If the calendar gave us two visits to Interlagos, I wouldn’t complain. Another extraordinary Brazilian Grand Prix reinforced why I love this place, and why Formula 1 needs more circuits that offer this much opportunity to race.
By Miki | F1Unchained
By the time Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix finished, the thought was hard to shake: we have to wait another year for this?
Norris had won, Verstappen had climbed from 21st to second, and changing conditions had kept drivers and teams working throughout. Interlagos had given us another afternoon worth talking about long after the champagne stopped spraying.
I’d happily take a second visit each season. That’s a fan’s wish, not a calendar proposal. But the feeling behind it deserves a serious hearing.
A bad Saturday doesn’t have to settle Sunday
Verstappen’s last three visits make a remarkable sequence: 17th to victory in 2024, the pit lane to third in 2025, and 21st to second this year.
Those results owe plenty to an exceptional driver and a competitive car. Interlagos didn’t do the overtaking for him. But it gave him somewhere to use that speed.
That matters. Watching a faster driver catch another car is only half the attraction. There has to be a realistic chance of doing something once he gets there.
The run uphill from Junção, the braking into the Senna S and the opportunity that follows toward Turn 4 give battles room to develop. A position lost doesn’t necessarily end the argument.
The rain adds something. It isn’t everything.
São Paulo’s weather can turn a comfortable afternoon into a difficult one very quickly. Sunday reminded us how much judgment is involved when the track dries, slick tires become tempting and rain threatens to undo the calculations.
But Verstappen’s 2025 recovery came in a dry race. That’s an important part of the case for this circuit.
Interlagos doesn’t need a storm to make the racing interesting. The elevation, rhythm and overtaking opportunities already give it character. The weather adds another challenge.
And the place has a wonderful ability to leave even great careers with unfinished business. Fernando Alonso secured both his world championships here without ever winning the Grand Prix. Two titles celebrated at a circuit whose top step has remained out of reach.
More of what makes this place special
Other circuits offer their own pleasures: speed, precision, history and very different tests of a driver. Appreciating Interlagos doesn’t require taking those qualities away from anywhere else.
What makes this place special to me is the feeling that the race still has somewhere to go. A difficult starting position can become a podium. A changing track can reward judgment. A battle can continue beyond one corner.
No circuit guarantees a classic. But Interlagos repeatedly gives the racing a chance.
One visit will probably have to do. Wanting more of what it offers is a reasonable expectation for Formula 1.
— Miki
Would you take a second Interlagos race, or is there another circuit that leaves you wishing once a year wasn’t all we got?
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