“Nada ultrapassa essa emoção,” is the slogan greeting fans at Interlagos’ entrances. Nothing surpasses this emotion.
Walk through the tunnels underneath the Autodromo Carlos Pace and it’s obvious why. The bowl-shaped venue in the middle of Sao Paulo’s bustling metropolis is one of motor racing’s most revered cathedrals, its ancient grandstands steeped in history.
Ayrton Senna memorials in the grandstands
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
The event posters lining the entrance tunnels date all the way back to the inaugural race in 1972, timeless reminders of the many title deciders Interlagos has hosted and the home wins that propelled the popularity of legendary world champions like Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.
Naturally the late Senna is still revered like a deity, with his trademark blue Nacional caps sported by throngs of Brazil’s passionate fans. A giant mural of the three-time World Champion adorns the main paddock building, while Sebastian Vettel travelled to the event to host a tribute and Lewis Hamilton performed an emotional demo in his hero’s 1990 McLaren, which he said was the “greatest honour” of his life.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st position, celebrates with a Brazilian flag on the podium
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Something is missing
Following a long-standing streak of Brazilians on the grid, the country’s last full-time F1 driver Felipe Massa is yet to find a successor after his retirement at the end of 2017. The 2018 season was the first in 48 years without a Brazilian, with just two cameos by Fittipaldi’s grandson, Pietro (Fittipaldi), since then.
Brazilians haven’t been able to transfer all their energy and ’emoção’ onto a home hero for seven years, instead adopting Senna apostle Hamilton as one of their own, the seven-time world champion being awarded honorary Brazilian citizenship in 2022.
That void was even more striking this weekend while thousands of Argentinians flocked to their neighboring country to cheer on Williams sensation Franco Colapinto. The 2024 edition had been largely sold out for a while, but Colapinto fans still managed to find tickets on the resale market to watch the 21-year-old at the closest they have to a home race at the moment.
The Argentinian’s arrival has led to a surge of interest in South America, but F1 fans from the only country in the continent actually hosting a race can only watch on with envy for…
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