Why is the Interlagos Circuit, home to the São Paulo Grand Prix, called the Autódromo José Carlos Pace?
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The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, venue of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix (Image by Planet Labs, Inc)
The Brazilian Grand Prix, currently held under the name ‘São Paulo Grand Prix‘, is one of Formula 1’s most highly-anticipated races, and more often than not, it delivers an abundance of excitement for the fans. It’s not always been held at the Interlagos circuit (there were a significant amount of races in Jacarepaguá), but the race itself has become synonymous with the incredibly iconic venue.
The track is commonly known as ‘Interlagos’ after the neighbourhood it is situated in, whose name, roughly translating to ‘between lakes’, itself derives from its location between two reservoirs – Guarapiranga and Billings. But that is not the official name of the circuit, and it hasn’t been for nigh on 37 years.
The official name of the circuit is ‘Autódromo José Carlos Pace’. But why is that the case? The circuit is named after Formula 1 driver José Carlos Pace, who, like Ayrton Senna hailed from the city of São Paulo. Pace won his first and only race at the circuit which now bears his name, back in 1975. Two years later, the Brazilian perished in a plane crash, around 70 kilometres from Interlagos, in Mairiporã.
In 1985, the circuit’s name was changed from ‘Interlagos’ to ‘Autódromo José Carlos Pace’, honoring the memory of Pace. The track also honors the memory of another Paulistano – Ayrton Senna. Apart from the first two corners (the Senna ‘S’) being known by his name, the facility also has a karting circuit that is named after the three-time world champion.
A quick preview for the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix
Max Verstappen comes into this weekend brimming with confidence, and with amazing form. The Dutchman has won every race except 1 since the summer break, and has broken the record for the most wins in a season – he now has 14. With two races to go, he is certainly in with a shot to put some distance between him and Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, who won 13 races each.
For Ferrari, disappointment would be putting it mildly. While before the summer break it was their own mistakes that doomed them, from Belgium onwards, they have just never had the pace to really compete with Red Bull over an entire race distance. Last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix was perhaps the worst weekend on raw pace for them in the whole season. They will surely be looking for better in Brazil.
Quite the contrary to Ferrari, Mercedes have the wind in their sails from Mexico. Last weekend, they may even have had a proper shot at the win if the strategic choices had been different. So, coming into Brazil, they will definitely be looking to recreate their performance from the previous Grand Prix, even if Ferrari should be considerably better here. Qualifying is also going to be in wet conditions, which can always mix things up.
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