1 World Championship the following year. Argentina's Carlos Reutemann won the first Braziian Grand Prix in his Brabham, while São Paulo native Emerson Fittipaldi took the spoils in the inaugural Formula 1 race for Lotus.

In 1974, the start was delayed when officials had to sweep the track to clear away broken glass that the excitable crowd had put on it. When the flag dropped to signal the start of the race, it caught several drivers out and Reutemann went into the lead. After his tyres went off, leader Ronnie Peterson battled with Emerson Fittipaldi, but Peterson developed a puncture (possibly from some of the glass). The race was stopped on Lap 32 of 40, due to heavy rain, and home hero Fittipaldi took his second Brazilian win on the bounce, this time for McLaren-Ford.

In 1975, São Paulo native Carlos Pace won his only Formula 1 race in Brazil. He was to be killed in a plane accident two years later and the circuit is now named after him, being the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. The following year, Tom Pryce scored his only podium, for Shadow, in third, behind winner Niki Lauda and second-placed Patrick Depailler in his Tyrrell-Ford. Ferrari's Reutemann won from Hunt and Lauda in 1977, while in 1978 Reutemann won again in the Ferrari (the first ever win for a Michelin-shod car), with Emerson Fittipaldi securing an excellent second place in his own team's car. The next year, it was a Ligier 1-2, Laffite leading home Depailler. It was another French 1-2 in 1980, this time with Jabouille’s Renault winning in front of Pironi’s Ligier.

The race switched to the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio in 1981. Reutemann led home Alan Jones and ignored an instruction from Williams to let Jones past. Jones refused to show up to the podium celebrations.

In 1982, Nelson Piquet came home first in his Brabham and eventual world champion Keke Rosberg was second in his Williams, but both cars were disqualified, due to their ballast water tank, which cooled the brakes, emptied during the race and filled up at the end. These disqualifications led to the FOCA teams boycotting San Marino a fortnight later. Alain Prost was therefore declared the winner for Renault.

Nigel Mansell won on his debut for Ferrari in 1989, the first person to do so since Mario Andretti in 1971 and the last until Kimi Räikkönen in 2007. A spectator ran across the track just as he crossed the line.

The race switched back to a reconfigured Interlagos in 1991.

In 1994, there was a four-car collision between Eddie Irvine, Martin Brundle, Jos Verstappen and Éric Bernard, which led to Irvine being banned for three races. It can make you wince to watch how Brundle’s neck shook about in the cockpit. Ayrton Senna spun out in his Williams while chasing down and closing the gap to eventual race winner Michael Schumacher.

Our last outing in São Paulo was in 2019 - a race at which Max Verstappen commandingly took victory from Pierre Gasly, delighted to take second, and Carlos Sainz, who was only a retrospective podium finisher, awarded the 3rd place after Lewis Hamilton had been penalised for a clumsy collision he had caused with Alex Albon. The top 3 result was the youngest podium in F1 history.


The track

Interlagos is full of tricky camber changes, ascents and descents. The drivers dive into Turn 1, a downhill left-hander nowadays known as the Senna ‘S’, which then goes 90 right and which is followed by a long left-hander, the Curva do Sol. This takes them onto the Reta Oposta, an opportunity for overtaking present here particularly on the opening lap, depending on the exit from the previous corner. ‘Reta Oposta’ should mean ‘back straight’. The explanation for why this would therefore be the back straight lies in a comparison with the old layout used before the 80s. The track used to go left at Curva 1 on part of the track which was outside where the Senna ‘S’ is nowadays. The Curva do Sol was therefore a corner which was on the infield of the old circuit and was followed by the Reta Oposta.

Back to 2022 and the drivers enter the Descida do Lago, which is a really quick left-hander for which they brake extremely late (around 50 metres before the turn). They have to maintain speed and not run wide, which it is easy to do. There are two apexes here. This takes them back onto another brief straight before they begin to ascend again. The tremendous Ferradura (which means ‘Horse Shoe’) and Laranjinha ('Little Orange') is effectively a long double-apex right-hander and getting themselves on the apex is essential to winding the car up the hill effectively. Once they plateau, drivers enter some of the tricky, technical corners, the cambers presenting them with an added challenge. Right-hander Turn 8 doesn’t seem to have a name and goes into the Pinheirinho (Little Pine Tree) left-hander. Bico do Pato (Duck Bill) follows and is a lot like Turn 8, but it’s particularly easy to lock up here on the way in.

Mergulho is a quick left-hander where drivers keep their foot planted but have to be careful to balance the car on the correct line before they dare to brake as late as possible for Junçao, carrying a lot of speed in, but maintaining traction up the hill before taking the Subida dos Boxes and Arquibancadas curves, two left-handers which are basically a case of maintaining speed and possibly lining themselves up for a pass. What a magnificent circuit Interlagos is.

If the track wasn't exciting enough, the weather also loves to throw a spanner in the works, as we have so often seen.

[bjohnsonsmith]

One of my favourite tracks and a shame the WDC has been decided, as Interlagos can produce some great championship deciders. Otherwise, will Verstappen increase the record of GP wins in a season? Can Perez extend his points total over Leclerc and get closer to giving Red Bull the clean sweep, or can Lewis break his duck; he has won here three times in 2016, 2018, 2021?

[Lancsbreaker]

I see Verstappen is making noises about not finding the Sprint race format enjoyable, because nobody "pushes" as they don't want to risk their car for the main race.



Supposedly some thought that next year the Sprints will be stand-alone, and won't influence grid places for the full race?

[seanyb505]

Curse of the Brazil sprint version 2022: Pole sitter will end up starting 13th on Sunday.

[BTCC frog]

It's a shame it is just for the sprint race, but still an incredible pole position for Kevin Magnussen, the biggest qualifying upset since Nico Hulkenberg took pole on the same track in 2010. And it was lovely to see the polesitter as overjoyed as he was.

[broadrun96]

That is all

Courtesy of FieldofDreams.

[Akrapovic]

That was good fun.

Is this the first time Ferraris strategy has been so bad, that they've screwed themselves, and someone else?

[Greem]

That was *hilarious*.

Well done Haas F1 and KMag. Take your chances when they're presented to you!

[Dixie Flatline]

So so pleased for Kevin and Haas. Been quietly supporting Haas for a few years and they have done the hard yards, what with their major sponsor pulling out a couple of years ago, having to take the money from Mazepin (one of the worst drivers in the last 10-20 years of Formula One) to keep the team going.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

That is all

Courtesy of FieldofDreams.

Wish Dan Gurney was around to see it. Sad it's been so long but I'll take it Go Haas and Mags!!

[S griffin]

Well done Magnussen. Deserves that pole. Ferrari once again mess things up, shock!

[billy bleach]

Does F1 realise how stupid it looks when the TV crews cannot do interviews properly because of the Sh!ye tribute band blaring out ?

[Akrapovic]

I like that Aston Martin, who have a driver who is unable to use his mirrors, have decided to balance this out, by signing a driver who is unable to use his eyes.

[chavez]

Race of the season to date.

[Sodemo]

The Merc is so draggy, coming out of DRS and the slipstream and they hit a brick wall.

[S griffin]

While I'm still not a fan of the sprint race concept, that was the best yet. Great win by Russell, let's see if he can repeat that today. Verstappen finally looks beatable due to wearing his tyres out

Magnussen's drop to 7th makes it seem like the big 3 is back

What is happening with Stroll? He may get a lot of criticism for being a pay driver, but I've never seen him as a dangerous driver prior to Austin. Now two out of 3 GPs he does a dangerous move. When Gasly is close to a race ban for lesser things, it does make you wonder if the FIA are focusing on the right drivers

[BTCC frog]

I thought that sprint race was extremely exciting, but it is very much worth noting that with a normal weekend format that would instead have been the first stint of a really exciting Grand Prix, and it it would have been much better had it continued for another 47. Also, it means Kevin Magnussen doesn't really get to start from pole position, which was a shame, and the drivers are starting the race effectively in pace order as that was the order of their pace in the sprint, making the actual race likely to be less exciting. And the teams now have the extra information that the medium tyre is not much cop. So I am still dead against the sprint format.

A brilliant race, but credit should go not to the sprint format but to the awesome Interlagos track which always delivers, and looks to be much better with the new cars that can follow closely. Also, I thought the DRS zone just after turn one was just right, as it did what DRS has always been intended for and allowed cars to get alongside, but still made the overtake difficult. I personally think the one on the pit straight needs to be shortened, although it wasn't too bad on this occasion. In general, I think DRS should be on short straights rather than long straights. Get the driver alongside, don't make it an easy pass.

[Aysedasi]

Like Griff, I'm not a fan of the sprint format, but yes, it was a good race to watch. Good to see Max not having it all his own way for one of the few times this season. The Mercs are looking racy, it would be good to see George convert this one into a debut win. But, like many others, I suspect, I'm not betting against another instalment of the Max show....

[steve_r]

I guess that is what they had in mind when they intrduced sprint races. Up until now I have been a very fierce critic of this format, but glad to see some excitement at last, becuse that was good.

Alpine and Aston Martin teammates looked like idiots by driving each other off track and clashing etc.

Merc had pace, but I do wonder whether RBR put Max on the wrong tyres, and of course without damage the outcome could perhaps have been different.

[Aysedasi]

It'll be interesting to see what the Mercs do off the front row. They will know that they both need to keep Max behind them, so scrapping between them for the lead in the first few corners probably isn't going to be the best strategy....

[P38 in workshop]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

The Merc is so draggy, coming out of DRS and the slipstream and they hit a brick wall.

I think they may accept that as the price paid for overcoming the porpoising.I'd expect them to build on that knowledge for next year's car.

[Born Racer]

I don't have a downer on the sprint. It's just more racing at the end of the day. And the flipside of what was said about this sprint being like just one stint of a GP is that drivers can't wait for pit strategy to overtake - they have to get it done on the track - and fast. Look at Russell (credit to Verstappen, a driver I've criticised for being too agressive - he was fair on this occasion). He had to get it done on the circuit.

Also, people say drivers are afraid to take risks in the sprint. You could apply that to qualifying. If they bin it, they are out and way down the grid too. If anything, it forces them to be circumspect when making moves, decisive, but not reckless. And you could also say, the sprint encourages them to make moves - if you're far back, you can overcome being down the grid by making moves.

[Akrapovic]

I do like the Sprint. I just don't like it setting the grid for the GP. Make the Sprint stand alone and it'd be fine.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I'm not a fan of sprint races but from what I've heard and read, this was an exciting race and there is a Mercedes front row for the GP itself.

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I do like the Sprint. I just don't like it setting the grid for the GP. Make the Sprint stand alone and it'd be fine.

Again, I'll defend the format here, because it is no different from other series such as karting which use races to determine the grid for the final. It is no less pure than them.

At the end of the day, with the sprint format, racing is used to determine the grid for the big race.