Brazilian GP: Pirelli Grand Prix Preview
By Courtesy of Pirelli
November 1 2023
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Pirelli Brazilian Grand Prix Preview |
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TYRES ON THE
TRACK
* The three compounds chosen for the Brazilian Grand Prix are C2 as P Zero
White hard, C3 as P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as P Zero Red soft.
* Mercedes has won the most races at Interlagos since the Brazilian Grand
Prix adopted the name of its host city, with Lewis Hamilton and George
Russell winning in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
* Interlagos has hosted 39 world championship grands prix in total, with
Ferrari winning 10 times and Michael Schumacher being the most successful
driver on four wins.
* The Brazilian Grand Prix has also been held at the Jacarepaguà circuit in
Rio de Janeiro 10 times.
* Kevin Magnussen gave Haas its maiden pole position last year, making the
most of his soft compound tyres in the rain at the start of Q3. It was also
the Dane’s first (and so far only) pole, ahead of his eighth place in the
sprint race the following day. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
“The Interlagos circuit in the Brazilian city of São Paulo is well-known for
providing thrilling races. The lap is only 4.309 kilometres long, making it
one of the shortest of the year, with only Monaco and Mexico City being
shorter. It’s also run anti-clockwise and situated on a hillside, which
gives it a unique character. The drivers face a steep downhill section after
the first corner, followed by a long climb uphill with several winding
turns, and then a long straight leading back to the finish line. The track
has 15 corners – five right-handers and nine left-handers – with several
direction changes. Interlagos has a bit of everything, featuring low as well
as medium speed corners, and the cars running quite a high level of
downforce. The forces acting on the tyres are reasonably balanced between
lateral and longitudinal. The asphalt itself has a high level of roughness:
typical of permanent tracks with a long history behind them. Degradation is
mainly thermal, so the C2, C3, and C4 compounds have been chosen. A
two-stopper is the most likely strategy, while a one-stopper would require
plenty of tyre management; affecting race pace. The safety car has often
featured during the grand prix, introducing another key variable, and we
have also seen that weather conditions can vary rapidly and widely at this
time of year as well. Interlagos will additionally host the final sprint
round of the season, giving the teams and drivers another chance to assess
tyre behaviour over long runs. Since sprint races came in for the 2021
season, Interlagos has always been one of them – a sure sign of how this
track consistently delivers the sort of close racing that suits the sprint
format.” |
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