The Brazilian Grand Prix first appeared on the F1 calendar in 1973 and has a rich history in the sport.
25 of Formula 1’s 41 races in the country have taken place at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo. It has produced some truly iconic F1 moments. Here are just a few of them.
A hard-fought victory
Ayrton Senna should have won his first Brazilian Grand Prix in 1991 easily. He started from pole position and pulled out a sizeable advantage. Nigel Mansell closed in on the home hero, before suffering a puncture.
When the Englishman started to catch up with Senna, he then retired with a gearbox issue. This was ironic, because the McLaren driver was also suffering problems, losing the third, fourth and fifth gears.
Despite a late challenge from Riccardo Patrese, Senna managed to reach the chequered flag to win his first home race. However, after fighting to keep the car going in just sixth gear, he was so exhausted that he had to be lifted from his car and transported to the podium in the medical vehicle.
Chaos and carnage
The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix took place in wet and challenging conditions. It started – after a delay - behind the safety car, with Rubens Barrichello leading the field, before the two McLaren drivers moved to the front.
Turn three proved to be particularly treacherous, with a number of drivers – including Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher – spinning and hitting the wall. There were numerous safety car periods due to the crashes. Coulthard and Barrichello each enjoyed stints in the lead, before the latter retired with a fuel system fault.
A late pit stop for Coulthard promoted his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen into the lead, with Giancarlo Fisichella behind him in the Jordan. A hefty crash for Mark Webber at turn 14, with Fernando Alonso then hitting a tyre and slamming into the wall, caused the race to be red flagged.
Raikkonen was originally handed the win, but several days later – following a review – it was awarded to Fisichella after a timekeeping error was revealed. The trophy swap took place at the following race at Imola.
A thrilling final lap
Of course, the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix has to have a mention. It was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic final laps in F1 history, with Lewis Hamilton overtaking Timo Glock in tricky conditions at turn 12 to take the all-important fifth place and his first world title. It was a cruel blow for Felipe Massa, who had won the race and been crowned champion for just a few seconds.
Vettel’s recovery drive
Sebastian Vettel had to work extremely hard for his third F1 world championship. He started the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix from fourth place, but a poor start saw him fall to seventh place. A collision with Bruno Senna spun the German around at turn four on the opening lap, dropping him to the back of the back.
Despite a delayed pit stop and damage, he managed to move his way up the order to eventually finish sixth. With his nearest rival Alonso finishing second, behind Button, Vettel secured the title.
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| © Scuderia Ferrari |
A hard-fought victory
Ayrton Senna should have won his first Brazilian Grand Prix in 1991 easily. He started from pole position and pulled out a sizeable advantage. Nigel Mansell closed in on the home hero, before suffering a puncture.
When the Englishman started to catch up with Senna, he then retired with a gearbox issue. This was ironic, because the McLaren driver was also suffering problems, losing the third, fourth and fifth gears.
Despite a late challenge from Riccardo Patrese, Senna managed to reach the chequered flag to win his first home race. However, after fighting to keep the car going in just sixth gear, he was so exhausted that he had to be lifted from his car and transported to the podium in the medical vehicle.
Chaos and carnage
The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix took place in wet and challenging conditions. It started – after a delay - behind the safety car, with Rubens Barrichello leading the field, before the two McLaren drivers moved to the front.
 |
| © Scuderia Ferrari |
Turn three proved to be particularly treacherous, with a number of drivers – including Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher – spinning and hitting the wall. There were numerous safety car periods due to the crashes. Coulthard and Barrichello each enjoyed stints in the lead, before the latter retired with a fuel system fault.
A late pit stop for Coulthard promoted his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen into the lead, with Giancarlo Fisichella behind him in the Jordan. A hefty crash for Mark Webber at turn 14, with Fernando Alonso then hitting a tyre and slamming into the wall, caused the race to be red flagged.
Raikkonen was originally handed the win, but several days later – following a review – it was awarded to Fisichella after a timekeeping error was revealed. The trophy swap took place at the following race at Imola.
A thrilling final lap
Of course, the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix has to have a mention. It was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic final laps in F1 history, with Lewis Hamilton overtaking Timo Glock in tricky conditions at turn 12 to take the all-important fifth place and his first world title. It was a cruel blow for Felipe Massa, who had won the race and been crowned champion for just a few seconds.
Vettel’s recovery drive
Sebastian Vettel had to work extremely hard for his third F1 world championship. He started the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix from fourth place, but a poor start saw him fall to seventh place. A collision with Bruno Senna spun the German around at turn four on the opening lap, dropping him to the back of the back.
Despite a delayed pit stop and damage, he managed to move his way up the order to eventually finish sixth. With his nearest rival Alonso finishing second, behind Button, Vettel secured the title.
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