GP Brasil Fórmula 1 2007

The history of the Interlagos circuit dates back to the 1920s, when the city of São Paulo was undergoing a process of fast urbanization.

In 1926, a real state company lead by British entrepreneur Louis Romero Sanson, began designing a suburban area know as "Balneário Satélite da Capital", located in between the two enormous reservoirs which supply the city with drinking water.

Sanson's ambitious project included the construction of large roads, multi sport complex and a racing circuit. To help with the planning, Sanson hired Alfred Agache, a French urban planner who had been responsible for a redevelopment scheme in Rio de Janeiro. It was based on a remark by Monsieur Agache - who considered the place to be similar to the Swiss town of Interlaken - that the newly found neighbourhood was named "Interlagos" (which in Portuguese means "in between lakes").

The 1929 stock-exchange crash, combined with years of political turmoil within Brazil, spoiled Sanson's plans.

Despite the economic and political crisis, Brazil's motor sports scene began to flourish. Since the beginning of the 20th Century, automobile clubs had been organizing local championships, and on 8 October 1933, an internationally renowned race took place in Brazil for the first time - the 1st International Grand Prix of the City of Rio de Janeiro. The race was held at the street-circuit of Gávea, also known as the "Devil's Seesaw".

The success of the races that followed in Rio encouraged São Paulo to organize it's own Grand Prix, which took place in the city's streets on 12 July 1936, having as a starting point the prestigious Avenida Brasil. Sadly, however, disaster struck: French pilot Hellé-Nice lost control of her Alfa Romeo at the end of the race and hit nearby spectators. The accident resulted in 4 people dead and another 37 injured.

This tragedy led the then president of the extinct Automobile Club of Brazil, Eusébio de Queiroz Mattozo, to realize how important it would be to have a suitable racing circuit in the country, and he urged Sanson to conclude the works at Interlagos.

Sanson then extensively researched the best circuits of the world at the time, such as Indianapolis and Roosevelt Raceway in the U.S.A.; Brooklands in Great Britain; and Monthony in France. He also consulted specialized engineers and technicians, in addition to experienced racing drivers.

The circuit's construction began in 1938 and the track was paved the following year, with its 7960 metres of the initial plan. Lack of financial resources meant that the circuit was approved by the extinct Automobile Club of Brazil even without the conclusion of the entire project - which would include grandstands, canteens, toilets, boxes, race control tower and a parking lot for 10000 vehicles. However, heavy rains postponed the official unveiling - initially scheduled for 19 November 1939 - to the following year.

Interlagos circuit was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, with the 3rd Grand Prix of the City of São Paulo and a motorcycle-race taking place. Approximately 15000 people came to watch those races in Brazil's first circuit. The Grand Prix was won by Brazilian driver Nascimento Junior, with an Alfa Romeo 3500cc, followed by fellow Brazilians Chico Landi with a Maseratti 3000cc and Geraldo Avellar driving an Alfa Romeo 2900cc.

Over the following years, distinguished Brazilian drivers such as Landi, Carlos Guinle, Sabbado D'Angelo and Manuel de Teffé helped to draw worldwide attention to Interlagos.

On 30 March 1947, Interlagos had its first international competition with Grand Prix cars (today's Formula 1 predecessors). Sanson's company managed the circuit until 1954, when it was sold to the City of São Paulo for a symbolic price.

In 1957, the track was divided in two parts: an external ring, with 3205metres, for high-speed races; and another, mixed part, for more testing competitions.

At the end of 1967, the circuit was closed for renovations and it was reopened on 1 March 1970. In 1971, more renovations were provided in order to adjust the circuit to Formula 1 requirements.

On 30 March 1972, a Formula 1 race took place for the first time in Interlagos - albeit not valid for points at the World Championship. Argentinean driver Carlos Reutemann won the race, followed by Swede Ronnie Peterson and by Brazilian Wilson Fittipaldi Junior.

The event's success contributed to the inclusion of the race in the FIA Formula One World Championship. The first official race took place on 11 February 1973. Brazil's Emerson Fittipaldi was the winner, followed by Scot Jackie Stewart and New Zealander Dennis Hulme.

In 1978 the F-1 Grand Prix was transferred to Rio de Janeiro's Jacarepaguá circuit, which had been built in 1966 and redesigned to comply with FIA specifications in 1977. In the following year, however, the race came back to São Paulo.

In 1980, the municipality of São Paulo opted not to invest the necessary resources required to maintain the circuit at the required international standard. Rio de Janeiro seized the opportunity and as of 1981 it became the host of the Brazilian Grand Prix. The race was held in Rio until 1989, when it came back to São Paulo.

During this phase, Interlagos went through a series of small-scale renovations and staged a series of minor championship races, such as Formula Ford, Formulas 2 and 3, Super V and GT Cars. In 1985, the circuit was renamed José Carlos Pace, in honour of one the great Brazilian drivers of all time, who died in an airplane crash in 1977.

In 1989, the reverse trend happened: Rio could no longer afford to keep the event, and the then mayor of São Paulo, Ms. Luiza Erundina, and the then President of the Brazilian Confederation of Motor Sports (CBA), Mr. Piero Gancia, joined forces to bring the F-1 Grand Prix back to São Paulo. Interlagos underwent a series of renovations, with the construction of new boxes and a race control tower, and the track itself was reduced to 4325 metres, complying thus with a new trend of shorter circuits.

Interlagos' F-1 reopening took place on 23 March 1990. The race was won by Frenchman Alain Prost, with Austria's Gerhard Berger coming in second place and Brazil's Ayrton Senna in third. Since then, improvements to the circuit have been introduced on a yearly basis, keeping the circuit up-to-date with international standards and with motor sport constant modernization.