As in Argentina, the success of an F1 driver also led to the opening of a track in Brazil. Although the track was there long before his birth, it took the success of Emerson Fittapaldi to bring Formula One to it.

Set in the suburbs of San Paulo, the original track was 4.949 miles in length, one of the longest of any track used in any era. It was made up of a sweeping outer section, followed by a tight and twisty trail through the infield.

The track is very bumpy, and it takes great reflexes and skill to have control of the car in any given situation, the tight corners posing some serious problems for the speeding machines. A chicane has since been placed at the first corner, to slow the cars down.

Ayrton Senna drove his maiden race for Williams at this track. He had already achieved his dream of winning his home race in 1991 and again in horrendous conditions in 1993. Although he had hoped to win with Williams, it wasn’t to be, and Michael Schumacher won the first race of his championship year.

Interlagos traditionally either precedes or follows Argentina on the F1 calendar, but since the Argentina race was cancelled, it has been second on the calendar. In 2000 we saw Ferrari driver, Michael Schumacher take victory with David Coulthard a close second. However, due to the roughness of the circuit, there was controversy over the wear on most of the top six finishers. In the subsequent scrutineering, officials found a technical infringement with Coulthard’s Mclaren, resulting in the disqualification of the Scot from the race.