Formula 1 heads to São Paulo next. Here are six true stories from Interlagos, home of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
1. Its name means "between lakes"
Interlagos is Portuguese for "between lakes". The circuit takes its name from the São Paulo neighbourhood around it, which sits between the Guarapiranga and Billings reservoirs.
2. It is named after a driver who won there once
The circuit's official name is the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. Pace won the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix there, his first and only Formula 1 victory.
He was killed in a light aircraft accident near São Paulo on 18 March 1977. In 2024 his body was reburied at the circuit.
3. The first lap was almost 8 kilometres long
The original Interlagos, used from 1940, was nearly twice as long as today's track. It was cut down in 1990 to 4.325 kilometres, and the current layout measures 4.309 kilometres.
4. Senna won his home race stuck in sixth gear
Ayrton Senna won the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix from pole, his first home win in his eighth season. His McLaren's gearbox was failing: he lost fourth gear, then fifth and third, and finished the last laps in sixth.
He beat Williams' Riccardo Patrese by 2.991 seconds. Senna was so exhausted with cramps that he had to be lifted from the car, and he barely managed to raise the trophy.
5. The 2003 winner was decided in Paris
The rain-hit 2003 race was stopped with a red flag after heavy crashes for Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. The result was taken from too early a lap, and Kimi Räikkönen was declared the winner.
Jordan appealed. On 11 April, five days after the race, the FIA's court in Paris gave the win to Giancarlo Fisichella. It was his first Grand Prix win and Jordan's last, and Räikkönen handed him the trophy at the next race at Imola.
6. A title changed hands at the final corners
In 2008, Lewis Hamilton needed fifth place to beat Felipe Massa to the title. Massa won the race, and Ferrari's celebrations had begun when Hamilton passed Timo Glock in the final corners of the last lap.
Fifth place made Hamilton champion by one point, 98 to 97, and at the time the youngest in Formula 1 history.
Race it on Late Brake
Interlagos is one of six real circuits in the free browser game Late Brake. Take the Senna S downhill at the start of the lap, keep your exit clean for the long climb to the line and race your own ghost for the gold medal time.
Sources: Interlagos Circuit, Carlos Pace, 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix (Wikipedia)