Formula 1

6 Interesting F1 Facts About The Brazilian GP

The Brazilian Grand Prix is just under two weeks away and fans are looking forward to seeing who will come out on top. To get fans in the spirit, here are six facts you should know about the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has had a fantastic year for Red Bull. He won the driver’s championship at the Japanese Grand Prix and took the team to win the constructor’s championship at the Austin Grand Prix. However, the competition for second is ongoing between Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

Six facts you need to know about the Brazilian Grand Prix

1. The track was renamed after Carlos Pace passed away.

Brazilian driver, Carlos Pace made his F1 debut at the South African Grand Prix in 1972 and had his one career win at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1975. Pace sadly died in a private light aircraft accident close to São Paulo in March 1977, which was just thirteen days after his F1 competitor Tom Pryce and marshal Jansen Van Vuuren died during the 1977 South African Grand Prix.

After Pace’s accident, the Interlagos track, was renamed Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in his honour.

2. 5 Brazilian drivers have won the Brazilian GP

Emerson Fittipaldi won the first two races at the Brazilian Grand Prix, in 1973 for Lotus-Ford and 1974 for McLaren-Ford.

Carlos Pace won the race in 1975 for Martini Racing. Nelson Piquet, who is the father of Max Verstappen’s partner, Kelly Piquet, won in 1983 for Brabham-BMW and in 1986 for Williams-Honda.

F1 legend, Ayrton Senna, won in the McLaren-Honda in 1991 and the McLaren-Ford in 1993. And finally, Felipe Massa won in 2006 and 2008, both times driving in the Ferrari.

3. The Brazilian Grand Prix has a high altitude

Similarly to the Mexican Grand Prix, altitude is also a factor at the Brazilian GP. The Interlagos track is 800m above sea-level so the teams need to consider the thinner oxygen.

Mercedes fans will be pleased to know this as the team claimed to not have been too affected by the altitude in Mexico.

4. The first Grand Prix held at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace was 35 years after building works started.

The first Grand Prix to be held at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace was in 1973. However, building works on the track actually began a lot earlier in 1938. It is thought that the track designers were heavily inspired by the Brooklands circuit in the UK, the Roosevelt Raceway in America, and the French Montlhery track.

5. Alain Prost holds the record for most races won at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

French driver and four-time world champion, Alain Prost, holds the record for the most races won at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with six wins. He won the race in 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990.

After Prost, is Argentinian driver Carlos Reutemann and F1 icon Michael Schumacher, both with four race wins.

6. The Brazilian GP was Michael Schumacher’s last race for Ferrari

Michael Schumacher had originally announced his retirement from F1 after the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix and so his final race for Ferrari was the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Schumacher started the race tenth on the grid but dropped back to nineteenth after suffering from a tyre puncture. However, he showed an amazing performance and picked his way back up the field to finish the race in fourth and set the time for the fastest lap.

Schumacher did later come back to the sport in 2010, when he drove for Mercedes.

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