The 20th round of the Formula 1 campaign takes place at the
Interlagos Circuit, host of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The track has
a long history with F1 and has been the scene of several title
deciders as it used to be the traditional final spot on the F1
calendar. In the last 20 years, there have been serval dramatic
moments at the track – so here are five to reminisce ahead of this
weekend’s event! Weather-related chaos in 2003 The 2003 Brazilian
Grand Prix was dramatic for a number of reasons and it all was
rooted to the appalling conditions that hit the track before the
start of the race. The circuit was heavily saturated and a river at
Turn 3 caused six drivers to spin off and into the wall, including
then five-time World Champion Michael Schumacher. Rubens
Barrichello looked to be on course for a maiden victory in his home
country before a car issue forced him to the sidelines, with
Ferrari suffering a painful double non-finish. Following
Barrichello’s retirement, Kimi Raikkonen was leading the race but a
mistake saw Jordan’s Giancarlo Fisichella slip through for the win.
Moments later, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso had a heavy crash at
the final corner which resulted in the race being stopped. Taking
the result from two laps back, Raikkonen was declared the winner
but days later the decision was reverted with Fisichella declared
the victor – it was the final time Jordan won a Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s dramatic title win in 2008 Few, if any title deciders
were as dramatic as Hamilton’s maiden F1 title in 2008. Heading
into the event, Hamilton led rival Felipe Massa by seven points.
For much of the race, Massa was in control out front and produced a
strong drive, doing all he needed to do to fend off the challenge
from McLaren and seal his first-ever championship. It was looking
good for the Ferrari driver – and even when he crossed the line to
take the chequered flag, he was in position to take the title. A
few laps before Massa’s race-winning moment, rain began to fall
which prompted Hamilton into the pit lane while a handful of those
around him opted to stick it out on dry weather tyres. Initially,
Hamilton struggled and lost position to Sebastian Vettel, denting
his chances of taking the championship. But as the rain fell
harder, those on dry tyres lost pace – including Timo Glock. At the
final braking point on the circuit, Hamilton moved ahead of the
Toyota driver to put himself back in position and break the hearts
of Massa and the attending Brazilian fans. Vettel’s recovery to his
third title in 2012 Sebastian Vettel’s titles in 2011 and 2013 were
sealed through pure domination, but his third championship in 2012
was one for the history books. The Red Bull driver was the
favourite heading into the race as he held a 13-point lead over
Fernando Alonso. However, contact with Bruno Senna on the opening
lap sent Vettel spinning around – however he was miraculously able
to continue in the race with no overriding damage. A quick charge
through the field in the opening laps saw him fly up the order
before he opted to stop for intermediate tyres as the rain
persisted throughout the race. Vettel was rarely ever out of action
as continuous overtakes were made, especially in the latter stages
of the Grand Prix. He vaulted himself into fifth place which was
enough to secure the title when the race finished under a Safety
Car following a crash for Paul di Resta. Hamilton’s blockbuster
weekend in 2021 As the 2021 title fight entered its final round,
matters appeared to take a swing in Max Verstappen’s favour when
Hamilton was disqualified from the qualifying classification for a
technical infringement. Sao Paulo hosted the final sprint weekend
of the year and with Hamilton also taking a grid penalty for
Sunday’s Grand Prix due to exceeding his engine component quota,
Verstappen was expected to emerge with a stronger grasp in the
title fight. However, Hamilton showcased an incredible pace from
the pack of the grid to rise to fourth place at the end of the
sprint. It therefore meant he began the main race from 10th, with
his engine penalty applied. Similar pace was on display during the
race and try as Verstappen might to deny Hamilton the lead,
Hamilton forced his way through for the win. It remains one of
Hamilton’s greatest weekends in F1 despite his setbacks and kept
him in the hunt for the title right until the very end of that
year’s campaign. Haas’ shock pole position in 2022 Backmarker fairy
tale stories are always great for F1 and the most recent highlight
came at last year’s race in Brazil when Kevin Magnussen stuck his
car on pole position. Rain threatened to fall on the circuit
throughout qualifying and there was rush to get over the line with
the wet weather always seemingly moments away. Magnussen impressed
to put his car into Q3 and was the first driver to set a lap when
the rain started to fall. His rivals crossed the line behind him
but no one could better his effort. George Russell then made a
mistake and beached his car in the gravel, resulting in a red flag.
The rain persisted and with Intermediate tyres the only option as
drivers returned to the circuit, no one could topple Magnussen. It
marked Haas’ and Magnussen’s first pole position in F1 and reminded
eveyrone of the feel-good nature that comes from unexpected
success.
Source: Read More