Sao Paulo GP – Brazil F1 2024

One of the most interesting races in the season has got to be the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Brazilian Grand Prix has a total of 71 laps around the 4.309 kilometers long Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, which is quite possibly the most thrilling race of any season considering the amount of guts and thinking it requires from both the drivers as well as teams.

Lando Norris took the McLaren pole after neither driver Oscar Piastri nor Lando Norris wanted to race during the last rounds of the Sprint Qualifying.

Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace

The Brazilian Grand Prix is certainly among the most interesting races in Brazil, using the high-speed theme of Formula 1 while fitting it with cultural aspects of Brazil itself. There simply isn’t a more engaging competition in all of the sporting universe, one where the title is clearly up for debate as they compete across three sessions. This sounds more interesting then the majority of Formula 1 races as it is a lot more complex than what it initially seems.

The Autódromo José Carlos Pace inaugurated on 4th June 2023 is situated in the So Paulo region. With a length of 4.309 km (2.677 mile), the motorsport racing track is also best known as the Interlagos race in honor of Brazilian Formula one racer who died in an airplane crash in 1977, Jose Carlos Pace. With its uniquely stunning design, this wonderful race is a must for anyone wanting to witness the true beauty of motorsport.

The race track is a mixture of both short and long stretch which gives the driver a perfect balance of speed and turns and thus showcases the skills of the driver. Most notably, the racetrack can’t show consistent timing due to its variety of elevational changes which creates the effect of persistent difficulty. As an addition to that the Autodromo is also the place to find the senna s’a set of turns specifically based on Ayrton Senna.

The Track is home to many racing events which includes World Endurance Championship, Brazilian Grand Prix and So Paulo 6 hour but the highlight of the Interlagos is the Brazilian Grand Prix since it’s inauguration in 1973.

The Circuit

The Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo first witnessed a Formula 1 race back in 1973 and over the years it stands as one of the most breathtaking circuits that F1 has to offer. The heat, fans and personality of the track has always made this event special.

It was a pity they had to delay qualifying on Saturday as a result of torrential rainfall. However, the weather cleared up Sunday morning to allow the drivers to start where they left off the day before. The race director was obliged to push the session to a later date owing to how quickly it was getting dark outside but we got to see the cars out on the track after all.

However, things turned out quite differently for the other Briton, Lando Norris, who along with his teammate Oscar Piastri led all the way and ended their qualifying session at the poles. They will now be joined by Tsunoda and Ocon who have secured the second row starting positions.

The weather did not work out in favor of Lewis Hamilton as he was unable to get past Q1, resulting in him starting the race at P16. Furthermore, with a 47 point deficit to make up to Max Verstappen in the fight for the title, things don’t seem bright for Hamilton.

Pirelli is all set to introduce a new tire compound for this race, as they have opted not to include the softer c1 and c2 tires opting instead for the stock of C3. C4, and C5. While the stiffer tires may lead to the teams being in closer competition, there will be an increase in the wear and tear on the tires as well as make the track more abrasive.

The Schedule

This week March 22nd to March 24, marks the 2024 championship title as it takes place in the Interlagos track. This time around Lando Norris who hails from McLaren has put himself in the lead but he certainly will be in for a struggle especially as red bulls Max Verstappen is right behind him ready to pounce.

To better this, the FIA decided to push back the qualifying round to 7:30am, while simultaneously moving the race to 12:30pm. The main reason behind this was the increased possibility of starting and finishing the race as Scheduled. And while this does lead to better timers, it also allows a better chance for the drivers to adapt due to the unfavorable conditions that Sao Paolo has been facing.

The program off the track along with the Escola de Mecanico is equally impressive with as many as 100 ladies visiting the circuit on Thursday to participate in the institute’s Female Mechanics Training Programme. The Female Mechanics Training Programme was designed to encourage more women to join the field, which has over 150 graduates so far, which is still only a small fraction of what is needed.

You can find the complete schedule for the entire weekend on this page and includes all the media briefings including those of the highlights and special events along with the race, as well as supporting events and all the practice sessions. With likely some drama and if the weather cooperates, this promises to be one of the most exciting races of the season, as it will be interesting to see how the 71 circuits of Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace unfold.

The Weather

According to weather reports, there will be heavy rains throughout the Sao Paulo GP weekend, which will mean things could be interesting at Interlagos. An Interlagos Grand Prix without rain is not something that has happened very often, and in fact even in the past, there have been some enthralling races at the Brazilian GP.

The deluge of rain that took place on Saturday practically ruled out any chance of Qualifying taking place, and for all intents and purposes, the same scenario is likely to take place on Sunday morning as well. Definitely an unpleasant circumstance for any F1 teams who such have wet weather tyres available. Still, enough standing water can render entire sections of the circuit unusable.

In light of this, the FIA has opted to change the commencement of the race from 1400hrs Local Time to 1300hrs Local Time. This means, the grand prix will now go off at 10.30 GMT which is 07.30 Brazilian time.

Sergio Perez on the other hand might find such schedule alteration interesting in one way or the other because he might be given just one more opportunity to perform for Red Bull before he is transferred elsewhere, that is if he does not get axed. Perez has been subject to backlash since the start of the season. And after having a poor performance in Mexico City, critics stated that he is destined to be axed by the end of the season 2024. Well if this holds true then Liam Lawson seems likely to be the one replacing Perez. It would not be surprising either if the Mexico GP was a wet one helping Lawson gain some last minute experience with the team.