The Formula 1 Circus has landed in Sao Paulo this week for the country’s 50th Grand Prix. Since 1972, motorsport fans have been following exciting races, overtakes, title conquests, and victories for the Brazilian drivers who lifted the crowd at Interlagos and Jacarepaguá Race Tracks in Rio.
Between Friday and Sunday, new brands will go down in history and be able to enhance or edit panoramas around the races of the world’s top class motorsport in the capital, Sao Paulo. See 15 facts about 50 years of Formula 1 in Brazil. It is expected that this year’s tournament will last for three days and will take 230,000 sports fans to the Interlagos circuit.
PROST, the biggest winner
The person who won the most Formula 1 races in Brazil was Alain Prost. Ayrton Senna’s top competitor in World Motorsport’s Class One, the French driver has climbed to the top of the podium on six occasions: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990, the last being only at Interlagos, in the return of the São Paulo Formula 1 racetrack. .
Experience is everything
The shortlist of top Formula 1 winners in Brazil includes Germany’s Michael Schumacher who won races in 1994, 1995, 2000 and 2002, as well as Carlos Reitmann (1972, 1977, 1978 and 1981). The Argentine’s first victory in Brazil did not count his points, because the event was still a test.
He appears behind the drivers with the most titles this season: Sebastian Vettel (2010, 2013 and 2017) and Lewis Hamilton (2016, 2018 and 2021). They both won three races but were not promoted this weekend as podium contenders.
Autodrome update
Interlagos has already celebrated 40 Grand Prix in Brazil. Since 1990, sequencing has only stopped in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In 1978 and between 1981 and 1989, the Grand Prix was held at Autódromo de Jacarepaguá, in Rio, which was demolished to house buildings for the 2016 Olympic Games.
To take over Formula 1 again, Interlagos carried out several works and also modified its design. One of the distinguishing corners of the circle is the S of Senna. Ayrton was responsible for suggesting the curve course, but it was not followed in the way the three-time champion would have liked. The plan was about high speed, but the intersection was set up at a low angle, forcing the cars to slow down in order to go downhill.
Who has more than six
The driver with first place at the Grand Prix in Brazil is Ayrton Senna. Six times, the Brazilian driver started in first place (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1994). Four drivers share second place in this regard, with three poles each. They are: Mika Hakkinen (1998, 1999, 2000), Rubens Barrichello (2003, 2004, 2009), Felipe Massa (2006, 2007, 2008) and Lewis Hamilton (2012, 2016 and 2018).
Hymns and flags
The Brazil and Germany anthems were the most performed at the races in Brazil. The flags of the two countries were raised from the top of the podium on nine occasions each. Soon the United Kingdom and France emerged, with eight victories.
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Brazil may be the biggest winner in the individual race. In 1982, Pique won the race in Jacaribagua, but was disqualified for having a lighter-than-allowable car, as was second-placed Kiki Rosberg. Alain Prost inherited the top of the podium.
Brazilian winners
Five Brazilians have won the country’s Grand Prix. Nelson Piqué, Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi and Felipe Massa have won twice, while Jose Carlos Pace has won only once.
The old days
McLaren is the team that has won the most races in Brazil. Scuderia, in which Ayrton Senna has won his three world titles, Woking has won 12 times in the country. However, his last victory was 10 years ago. In 2012, Britain’s Jenson Button won. Ferrari is the second team with the most wins, but they also face a certain amount of fasting. In 2017, Sebastian Vettel led the Italians to first place.
leader
The Ferrari engine has pushed drivers more times to win in Brazil. There were 11 chances. However, the lead is short. The Renault and Mercedes power units have won 10 races, while the Ford Cosworth engine has won nine races.
Double Brazil
The first Brazilian double in Formula 1 happened at the 1975 Brazilian GP, with Jose Carlos Pace, of Brabham, and Emerson Fittipaldi, of McLaren. Both were powered by Ford engines.
deep
The first Formula 1 race in Brazil, in 1972, did not count any points for the world championship and was a test for the country to enter definitively in the calendar, a fact that happened the following season.
End of queue
Since 2004, Brazil has started hosting the year-end Grand Prix. Since then, five drivers have won the title in the Brazilian Grand Prix: Fernando Alonso (2005 and 2006), Kimi Raikkonen (2007), Lewis Hamilton (2008), Jenson Button (2009) and Sebastian Vettel (2012). However, the only person to win the title race was Kimi Raikkonen.
new certified
Interlagos is the only circuit to host a sprint race in these two years since the creation of the new weekend event (2021 and 2022).
memories
Current Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has competed in six races at Interlagos and won just one in 2019. In 2021, it was a disappointing performance when he saw rival Lewis Hamilton outsmart him, even though he came out from the rear of the group. Unforgettable race. But the Dutchman has only been out of the podium twice (2015 and 2017).
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