Profile: Interlagos
- Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Direction: anti-clockwise
- Lap Length: 4.309km
- Race Laps: 71
- Race Legnth: 305.939km
- Lap Record: 1:11.473 (Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)
- Interlagos is located in Brazil's biggest city, Sao Paulo. The circuit is the only on the Formula One calendar that has the cars lapping in an anti-clockwise direction. This change is the cause of major pain for drivers who – being accustomed to lapping clockwise – often suffer from severe neck pain by the end of a race weekend.
The circuit is located on the side of a hill and is mainly compromised of tight bends and chicanes with only a few fast sweeping corners. Teams usually elect for a medium to high downforce setup with medium to soft suspension.
Located in one of Sao Paulo’s least wealthy areas, crime around Interlagos is a major problem. In 2003, whilst travelling to the circuit from their hotel, a van full of Williams mechanics was hijacked and a large amount of computer equipment was stolen.
A lap with Kimi Raikkonen…
Powering along the uphill start-finish straight at Interlagos, you reach some 184mph / 296kph in seventh gear, before braking hard as the track gradient drops sharply on the entrance to the Descida do Sol. Your speed drops to 55mph / 88kph in second gear as you negotiate the tight left, which provides the best opportunity for overtaking. A flowing right-left sequence follows immediately, you push slightly on the throttle to increase your speed slightly through the right of the Senna 'S', which is taken at 92mph / 148kph in third gear, as is where the pit exit feeds back onto the track. The left of Curva do Sol that follows, is a long bend, which is usually quite bumpy, but is taken flat out, at 125mph / 201kph. It is important to increase your speed and take a good line through the corner as it swings you onto the long Reta Oposta straight. Pushing hard on the throttle, you reach 180mph / 290kph in seventh gear, braking hard for the double apex of Descida do Lago, which is negotiated at 89mph / 143kph in third gear. The entrance to the first tight left provides another good overtaking opportunity. Exiting the second apex, which is very bumpy and should again be taken flat out to ensure you have speed on the exit, you blast along the short straight that leads to Ferra dura. You brake from 171mph / 275kph in fifth gear to 115mph / 185kph in fourth to negotiate the difficult and slippery right hander which is off camber in the exit. Another short burst of power leads to a slow, tight right hander, which is taken in first gear, and is immediately followed by the second gear 55mph / 88kph left hand of Pinheirinho. Exiting in third gear, your speed builds up to about 99mph / 160kph before braking hard for the Bico de Pato hairpin, the slowest point on the track, which is taken in first gear at 46mph / 74kph. The bumpy left hander of Mergulho follows, which can be taken flat out in qualifying at 125mph / 201kph in fourth, before braking hard for the important left hander of Juncão, which is taken in second gear at 50mph / 80kph. This leads you uphill through the long left hander of Subida do Boxes, which takes you back onto the long start-finish straight.
Circuit maps as featured in F1 Championship Manager.
