Preview | Will Verstappen make it number 15 in the Brazil GP?

With the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate Formula 1 race of the season is already upon us. Unlike last year, both championships are now more than decided. Still, Max Verstappen will want to do everything possible to take his fifteenth win of the year, but he is not the only one craving a victory.

Brazilian Grand Prix

The Brazilian Grand Prix was first held in 1972 but did not get a place on the official F1 calendar until the following year. Home hero Emerson Fittipaldi won the first official race in 1973, much to the delight of Brazilian spectators.

In 1974 too, Fittipaldi managed to take the race to his name. In 1975, another Brazilian won, but this time it was José Carlos Pace, after whom the Sao Paulo circuit was later named. In 1978, the Brazilian GP moved once to the Jacarepaguá circuit, but the event returned to Interlagos in 1979.

Two years later, F1 returned to Rio de Janeiro. The Interlagos circuit had fallen into disrepair and the rise of Nelson Piquet meant that the call for a race in his hometown was strong. The local hero pulled off the victory twice: in 1983 and 1986. In 1990, F1 returned to Interlagos and has not diverted since.

No fewer than five Brazilians managed to win multiple times in their own country: Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Felipe Massa did so twice, Pace won once. Yet the most successful driver in Brazil is at the same time perhaps the least loved man in that country: Alain Prost. The Frenchman won the race six times.

Carlos Reutemann and Michael Schumacher won four times each, with right behind them Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. With three wins, they have the most victories to their name at Interlagos.

The Brazilian Grand Prix was organised continuously from 1973 to 2019 but had to be absent in 2020 due to the coronavirus. In 2021, the race returned to the calendar and was won dominantly by Hamilton.

Interlagos

Schumacher is the most successful driver at Interlagos so far with four wins, Vettel and Hamilton both won three times. Fittipaldi, Senna and Massa won two races at the circuit, while Prost won only one of his six Brazilian victories at Interlagos. Ferrari is the most successful team with nine wins, although McLaren follows close behind with eight victories.

The Interlagos circuit is not as high as the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, but at an altitude of 786 metres, there is thin air even in Sao Paulo. A lot of power is needed for the long straight, but with corners like the Senna 'S' and the second sector with Laranjinha, Pinheirinho and Bico de Pato, a lot is also demanded from both driver and car.

Formula 1 in 2022

The 2022 Formula 1 season is nearing the denouement and while both championships are already decided, the battle for second place is still on. Ferrari and Mercedes are battling for P2 among constructors, while the battle for second place among drivers appears to be between Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc.

Additional points are also up for grabs this weekend in Brazil, as the Brazilian GP will use the new race weekend format with sprint qualifying for the third and final time this season. This also allows three, two and one point(s) to be earned on Saturday and qualifying will be run on Friday after just one practice session. So it should all be right away for all teams.

Weather report

As has often been the case in previous years, there is a high chance of rain during the race weekend in Sao Paolo. From Friday, thunderstorms are predicted around the circuit, reports Weather.com. On both Friday and Saturday, the chance of thunderstorms is over eighty per cent. The chance is also high on Sunday: there is currently a 74 per cent chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Prediction for the Brazilian GP

In 2021, the championship was under high tension. Hamilton was fast approaching Verstappen and Mercedes was starting to gain the upper hand, which was painfully obvious to Red Bull Racing during the overtaking race Hamilton showed. Mercedes decided to take a tactical grid penalty as, with a fresh engine at the back, Hamilton's pace rose far above the rest.

This year, however, things are very different. Red Bull has won both championships Verstappen has recorded a record 14 wins in the 2022 F1 season. In Brazil, he would like to add another win to the list, but there are privateers on the coast.

Mercedes, for instance, is yearning for its first win of the year, and judging by the weekends in the United States and Mexico, that chance seems higher than it has been all year. Ferrari, too, will be keen to end Red Bull's strong run, but the Italian power unit suffered badly from thin air in Mexico. So the question is whether Ferrari can run at full speed at the slightly lower altitude of Sao Paolo.

Timetable for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix

Friday

First free practice: 15:30-16:30

Qualifying: 19:00-20:00

Saturday

Second free practice: 15:30-16:30

Sprint: 19:30-20:30

Sunday

Race: 18:00-20:00