Interlagos

The track at a glance

The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, is in the south of São Paulo, Brazil. It is 4.309 km long with 15 turns, runs anticlockwise, and a Grand Prix there is 71 laps. The circuit opened in 1940.

The track sits in a bowl between two lakes, which gives it its name (“between lakes”). The lap drops downhill from the start into the Senna S, winds through a tight infield, then climbs all the way back to the line through the long, curving Subida dos Boxes.

In 1985 the circuit was renamed after José Carlos Pace, a Brazilian Grand Prix winner who died in a plane crash in 1977.

A lap of Interlagos, corner by corner

Every corner at Interlagos has a name. The official turn numbers count each part of a corner, and Turns 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 are marked on the map.

• T1–2S do Senna. A downhill left into a fast right, straight after the start. One of the best overtaking spots on the calendar.
• T3Curva do Sol. A long, fast left that opens onto the back straight, the Reta Oposta.
• T4–5Descida do Lago. A downhill left at the end of the back straight, another good place to pass.
• T6–7Ferradura. A fast, tricky right-hander that starts the infield.
• T8–9Laranjinha and Pinheirinho. A quick right, then a slow left that leads to the tightest part of the lap.
• T10Bico de Pato. “Duck’s beak”: a slow, tight right-hand hairpin.
• T12Junção. A slow left at the bottom of the hill. The exit decides the long climb to the line through Turns 13 to 15.

Grand Prix racing at Interlagos

Interlagos is one of the few circuits from the 1940s still on the Grand Prix calendar, though it is much shorter than it was.

• 1940The circuit opens on a 7.960 km layout that loops around the bowl.
• 1973Interlagos hosts its first World Championship Brazilian Grand Prix.
• 1985The circuit is renamed Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
• 1990Grand Prix racing returns on a new, shorter layout of about 4.3 km.
• 2018The race lap record is set at 1:10.540.

Designed around a hill

Interlagos uses its hillside well. The drop into the Senna S makes the first corner a natural place to overtake, and the long uphill climb to the line means a good exit from Junção can set up a pass at the start of the next lap.

The short lap also means traffic comes up quickly and races rarely settle down. For more on how hills shape a lap, read designing for elevation change or why most tracks run clockwise.

Ideas for your remaster

The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:

Bring back the long lap. The original layout was nearly twice as long. Can you add a bigger loop around the bowl?

Rework the infield. The slow infield is hard to pass in. Try a faster section that still fits between the straights.

Name your turns. Group and name the turns in the designer, and they will show on your exports and share link.

Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs, run-off and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.

When you’re happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.

Frequently asked questions

Layout traced from the open circuit data in bacinger/f1-circuits (MIT licence). Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.