There are few Grand Prix circuits as spectacular as São Paulo's Interlagos. It's an iconic Brazilian institution – the venue for some of Formula One's most exhilarating races, and a place where excitement and unpredictability are very much the norm.
As Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team heads to Brazil for the mid-point of the season's final triple-header, we're bringing you all the best facts and stats.
Brazil has motorsport ingrained in its culture: the country held its first Grand Prix races back in the 1930s and began construction of the bowl-like Interlagos circuit – the nation's first permanent racing venue – later that same decade.
The success of Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazil's first world champion in 1972, shone a light on the nation, and it would host its first Formula One World Championship event the following year, at Interlagos.
It was the perfect venue for Fittipaldi, who won that inaugural race and followed it up with a second successive victory the following year.
Incredibly, victory for a Brazilian driver would continue into 1975, when hometown legend Carlos Pace won the race for Brabham.
Tragically, he would lose his life in a plane crash just two years later – and the track would be officially renamed in his honour as the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.
The rise of Nelson Piquet saw the Grand Prix switch to Rio de Janeiro for 1978, and the venue established itself as the season-opening race for much of the 1980s.
But momentum would return to Interlagos, as the successes of Ayrton Senna, a Paulista, inspired the nation and energised the city.
Senna's allure persuaded São Paolo city officials to invest $15 million into shortening and modernising the Interlagos circuit.
It returned to the Formula One calendar in 1990 and has been the home of the Brazilian Grand Prix ever since.
Throughout its history, the Brazilian Grand Prix has played host to some nail-biting moments:
Despite racing in Formula One since 1984, it would take Ayrton Senna until 1991 to score his first home win.
It was a hard-fought victory; stuck in sixth gear, he managed his lead to the flag, crossing the line in sheer exhaustion and needing to be lifted from his car and taken to the podium.
The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix remains an all-time classic.
Felipe Massa had crossed the line to win, believing he had done enough to clinch the world title.
But, behind him, on the final corner of the final lap, Lewis Hamilton snuck past Timo Glock to seal fifth position – and the extra point he needed to wrest the crown from the Brazilian.
No world title has ever been won in a more suspenseful and thrilling manner. Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team's Sebastian Vettel also has history at the circuit.
Driving for Red Bull Racing in 2012, he was punted to the back of the field on the opening lap, and sensationally clawed his way back through the field to score enough points to secure his third-successive Drivers' Championship.
All in. All welcome. All celebrated. Sign up to open up a world of I / AM benefits and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
