Major change to Brazilian GP as £22million project completed ahead of crucial Sao Paulo spectacle

BRAZIL’s Formula One race track has undergone a major change ahead of Sunday’s race.

The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo has been a staple of the F1 calendar since 1990 – with the exception of 2020’s cancelled race due to Covid-19.

And this weekend it will once again play host to thousands of fans from around the world who turn out for the motorsport bonanza.

Organisers have confirmed the circuit has undergone a huge change for the grand prix weekend.

A stunning £22million (R$163.6million) investment from Sao Paulo City Hall has seen the track completely resurfaced, with a host of other changes also revealed.

Mayor Ricardo Nunes said: “This place has become a machine, a machine for generating jobs, a machine for generating income, for economic movement, and a machine for taking the name of the city of São Paulo to the world.

“We went from having a deficit facility to now having a facility that generates jobs, generates income and generates revenue for the city.”

The last change to the surface of the track came 10 years ago.

Other changes to the venue have seen work enter the final phase of a pit lane auxiliary access track to the pits as, ruled by motorsport governing body the FIA.

This adds to the renovation and maintenance of existing facilities including the pit lane, paddock area, operation control centre, press area, support building and grandstand.

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A review of safety devices including tyre barriers, metal guardrails, fences, and non-slip paint in escape areas has also happened.

Additional “comprehensive maintenance” has been carried out on permanent facilities, including electrical and hydraulic installations, floors, ceilings, frames and gas and compressed air systems.

The major investment is allowing the racetrack to add a new access and a new hospitality centre, with the old one being demolished to make way for a 12,240 square feet three-floor megastructure at the back of the paddock that can hold up to 6,000 people.

One part of the project still in the works is a 360-metre-long underground access track set to be completed by April 2025 to facilitate the transit of large structures, trucks and public inside the circuit without the need to cross the circuit.

The 2023 race is estimated to have generated around £220million (R$1.64 billion) for the economy, with 77 per cent of visitors coming from outside of the capital and 12.2 per cent coming from tourism.

Another stunning plan for the weekend’s race is a touching tribute to be paid by to three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, 30 years on from his death at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

According to BAND, Lewis Hamilton will be given the honour of driving the Brazilian’s 1990 McLaren MP4/5B car, with which Senna won his second F1 title.

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The seven-time world champion will take the Honda-powered car around the circuit at around 8pm UK time on Saturday, following the conclusion of official F1 activities on track for the day.

Organisers have also opened a “Senna forever” event for the weekend, where Samba F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi is set to take part alongside Hamilton.

The Brit, who idolises Senna, was given honorary Brazilian citizenship in 2022 and has won three times around the Interlagos track.

Senna’s death came just one day after Ronald Ratzenberger, who hit an exposed concrete wall in an impact of 500g force.

The biggest crash ever survived was by IndyCar driver Kenny Brack in 2003, when his car came to a dramatic halt from 220mph with a 214g impact force.

This season’s F1 driver championship may go down to the wire after Lando Norris closed the gap to reigning champion Max Verstappen to 47 points after the Red Bull driver received a 20-second penalty in Mexico.

There are four feature races to go plus two sprint events, including one taking place this weekend in Brazil.