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The Brazilian Grand Prix has been held at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo for the majority of the race's existence. The track has seen some big alterations to its layouts over the decades, but the characteristics have remained the same. With a combination of long straights, wide sweeping corners, big elevation changes, and its unusual anti-clockwise layout, it's one of the biggest challenges on the calendar.
Interlagos has been on and off the calendar since the early 1970s, but which drivers have had the most success here over the years?
Nico Rosberg 2014, 2015
With a dominant Mercedes and this being one of Lewis Hamilton’s poorest circuits, Nico Rosberg claimed victories in back-to-back years at Interlagos. Both times he qualified on pole and led from start to finish, keeping Hamilton at bay despite the Brit’s best efforts, as he sought out a first win in his hero’s home country.
Rosberg failed to win the championship in both of those years, but the German did claim his one and only drivers' world championship in 2016, a year he did not win the Brazil race.
Mark Webber 2009, 2011
Mark Webber won his first Grand Prix in 2009, after Red Bull adapted to the regulation changes better than most of their competitors. Sebastian Vettel challenged Jenson Button for the title that season, but it was the Australian who won at Interlagos that year.
Rubens Barrichello qualified on pole for his home race, but the Sao Paulo native had a typically poor home Grand Prix and the Aussie swept in to claim victory. Button's fifth place sealed the drivers' world championship on a day of mixed emotions for Red Bull. Webber also had his sole win in 2011 at this circuit, a dominant victory despite Vettel starting from pole.
Felipe Massa 2006, 2008
Felipe Massa is one of a number of Brazilians to have enjoyed success at their home race. 2006 was the first season that Massa was really under the microscope, and he passed with flying colours, claiming 2 victories that year, including at Interlagos.
That was a victory with mixed feelings, as that race decided the drivers' world championship in favour of Fernando Alonso. The 2008 triumph was a very bittersweet one, as ecstasy rapidly turned to agony within a minute. Victory and Lewis Hamilton’s sixth place would’ve meant that the Brazilian would be an F1 champion, but he instead missed out by a point thanks to Hamilton’s pass of Timo Glock in the final corner.
Juan Pablo Montoya 2004, 2005
Juan Pablo Montoya announced himself on the F1 stage in Brazil with his audacious overtake on Michael Schumacher in 2001, and probably would’ve gone on to claim his first win in the sport, had it not been for a crash involving the lapped Jos Verstappen.
His 2004 triumph was the last victory for Williams before Pastor Maldonado’s shock win at Spain in 2012. The Colombian switched to McLaren in 2005 and led home a 1-2 finish, the team's first in five years, but Fernando Alonso was the one celebrating, the Spaniard sealing his first drivers' world championship.
Mika Hakkinen 1998, 1999
The all-conquering McLaren MP4-13 took Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard to a 1-2 victory in Mika’s first championship year in 1998. Michael Schumacher was the closest challenger, over a minute behind the cars from Woking.
The Finn would repeat the feat the following year, fending off Schumacher thanks to a textbook overtake and a fast pit-stop.
Ayrton Senna 1991, 1993
Despite Ayrton Senna’s incredible success in Formula 1, it took a long time for the Brazilian legend to win his home race. His great rival, Alain Prost, routinely cleaned house in Brazil, winning six Grands Prix in 9 years in the country.
A revived Interlagos returned to the calendar in 1990, and the ’91 race has gone down in history as one of the most thrilling and emotional Grands Prix ever. Senna led from pole and appeared to be cruising to a victory, but he had in fact lost both third and sixth gears and was struggling to the finish.
Second-placed Riccardo Patrese was closing rapidly but couldn’t catch Senna before the chequered flag, the Brazilian's monumental effort that day physically exhausting him to the point where he had to be driven to the podium in the medical car and could bearly lift his trophy once he got there.
1993 was also a classic, with Prost getting caught out in a flash thunderstorm which drenched the circuit. Senna, true to form, was in a different class to the rest of the grid, in what was arguably his best season in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Emerson Fittipaldi 1973, 1974
Emerson Fittipaldi won the two first championship Brazilian Grands Prix in 1973 and ’74, at the old Interlagos circuit. The first was for Lotus, the second for McLaren during his second championship-winning season. In 1973, Ronnie Peterson claimed his pole position at the circuit, but it was the hometown hero who would go on to take victory, 13.5 seconds ahead of eventual champion, Jackie Stewart.
Fittipaldi repeated the feat next year, taking pole position and converting it to a victory, lapping everybody except for second-placed Clay Regazzoni.
Sebastian Vettel 2010, 2013 & 2017
Last year’s race winner is also one of the most successful drivers around Interlagos. Vettel’s 2010 win kept him within a shot of the drivers' world title, one he would go on to win in Abu Dhabi, while in 2013, he won his ninth race in a row after beating Alberto Ascari’s record of 7 victories in a row in Formula 1 at the previous round in Abu Dhabi.
Lewis Hamilton's crash in qualifying the previous year set Vettel on his way to becoming just the second man to win three times at Interlagos. His best race in Sao Paulo, though, was probably when he recovered from a first lap spin in 2012 to finish sixth and become the youngest ever three-time world champion.
Michael Schumacher 1994, 1995, 2000 & 2002
Surprise, surprise, it’s Michael Schumacher. The most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 normally finds himself on the top of most record tables, and there’s no exception here. Interlagos was never the German’s best track, but he triumphed here on four occasions, all in title-winning seasons.
Ferrari are interestingly not the most successful team in Brazil, that accolade belongs to McLaren, although the Maranello outfit could tie their tally next Sunday. Schumacher won twice for both Benetton and Ferrari, with the most impressive victory probably being that in the year 2000, winning by nearly 40 seconds ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella after David Coulthard’s disqualification.
It should also be noted that Alain Prost holds the record for the most victories at the Brazilian Grand Prix, a record six for the Frenchman. However, since 5 of his 6 wins were at the old Jacarepagua circuit, he doesn’t make it onto the list.
Carlos Reutemann also could’ve arguably made it onto the list, but the first of his two Interlagos victories came in a non-championship round, so it technically doesn’t count. This is also one of the few lists where you won’t find Lewis Hamilton, the Brit has only stood on the top step of the podium once at Interlagos, in 2016.
