2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Fast Facts

A fortnight on from the previous round, Formula 1 returns to the American continent for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The Brazilian weekend features the penultimate Sprint, prior to the final one of the season in Qatar.

Brazil has strong links to the sport, with a rich racing legacy, as well as being home to several great champions who have left an indelible mark on the history of Formula 1.

The Interlagos track, with an interesting mix of straights and corner types usually provides a great show and close racing, with sudden rain storms often adding to the uncertainty of the final result.

This week, the Pirelli Podium Cap is green and yellow, echoing the colors of the national flag. The special edition which the drivers will wear on the podium is produced by Pirelli Design with creative input from the designer Denis Dekovic and can be purchased on the dedicated e-commerce site https://store.pirelli.com.  

The Compounds

This year’s compound selection for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix harks back to 2023, with the C2, C3 and C4 as Hard, Medium and Soft, therefore one step harder than the trio used last year.

Last year, the dry weather tyres were not required for the race, but when used on Friday and Saturday morning, they showed high levels of wear, as well as graining, especially on the rear axle. The circuit had been completed resurfaced, thus leaving a very smooth surface, less abrasive than in previous years, although still with plenty of bumps around the track.

If conditions are similar, with the inevitable variations due to the ageing of the asphalt, the decision to bring harder compounds could thus extend the performance life of the tyres, which are already more resistant to degradation than the 2024 range. That might allow the Soft to come into play, which last year was only used for Sprint qualifying.

The Track

The circuit named in honour of Brazilian racer José Carlos Pace is 4.309 kilometres long. It was built between 1938 and 1940 and takes much of its inspiration from three classic circuits: Brooklands in England, Roosevelt Raceway in the United States and Montlhery in France.

The layout at Interlagos is interesting, with hints of an anti-clockwise oval circuit, which the drivers deal with 71 times in the race. It boasts 15 corners with relatively balanced lateral and longitudinal forces that do not put any undue strain on the tyres, as they are subjected to loads distributed equally between the front and rear axles.

The combination of several straights and much twistier sections offers plenty of overtaking opportunities, although it also means there’s a higher risk of Safety Cars and incidents.

At this time of year, the weather and temperature can be very variable, with a risk of frequent rain and the inevitable use of wet weather tyres.

A further peculiarity of Interlagos is the bumpy nature of the track, as a result of it being built on relatively unstable ground: just one more challenge for drivers and teams to deal with in terms of set-up and tyre management.

The Stats

To date, Brazil has hosted 51 Formula 1 World Championship Grands Prix, 47 named after the country and the last four after the city of Sao Paulo. Interlagos has hosted 41 races, starting with the inaugural event in 1973. In 1978 and from 1981 to 1989, the race was held at Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepagua circuit.

Of the races run at the José Carlos Pace circuit, the most successful driver is Michael Schumacher with four wins and ten podium finishes. If Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton were to win this year, they would equal the German champion’s record at the Paulista track.

Of the teams, Scuderia Ferrari leads the way on 9 wins, just one ahead of McLaren. Interlagos was also the scene of George Russell’s maiden Formula 1 win in 2022.

How to Watch the 2025 Sao Paolo Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans around the globe can catch all the action from the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix through various broadcasters and streaming services.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with comprehensive coverage of the practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself.

For fans in the United States, the Mexico City Grand Prix will be available through ESPN and its associated channels. ESPN offers extensive coverage of F1, including live broadcasts and replays. Cord-cutters can also stream the race live through various over-the-top (OTT) services that carry ESPN channels.

Viewers in Australia can tune in to watch the Grand Prix weekend unfold live on Fox Sports, which offers complete coverage of F1 races. For online streaming, fans can subscribe to Kayo Sports, a streaming platform that includes all Fox Sports content.

Additionally, F1 TV Pro offers live streaming of every track session to viewers in many countries worldwide.

This subscription service provides access to onboard cameras, team radios, live timing, and more, for an immersive viewing experience.

Remember to check the local listings and services for the most up-to-date information regarding broadcast times and availability in your region.

Sao Paolo Grand Prix Fast Facts

• The Autódromo José Carlos Pace is the fourth-shortest track on the 2025 F1 calendar at just 4.309 km long, only behind Monaco, Zandvoort and Mexico.
• The São Paulo Grand Prix venue is situated 800 metres above sea level, the second-highest altitude on the F1 calendar behind Mexico City (which sits at 2,300m above sea level).
• Interlagos is a track of two extremes. The first and third sectors require a low-drag car for the long straights, but the middle sector is twisty, requiring high downforce. The second DRS zone means more focus is typically on higher downforce for the ultimate fastest lap, but a balance still needs to be found with being competitive on the straights during the race.
• There is 1.2 kilometres of driving at full throttle between the exit of Turn 12 and the braking zone for Turn One, with an elevation change of 33 metres.
• The biggest difference in elevation is from the start/finish straight to Turn 4 where there is a 40-metre drop in elevation.
• The long straight before the lap begins also requires some clever deployment of energy from the ERS to maximise performance towards the end of the out lap, as the drivers start their flying lap.
• Turn 1 is banked heavily towards the inside, unloading the front-left wheel and causing frequent lockups. However, because the tyre is unloaded, flat spots are less likely and time loss isn’t as high as you would expect, due to the steep banking and variety of corner lines drivers can take. The variety of lines is also what makes this corner well suited to overtaking.
• The uphill grid requires the drivers to find the balance between holding the car on the brakes as gently as possible, without rolling backwards.
• From Turn 10 to Turn 6 (around 3.5 km of distance) the left-hand front tyre does very little work and therefore cools down quickly, providing a tricky engineering challenge to keep the tyre in its temperature window.
• With long straights and a second DRS zone, Interlagos is one of the best tracks of the season for overtaking. However, it can be difficult for the defending car to manage its battery, as there aren’t many big braking zones to recover energy.
• The São Paulo Grand Prix is the fifth F1 Sprint of the 2025 season, with just Qatar left on the Sprint calendar this season.
• This will be the fifth consecutive year that the circuit has hosted a Sprint weekend. It is the only track to host the format since its inception during the 2021 season.
• Interlagos is a very flowing circuit with a lot of combined corner entries (where you are cornering and braking at the same time), meaning good stability is important. However, you also need a good front end for the low-speed middle sector.
• The braking energy level for Interlagos is the lowest of all the tracks on the 2025 schedule, at 2.11MJ.
• Track temperatures can reach some of the hottest of the season in Brazil, up to 60°C. And thunderstorms are common around this time of year, which can potentially spice up the weekend.
• Since 2021, the race around the circuit has been known as the São Paulo Grand Prix.
• Valtteri Bottas won the inaugural F1 Sprint race at Interlagos in 2021. A year later, George Russell won his first F1 Sprint race at the venue.
• The Mercedes team has six wins overall at Interlagos. In addition to the three from Lewis Hamilton (2016, 2018 & 2021) and George Russell in 2022, Nico Rosberg also won in São Paulo (2014 & 2015).
• Max Verstappen’s remarkable win from 17th on the grid last year in Sao Paulo was the first race to be won from that far back since Kimi Raikkonen at Suzuka in 2005.
• Since the team’s F1 debut in 2005, no constructor has won more races at Interlagos than Oracle Red Bull Racing (7).
• Verstappen’s 2019 win at Interlagos marked the first time since 1987 that two Honda-powered teams recorded a 1-2 finish, with Pierre Gasly finishing second for Toro Rosso.