2007 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX
INTERLAGOS - PREVIEW
The Honda Racing F1 Team heads to South America this week
for the climax to the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Round 17, the Brazilian Grand Prix, takes place at the Interlagos
circuit in the city of Sao Paulo.
The home grand prix of Honda driver Rubens Barrichello will
see the conclusion of one of the most exciting Formula One
seasons in recent years and the Honda Racing F1 Team will
be hoping to add to its points tally after an excellent drive
by Jenson Button in Shanghai saw him claim 5th place and crucial
points in the penultimate round.
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO - Senior Technical Director
"The Chinese Grand Prix was a challenging race due to
the changeable weather conditions and our drivers lost ground
in the early laps as they battled with understeer. We were
therefore very pleased to pick up some valuable points due
to a good strategy and a great drive from Jenson. Looking
ahead to the final race of the season in Brazil, the main
challenge at Interlagos is finding the best set-up on this
bumpy circuit with its combination of low and high speed corners.
I am very proud that the team has kept pushing this year and
we will be doing our utmost to end the season on a high note"
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"I was born very close to Interlagos so the Brazilian
Grand Prix means a great deal to me and it is always a very
special weekend. However I really enjoy the circuit not just
because it is my home race but also because Interlagos has
some great corners and allows good overtaking. My favourite
corner is the Curva do Laranjinha which is the most challenging
corner of the lap. It's also the corner which I used to cycle
to as a child and watch the races from. The bumpy surface
of the track is also quite tricky meaning that the mechanical
set-up of the car has to be very good. We have had a tough
year in 2007 but I am looking forward to the race in Brazil
and we will be hoping to end the season in a positive way."
JENSON BUTTON
"Interlagos is a particularly challenging circuit for
the drivers as it is one of only two anti-clockwise tracks
on the calendar this year. This takes a big toll, using muscles
in the neck which aren't used to such an extent on other F1
circuits. The track is also notoriously bumpy and the key
to getting a good lap is having total confidence in your car
and understanding where all the bumps are and doing your best
to minimise their impact. You can overtake at turn one, which
I did in last year's race, and also into Bico de Pato. The
race is often wet and then without doubt the biggest challenge
is the long left-hand turn three. I had a really good race
at Interlagos last year and it would be great for everybody
at Honda if we could round off this season on an upbeat note,
however in a dry race it remains difficult for us to finish
in the points."
INTERLAGOS
No of Laps 71 laps
Circuit Length 4.309 km
Race Distance 305.909 km
The anti-clockwise Autodromo José Carlos Pace was
built in a natural bowl that has gradually been absorbed by
the sprawling city of São Paulo. The original track,
first used in 1940, twisted between two lakes hence the name
Interlagos. The new shorter version misses out much of the
old track but maintains the stand-out feature of a steep start
line straight.
Also notable for its difficult corners and tight infield
section, Interlagos is a very bumpy circuit, despite regular
relaying of the racing surface. Chassis set-up therefore needs
to ensure that the car rides well and has high levels of grip
in the corners, with as little drag as possible so that straight-line
speed remains high.
A lap of Interlagos with... Rubens Barrichello
"The Interlagos circuit is used anti-clockwise for the
Brazilian Grand Prix, making it physically demanding for the
drivers as it tests muscle groups which are rarely used on
the conventional clockwise circuits.
"We aim for a nice clean exit out of the last corner
to ensure maximum speed along the main pit straight. Next,
hard braking down from 300km/h for the left-hand turn one,
Descida do Sol, taken in second gear, being careful not to
lock the inside front wheel on the very bumpy entry. We fall
downhill with a quick change of direction into the right-hand
turn two, the Senna S, which we usually take flat at 140km/h
in third gear, and then into the long left-hand turn three,
the Curva do Sol, where we build up speed to 290km/h as we
exit onto the only other straight on the circuit, Reta Oposta.
"This takes us down to Curva do Lago which is a demanding
and tricky medium-speed left-hander taken in third gear at
150km/h and which leads into the tight infield section. Next,
the double-apex right-hander, Curva do Laranjinha. This is
taken at 200km/h and has been the downfall of many drivers
over the years, so we're careful on braking over the harsh
bumps, then precise to keep the right line for the exit toward
the tight second-gear right-hander at 90km/h.
"This next section is a slow, flowing right-left-right
combination through Pinheirinho and Bico de Pato. Leaving
this section, we accelerate hard through a fast left-hander
Mergulho - the lowest point of the circuit - which is on the
limit at 200km/h and made all the more exciting by the various
bumps at its apex. Then we brake hard from 250km/h to 120km/h
and down to second gear for the final corner, Junção,
which leads us onto the long sweeping left-hand drag up the
steep hill toward the finish line."
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