Four rounds remain in the 2025 Formula 1 season, with the only trip to South America next, at the iconic Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo. With a carnival atmosphere and unpredictable weather, it is a circuit that often causes drama, for example if you are a guide on the circuit – Nico Hulkenberg – took pole position as a rookie for Williams in 2010 (photo above).
“I’ve always naturally had a good connection and feeling with this circuit. One of the first things you notice is that it’s counter-clockwise. We don’t have that many circuits in the season that run counter-clockwise anymore. So there are a lot of left turns and it’s very hard on the neck on the left side.”
“I think it’s clear what you want to do with the set-up, especially now that we’re towards the end of the season. We know our car quite well, we know where more or less the window is and there’s refinement happening in the background as usual, especially after the first free practice. Because it’s a sprint weekend we only have one practice and then you make a few adjustments, a little refinement for sprint qualifying.
“It used to be quite bumpy, but now they’ve resurfaced it, so we’ll see how it is this weekend. And from a setup perspective, you always have that compromise here between that huge long uphill straight to Turn 1 – where you don’t want a lot of drag and downforce – and then the infield where you actually need it.
“So that’s the usual balance here, but the track has a good flow, quite a few elevation changes which I personally really like, some banked corners, a bit of curvature in the circuit and also at many points…
“It’s just one of the real classic, iconic circuits, and so much history has happened here. When you come here and drive towards Interlagos and then drive onto the circuit, you feel that history and for me I’ve always been able to connect with that a lot.”
“Curbs are something that has also changed quite a bit over the years. They’ve changed them quite a bit. Now there are still a few curbs you can take, but you have to take them the right way and hit them at the right angle, otherwise they can be quite unsettling.”
Interlagos have made the curbs a little less aggressive, but they can still catch you, as they did with Oliver Bearman last year, which gave then-teammate Hulkenberg something to think about… Sam Bloxham/Getty Images
“To be honest there isn’t really one key section. It’s all over the place and as it’s a short lap time – it’s about 1.10 minutes or even less – the field is always very compact, grouped very close together, so you have to be dialed in at every moment of the lap.
“I had pole position here fifteen years ago, but I think it’s the place that’s special. Just the atmosphere and the feeling you have when you’re in Sao Paulo or Interlagos, that’s the most important thing.”
“And when you’re driving around and sometimes when you have a slow lap or something, you can catch a glimpse of the grandstands and the atmosphere of Sao Paulo makes it special. There’s a lot of cool places around the lap.”
AT A GLANCE
Race distance: 71 laps/192.6 miles
Pole time 2024: 1m23.405s (Lando Norris, McLaren)
Winner 2024: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
The tire compound selection for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this year goes back to 2023, with the C2, C3 and C4 available as Hard, Medium and Soft, so a step harder than the trio used last year.
Last year the dry weather tires were not needed for the race, but when used on Friday and Saturday mornings they showed high levels of wear and grain formation, especially on the rear axle. The circuit had been completely resurfaced, leaving a very smooth surface, less abrasive than in previous years, although there were still many bumps around the track.
Therefore, if the conditions are similar, with the inevitable variations due to the aging of the asphalt, the decision to use harder compounds could extend the life of the tires, which are already more resistant to degradation than the 2024 tires. This could bring into play the Soft, which was only used for sprint qualifying last year.
MSC CRUISES SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Friday November 7
09:25 – 10:30 – Free practice 1, ESPN2
1:25 PM – 2:30 PM – Sprint Qualifying, ESPN2
Saturday November 8
8:55 – 10:00 – Sprint, ESPN2
12:55 – 2:00 PM – GP Qualifying, ESPNews
Sunday November 9
11:55 AM – 2:00 PM – Grand Prix of Sao Paulo (71 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN2
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