After a dramatic race in Mexico, the points gap in both championships has reduced.
The battle between Red Bull and McLaren is much tighter, and Ferrari has emerged as an under the radar candidate to win the constructors’ championship.
With just four races left of the season, F1 heads to São Paulo for the penultimate sprint weekend.
The weather from Friday onwards is set to be cloudy and dry with highs of 26 degrees celsius.
There’s four races remaining in the 2024 F1 season, with Brazil hosting the penultimate sprint race format. Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Latest news
Max Verstappen has been given a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s grand prix for taking a fifth engine. He also brushed off criticism of his driving style following the incidents which led to him receiving two 10-second penalties last week in Mexico.
Lando Norris said Verstappen “knows he did wrong”, and Lewis Hamilton said we have been here before with the 2021 title battle.
Hamilton will drive one of Ayrton Senna’s McLarens on Saturday at Interlagos.
Christian Horner refused to confirm whether Sergio Pérez would see out the F1 season after the Brazil Grand Prix.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
McLaren have told Norris there is no need to change the way he drives in the F1 title battle with Red Bull’s Verstappen.
Did F1 stewards get the Verstappen decisions right in Mexico?
Can Ferrari catch McLaren in the constructors’ championship? Plus Brazil Grand Prix preview | Listen to the latest episode of ESPN’s F1 podcast Unlapped.
1:42
Have Ferrari become legitimate constructors contenders?
Laurence Edmondson assesses Ferrari’s sudden surge into championship contention.
How the championships look
The drivers’ championship is the closest it has been since the Monaco Grand Prix in May. Verstappen leads Norris by 47 points, and Charles Leclerc by 71.
McLaren, meanwhile, remain the leaders in the constructors’ championship by 29 points. Ferrari’s double podium two races on the trot in Austin and Mexico City boosted their points haul to overtake Red Bull, who are trailing by 54 points.
The earliest Verstappen could mathematically win the championship is in two weeks if he leads Norris by 61 points after Las Vegas.
If Verstappen finishes third in the final four races and two sprints, including this weekend, Norris must win and get the fastest lap each time to win the title by one point.
(Stats: ESPN Stats & Information Group)
Brazil first hosted an F1 grand prix in 1973 at Interlagos. The race moved to Jacarepagua near Rio de Janeiro in the 1980s before returning to Sao Paulo from 1990. Victor Eleuterio ATPImages/Getty Images
Circuit stats and history
Situated in a neighbourhood between two artificial lakes, Interlagos (which translates to “between lakes”), first opened as a race track in 1940. Formula 1 first raced at the circuit in 1972 as a non-championship race before becoming part of the calendar from 1973.
The original circuit was nearly twice the length, turning in on itself multiple times like a karting track. However, its bumpy surface was considered dangerous in the first ground-effect era and it dropped off the calendar in 1980 when the Brazilian Grand Prix moved to Jacarepagua in Rio de Janiero.
F1 returned to a shortened and updated version of the circuit in 1990, which coincided with the rise of Ayrton Senna to global stardom. In 2004 the Brazilian Grand Prix was moved from early in the year towards the end of the F1 calendar and it witnessed dramatic title deciders in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012.
Laps: 71 laps of 4.3km. Total distance 305km.
Lap record: 1:10.540 Valtteri Bottas (2018)
Most wins: Michael Schumacher with four (1994-1995, 2000, 2002). Of the current grid, Lewis Hamilton (2016, 2018, 2021), Verstappen (2019, 2023), and George Russell (2022) have all won here.
Most poles: Senna at his home race with five (1986, 1988-1991, 1994). Of the current grid, Fernando Alonso (2005), Hamilton (2012, 2016, 2018), Bottas (2017, 2021), Verstappen (2019, 2023), and Russell (2022) have all been on pole here.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin celebrates his third-place podium at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace alongside Lando Norris and race winner Max Verstappen in 2023. Victor Eleuterio ATPImages/Getty Images
What happened last year?
No surprise that Verstappen took another dominant win at Interlagos, his 17th of the season, from lights to flag. Norris took his sixth second-place podium of the year, as Fernando Alonso pipped Perez to third.
Norris did manage to challenge Verstappen for the lead on Lap 8 with DRS, but his brief glimmer of hope was extinguished under braking for Turn 4 as the Dutchman continued to lead the race.
Who’s going to win?
Ferrari is the form team going into the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, with wins at three of the last five races.
McLaren remain a threat — Norris showed promising pace towards the end of last weekend’s race in Mexico — but based on the overall result of the last two races it’s hard to look past a Ferrari win.
Although Carlos Sainz won in Mexico, Leclerc has been the better all-round performer this year and should be considered the favourite.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the death of F1 world champion Ayrton Senna in May 2024, Interlagos hosted a Racing Day which included a run around the circuit. Allison Sales/picture alliance via Getty Images
How to watch the GP
Watch on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (U.S. only) — view the schedule.
Live broadcast coverage in the U.K. is on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live.
For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with ESPN’s F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in São Paulo and on social media.
Friday
Free practice one: 14:30-15:30 GMT
Sprint qualifying: 18:30-19:14 GMT
Saturday
Sprint race: 14:00-15:00 GMT
Qualifying: 18:00-19:00 GMT
Sunday
Race starts: 17:00 GMT.
The post Brazilian Grand Prix: Times, stats, predictions appeared first on World Online.