Mastering Interlagos: Brazil GP Telemetry & Corner Speed Analysis

Interlagos is one of the shortest laps on the calendar, but it packs in a lot. It runs anticlockwise, it climbs and drops significantly through the lap, and it ends with a long uphill run to the line. It also has a reputation for weather that changes in minutes. Few circuits produce as many surprises.

The 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix (6–8 November) is the first race here under the new rules. It’s also the first standard weekend at Interlagos since 2019: after five years as a Sprint event, it now has three practice sessions, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.

The drivers’ title is already decided, after Antonelli was crowned in Mexico. But Mercedes could clinch the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, and four drivers are fighting for second place.

Interlagos Circuit Facts

• Official name: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
• Length: 4.309 km
• Race distance: 71 laps
• Corners: 15
• Direction: anticlockwise
• Altitude: about 800m, the second-highest circuit on the calendar after Mexico City
• Lap record: 1:10.540, Valtteri Bottas (2018)
• Tyres: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), Pirelli’s softest range and one step softer than in 2025

Compare Interlagos with every other venue on the calendar in our Circuit Guide.

The Senna S: Turns 1–3

The lap starts with the most famous sequence at Interlagos. After the long run from the final corner, drivers brake hard and downhill into Turn 1, the start of the Senna S.

Braking downhill reduces the load on the front tyres, so front-wheel locking is the main risk here. In the telemetry, a driver who is locking up shows a speed trace that drops unevenly, or an extended braking zone as they back off the pedal to recover.

The left-right sequence then opens into Turn 3, Curva do Sol, a long, fast left-hander taken at full throttle. Because the track runs anticlockwise, Turn 3 puts a sustained load on the right-hand tyres for a long time. It’s one of the places where tyre wear builds up most over a race stint.

The Back Straight and Turn 4

Curva do Sol leads onto the Reta Oposta, the back straight, which runs downhill into the Turn 4 braking zone (Descida do Lago). It’s the second-best overtaking spot on the lap.

The Middle Sector: Where Tyres Wear

From Turns 6 to 11, the track winds through a twisty sequence of medium- and slow-speed corners. This is the most demanding part of the lap for the tyres. The corners come quickly and the car is loaded laterally for much of the time.

Two parts of the surface were resurfaced before the weekend: between Turns 3 and 5, and around Turns 8 and 9. Grip there may be different from previous years, and teams will want to learn how it behaves on Friday.

What the telemetry shows: Through the middle sector, compare minimum corner speeds between drivers. A car that has to slow more for these corners is usually short of downforce or struggling with rear tyre temperature.

Turn 12 and the Uphill Run to Turn 1

The lap is decided by Turn 12, Junção, a slow left-hander at the bottom of the hill. Out of it, drivers have about 1.2 km of full throttle up the hill, through the flat-out kinks past the pits, all the way to the Turn 1 braking zone.

Traction out of Turn 12 sets up the whole run. A driver who exits earlier and cleanly gains speed that carries all the way to Turn 1. In the telemetry, compare how quickly each driver reaches full throttle after the Turn 12 apex. A late or hesitant throttle application here costs time on the longest stretch of the lap.

This is also where most overtaking happens. A car close behind out of Turn 12 has the whole uphill run to build a speed difference before braking for Turn 1.

Energy Deployment at Interlagos

For the 2026 power units, Interlagos is relatively undemanding on energy compared with many tracks. There are some specific challenges, though:

• Two Straight Mode zones. Active aero opens on the two main straights. In wet conditions, the first zone’s activation point is moved much later.
• Harvesting through the corners. Turns 3 and 11 may require drivers to lift slightly rather than stay flat out, so that the MGU-K can recover energy.
• Out-laps. The long run from the last corner, followed by the short run to Turn 1, makes MGU-K deployment on the out-lap difficult in qualifying.
• Qualifying recharge limit: 6.5 MJ per lap, one of the lowest of the season.

The 1.2 km uphill run is where Overtake Mode matters most. A chasing car keeps full electrical power to a higher speed than the car ahead, and going uphill, every bit of extra power counts.

800m of Altitude: How It Compares With Mexico

Interlagos sits about 800m above sea level, the second-highest track of the year. But the effect is much smaller than at last weekend’s race in Mexico City.

At 800m, the air is roughly 7–8% less dense than at sea level. At Mexico City, the air is about a quarter less dense. In practice:

• Downforce and drag fall slightly, but nothing like the “Monaco wings, Monza downforce” effect in Mexico.
• The turbo works a little harder than at sea level, but far from the limits seen in Mexico.
• Cooling is slightly less effective, but not a major concern.

Our Mexico City altitude guide explains the physics in full.

Tyres and Race Strategy

Pirelli brings its softest range, C3, C4 and C5. Interlagos’s abrasive surface and the right-hand loading through Turn 3 mean degradation is expected to be high, especially at the rear. A two-stop race is likely in the dry, and all three compounds should be usable.

The three-practice format helps here. Teams will have proper long-run data, if the weather allows. Our guide to reading tyre degradation from long runs explains what to look for in FP2.

Rain and Safety Cars

Interlagos weather is famously unpredictable, and this weekend looks wet. Showers are forecast around Friday’s practice, more persistent rain on Saturday afternoon (during qualifying), and cool, possibly wet conditions on Sunday.

That makes Safety Cars likely. The last Grand Prix here without one was in 2018. Before the weekend, Williams estimated an 80% chance of a Safety Car and 40% of a Virtual Safety Car.

In the wet, race control can limit active aero to partial mode or switch it off completely, and teams will have to time the switch between slicks and intermediates carefully. That decision often decides the race here.

What’s at Stake

Constructors’ Championship: Mercedes leads Ferrari 630 to 504, with 129 points available to each team after this race. Mercedes will clinch the title in Brazil if it outscores Ferrari by three points or more. If the points ended level, Mercedes would win on countback, because it has far more race wins.

The fight for second: Four drivers are separated by 16 points:

• Max Verstappen: 261
• Lewis Hamilton: 259
• George Russell: 250
• Charles Leclerc: 245

Follow the gaps through the weekend on our Championship Standings page, and compare the laps afterwards in the Interactive Telemetry Viewer.

FAQ

How long is the Interlagos circuit? 4.309 km. The São Paulo Grand Prix runs over 71 laps.

Which way does Interlagos run? Anticlockwise. That puts extra load on the right-hand tyres, especially through Turn 3, Curva do Sol.

Is the 2026 Brazilian GP a Sprint weekend? No. 2026 is a standard weekend, with three practice sessions, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Singapore was the final Sprint of the season.

How high is Interlagos? About 800m above sea level, the second-highest on the F1 calendar. The air is roughly 7–8% less dense than at sea level, compared with about 25% at Mexico City.

Where is the best overtaking spot at Interlagos? Turn 1, at the end of the 1.2 km uphill run from Turn 12. Turn 4, at the end of the back straight, is the second-best.