A fortnight on from the previous round, Formula 1 returns to the American continent for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The Brazilian weekend features the penultimate Sprint, prior to the final one of the season in Qatar.

Brazil has strong links to the sport, with a rich racing legacy, as well as being home to several great champions who have left an indelible mark on the history of Formula 1.

The Interlagos track, with an interesting mix of straights and corner types usually provides a great show and close racing, with sudden rain storms often adding to the uncertainty of the final result.

This week, the Pirelli Podium Cap is green and yellow, echoing the colors of the national flag.

The Compounds

This year's compound selection for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix harks back to 2023, with the C2, C3 and C4 as Hard, Medium and Soft, therefore one step harder than the trio used last year.

Last year, the dry weather tyres were not required for the race, but when used on Friday and Saturday morning, they showed high levels of wear, as well as graining, especially on the rear axle. The circuit had been completed resurfaced, thus leaving a very smooth surface, less abrasive than in previous years, although still with plenty of bumps around the track.

If conditions are similar, with the inevitable variations due to the ageing of the asphalt, the decision to bring harder compounds could thus extend the performance life of the tyres, which are already more resistant to degradation than the 2024 range. That might allow the Soft to come into play, which last year was only used for Sprint qualifying.

In 2024

Last year, qualifying and the race both took place on Sunday. With bad weather forecast, the Race Director decided to run qualifying at 07.30, as well as bringing the Grand Prix start time forward to 12.30. Dry weather tyres were never used at any time during the day.

All drivers were on Intermediates for the start and at half-distance the race was red-flagged as the rain intensified. At that point, just five drivers had fitted Full Wets. After the restart, all drivers completed the race on Intermediates, only four of them running a new set. If it had been a dry race, data from the previous day suggested that a two-stop was the most realistic option in terms of race time and tyre management, given the wear rate seen during Friday and Saturday's sessions.

The Track

The circuit named in honour of Brazilian racer José Carlos Pace, is 4.309 kilometres long. It was built between 1938 and 1940 and takes much of its inspiration from three classic circuits: Brooklands in England, Roosevelt Raceway in the United States and Montlhery in France.

The layout at Interlagos is interesting, with hints of an anti-clockwise oval circuit, which the drivers deal with 71 times in the race. It boasts 15 corners with relatively balanced lateral and longitudinal forces that do not put any undue strain on the tyres, as they are subjected to loads distributed equally between the front and rear axles.

The combination of several straights and much twistier sections offers plenty of overtaking opportunities, although it also means there's a higher risk of Safety Cars and incidents.

At this time of year, the weather and temperature can be very variable, with a risk of frequent rain and the inevitable use of wet weather tyres.

A further peculiarity of Interlagos is the bumpy nature of the track, as a result of it being built on relatively unstable ground: just one more challenge for drivers and teams to deal with in terms of set-up and tyre management.

Keyword - Colour

Brazilian Carnival is known the world over for the vibrant colours of its setting and the costumes of the participants, embodying the country's festive spirit and cultural identity. Indeed, it was in Rio de Janeiro, home to the famous carnival that Pirelli first introduced colour banded sidewalls on their tyres, which is now a distinctive trademark of the Italian company in Formula 1.

At the first round of the 1986 F1 season, held at Rio de Janeiro's Jacarepagua circuit, the Benetton team, owned by the eponymous clothing company and noted for its innovative use of colour, introduced something new, in the form of Pirelli tyres with completely coloured sidewalls. The B186s driven by Gerhard Berger and Teo Fabi sported them for the first stint of the race, much to everyone's amazement. Up until that day, tyres had remained almost exclusively black.

When Pirelli returned to Formula 1 as sole tyre supplier in 2011 it introduced coloured markings next to the logo for ease of identification. This idea reached its peak in 2018 when there were no fewer than seven different colours to identify the various compounds, the range being known as the "rainbow." However, this experiment only lasted to the end of that season, replaced by the current white, yellow and red.

Statistics Corner

To date, Brazil has hosted 51 Formula 1 World Championship Grands Prix, 47 named after the country and the last four after the city of Sao Paulo. Interlagos has hosted 41 races, starting with the inaugural event in 1973. In 1978 and from 1981 to 1989, the race was held at Rio de Janeiro's Jacarepagua circuit.

Of the races run at the José Carlos Pace circuit, the most successful driver is Michael Schumacher with four wins and ten podium finishes. If Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton were to win this year, they would equal the German champion's record at the Paulista track.

Of the teams, Scuderia Ferrari leads the way on 9 wins, just one ahead of McLaren. Interlagos was also the scene of George Russell's maiden Formula 1 win in 2022.