Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) Facts and History
- Location: Interlagos is situated in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Inauguration: The circuit opened in 1940 and has hosted numerous prestigious races, including Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix since 1973.
- Name: Officially named Autódromo José Carlos Pace in honor of the Brazilian driver José Carlos Pace, who won his only F1 race at Interlagos in 1975.
- Length and Layout: The circuit is 4.309 kilometers (2.677 miles) long with 15 turns. It is a counterclockwise track, which places unique physical demands on drivers.
- Signature Features:
- Senna S: Turns 1 and 2 form the iconic “Senna S,” a challenging chicane named after Ayrton Senna.
- Subida dos Boxes: The uphill section leading to the main straight is a critical traction zone.
- Elevation Change: Interlagos features dramatic elevation changes, with over 40 meters of variation across the lap.
- Race Legacy: The circuit has witnessed many iconic F1 moments, including title deciders like Lewis Hamilton’s last-lap championship win in 2008 and memorable victories by Brazilian drivers Ayrton Senna and Felipe Massa.
- Multi-use Venue: Interlagos also hosts Stock Car Brasil, endurance races, and other motorsport events.
Turn 1 and 2 (Senna S)
The first 2 corners are a downhill chicane that goes from left to right.
Heading down the start/finish straight, keep to the right hand side. Look ahead to spot your braking reference which is two car lengths before the end of the green Rolex wall on the right. Brake hard initially and shift down to 2nd gear. Use the trail braking technique to allow the car to rotate. Start to feed the car into the corner just after you cross under the bridge. Aim to apex the inside kerb where the green astroturf turns to grass on the inside of the kerb. Get your inside wheels onto the kerb and wait for the car to be fully rotated before getting back onto the power.
Aim to keep as far left as possible while gently building up the throttle input to open up the entry of the right part of the chicane. Modulate the throttle to balance the car while aiming for a mid apex on the right hander. Keep your steering smooth and get back to full throttle as soon as you can see the car will not run wide of the track limits coming out the chicane. The exit feeds immediately into Turn 3.
Turn 3 (Curva do Sol)
Turn 3 is a fast left hand bend that can catch you out when running a low downforce setup.
It is easily flatout in the LMGT3 cars but it’s important to stay tight to the inside kerb to shorten your line and to avoid scrubbing off excess speed with extra steering angles.
The fast corner leads onto a straight which can be an overtaking area in a racing situation.
Turn 4 and 5 Desicida do Lago)
Turn 4 is a medium speed left hand turn. It is easy to misjudge your braking here and run deep. This is due to the gentle rise into the braking zone before the track dips down and becomes off cambered.
Heading down the straight, keep to the right and spot your braking marker. It is just after the marshall post on the right. Look for where there’s a small excess road on the right that cuts the grass. Brake hard initially gearing down from 5th to 2nd or 3rd gear depending on the car you are in.
Aim to get your inside wheels up onto the inside kerb as the yellow sausage kerb starts. Be patient and wait for the car to come off the kerb before getting back onto the power. The track falls away here causing understeer on power. Be aware of this and feed the throttle according to how much front grip you have.
When getting to the exit kerb make sure to keep at least 2 wheels on or inside the white line. Aim to come off the exit kerb just before it ends while also turning in for the gentle left hand curve of T5 which is taken flatout. Use all the road available to make sure your steering angle is smooth on both entry and exit.
Turn 6 (Ferradura) and Turn 7 (Curva do Laranjinha)
Turn 6 and 7 are uphill medium speed right handers. They lead into the tight infield section of Interlagos.
On the approach place the car over to the left hand side of the circuit. On entry use the green astro turf with your outside tyres to open up the entry. Start to brake and turn in simultaneously just as you pass the last Good Year sponsor board on the inside of the track.
Brake relatively hard initially and shift down to 3rd gear. It’s a very short braking zone as you want to use the uphill section to slow the car down once you commit to the first apex point which is about a car length before the inside sausage kerb ends. Stay with the inside kerb until it ends and be smooth with the steering. As you leave the kerb apply some maintenance throttle to keep your momentum up. If you apply too much throttle the car will want to oversteer. Keep the car tight and don’t let it run out wide. Aim once again to get to the 2nd apex of Turn 7 around the midway point of the inside sausage kerb. At this point you should be able to get back to full throttle.
Let the momentum of the car carry you to the exit kerb. Use all the road available on the exit, keeping only 2 wheels inside the white line.
Turn 8 and 9 (Pinheirinho)
A very technical downhill, slow speed right into left hand sequence. You reach the first braking zone at relatively high speed and it is very easy to overshoot your braking and run deep.
From the exit of T7 you will need to immediately spot your braking reference for Turn 8 which is around the DHL board on the inside of the track.
You will still be on the outside kerb from the exit of the last corner. Stay wide to open up the entry and brake hard initially just after the DHL board. Shift down to 2nd or 1st gear.
Aim to apex very late, around the end of the inside yellow sausage kerb. Be patient and get back on the throttle once the car has rotated. The entry into Turn 9 at this point is still completely blind.
Exiting T8 don’t let the car run too wide as this will tighten your entry point for T9. Rather try to position the car around the middle of the circuit. Drive the car hard into T9 aiming to get close to the inside kerb just after it starts. Get off the throttle and use a small percentage of brakes to shift the weight onto the front tires. The corner feels like it goes on forever so it is very important to be patient to let the car rotate before getting back on the power. It takes practice to figure it out but as soon as you know you won’t understeer off the track get back to full throttle. Use all of the exit available, running your outside wheels close to the grass.
Turn 10 (Bico de Pato)
Another off cambered slow speed, downhill right hander.
On entry try to get the car as far over to the left as possible. Brake hard initially just before the astro turf on the outside turns into grass. Shift down to 1st gear and delay your turn in to catch a late apex. Get tight to the inside kerb and stay with it until the inside yellow sausage kerb ends. From this point progressively feed back onto the throttle. Again judging how much grip you have is important as forwards momentum is always more important than sideways momentum.
Don’t let the car run all the way out and this will tighten your entry point into Turn 11.
Turn 11 (Mergulho)
A medium speed downhill left hander that feeds into the last braking zone before the finish line.
From the exit of T10, try to come over to the right as much as you can to open up your entry. If you are too tight it will compromise your ability to take the corner flatout.
Turn in very gently and feed the car in nicely while staying full throttle. Any aggressive inputs here lead oversteer into understeer on exit. Keep turning and aim to get close to the inside kerb. You can put your inside wheels onto the kerb which helps you to keep a smooth line.
On exit gradually open up your steering and let the car run onto the exit kerb. Aim to keep at least 2 wheels inside the white line.
Turn 12 (Juncao)
A medium speed left hand turn that is super important as it leads back up the hill and to the finish line. A bad exit here will cost you lap time all the way up to Turn 1.
On the approach stay as far right as possible, even using the grass section on the right, while keeping 2 wheels inside the white line. Brake hard initially roughly a car length and a bit from where the grass ends on the right. Gear down 1 or 2 gears as you aim to apex the inside kerb around its midway point. The key here is to get the entry point perfect so that you can get back on the power very early.
Just as you apex get back onto the throttle and control the car with the steering as it battles for traction. Let the car runs wide and use the exit kerb available. Keep at least 2 wheels inside the white line and avoid running off the track here which is very easy to do.
Turn 13
A left hand curve which is taken easily flatout. Don’t use excessive steering inputs as this will scrub off speed. Also it’s not necessary to apex this corner, rather run in the middle of the track to open up Turn 14.
Turn 14 (Subida dos Boxes)
Another flatout left hand curve, this one being more of a corner than T13. For T14 bring the car close to the inside fence as the inside kerb starts, staying with it until it ends. Open your steering and maximise your straight line down the straight. When you get close to pitlane entry, keep the car tight there as well to shorten your line to the start/finish line to conclude a lap around Interlagos.
