by www.redbullracing.com, Nov 16, 2011
The final race of the season brings us to São Paulo, the city where we were crowned Formula One Constructors’ Champions in 2010.
A dominant 1-2 finish last year in Brazil, courtesy of race winner Sebastian Vettel and runner-up Mark Webber saw us gain an unassailable lead over McLaren to win the biggest prize in motorsport after just five short years as a team.
The year before, in 2009, we secured our first win in South America when Mark crossed the line first, and Seb finished fourth.
While Brazil has been the scene of such memorable celebrations for us, it was here in 2008 that David Coulthard hung up his gloves for the very last time in an emotional weekend. Cruelly, the Scot was shunted out of his very last F1 race during lap one, but the warmth that greeted him from the stands and fellow teams was something to behold.
Until 2009, none of our drivers had scored a point in Brazil.
This is the 39th Brazilian Grand Prix and the 29th to be held at Interlagos circuit. The São Paulo track was the first to hold the race in 1973, but, after it had filled in for the 1978 event, Rio’s Jacarepagua circuit took over for nine years from 1981-1988, before Interlagos claimed it back.
Interlagos is a notoriously bumpy circuit, particularly at Turn 4, the Descida de Lago, and this puts massive strain on the car as bottoming out is frequent and debilitating to both car and driver. It’s a real test of endurance. There are 15 turns around the circuit’s 4.309km lap. The race is 71 laps, a distance of 305.909km. Columbian Juan Pablo Montoya holds the lap record of 1:11.473, set in 2004.
Alain Prost holds the record for the most number of wins at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with six, followed by Michael Schumacher and Argentinean Carlos Reutemann who have four apiece.
São Paulo is one of the best party places on the F1 calendar – though we would say that after our exploits there over the past two years. Sample some caipirinha, Brazil’s notorious cachaca-based cocktail, and see where the night takes you…
Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula one Team (www.redbullracing.com)
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