Interlagos 1974 – Fittipaldi triumphs on residence soil
Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren, Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari, Jacky Ickx, Lotus
Photograph by: David Phipps
McLaren’s 1974 marketing campaign began off strongly, with Denny Hulme profitable the opening spherical in Buenos Aires whereas Emerson Fittipaldi triumphed on residence soil on the old-school, curvy, dusty, bumpy 7.96km Interlagos observe.
On his approach to a second world title, Fittipaldi took one in every of simply two pole positions for McLaren that 12 months, outpacing Brabham’s Carlos Reutemann by 0.24s; the Argentinian led Lotus’ Ronnie Peterson early on, however his rubber proved too comfortable and he dropped out of the factors.
A duel between Peterson and Fittipaldi ensued, and the Sao Paulo native took the lead on lap 14, with former team-mate Peterson subsequently struggling a puncture.
Fittipaldi comfortably led the rest of the race till a torrential downpour brought on it to be red-flagged – properly, the chequered flag was waved early; an error by race management meant Fittipaldi and Ferrari’s Clay Regazzoni accomplished another lap than everybody else.
Jacarepagua 1984 – Lauda in some way presents team-mate Prost victory
Alain Prost, McLaren MP4-2 TAG, celebrates victory
Photograph by: Motorsport Photos
Quick-forward 10 years, and F1 now frequently visits Rio de Janeiro’s very flat Jacarepagua observe, having ditched Interlagos over security issues. 4 completely different constructors gained the primary 4 grands prix there – Ferrari, Williams, Renault, Brabham – and McLaren made it 5 in 1984.
Reigning world champion Nelson Piquet was hampered by an off and an engine failure in qualifying, ending up seventh on the grid, with Lotus’ Elio de Angelis reaching his second pole place, half a second quicker than Michele Alboreto (Ferrari), Derek Warwick (Renault) and Alain Prost (McLaren).
What a race it was! De Angelis slowed down initially, so Alboreto led early on, however the Italian spun out because of a brake failure. With a powerful drive from sixth on the grid, Prost’s team-mate Niki Lauda inherited the lead, having aggressively overtaken Warwick two laps prior. “It might not have seemed a lot, nevertheless it was fairly a bang!” the Briton stated of the contact between the 2 vehicles.
Lauda led for 26 laps till {an electrical} plug failure took him out of the race, and Warwick discovered himself within the lead by 29 seconds, however the Renault’s front-left suspension had suffered from the collision with Lauda and he retired on lap 52. With a 50-second hole to Renault’s Patrick Tambay, all Prost needed to do was deliver it residence.
Jacarepagua 1985 – Prost kickstarts first title-winning marketing campaign
Podium: race winner Alain Prost, McLaren TAG Porsche, second place Michele Alboreto, Ferrari, third place Elio de Angelis, Lotus Renault
Photograph by: Motorsport Photos
The following Brazilian Grand Prix, opening Prost’s first title-winning season, was not a simple affair for the Frenchman, who certified down in sixth, 1.349s down on poleman Alboreto (Ferrari), with the Williams and Lotus vehicles in between.
Williams’ Nigel Mansell went off on the primary lap, whereas Prost jumped each Lotus vehicles as much as third. Keke Rosberg led within the FW10 earlier than his turbo went up in flames after simply 10 laps.
Alboreto regained the lead however was underneath stress from a serene Prost, who comfortably overtook the Ferrari and created a 28-second hole that he managed over the rest of the race.
Jacarepagua 1987 – Prost’s racecraft proves essential in warmth
Alain Prost, McLaren MP4/3
Photograph by: Sutton Photos
After struggling a double DNF because of engine failures in 1986, McLaren bounced again the next 12 months. You wouldn’t have believed it qualifying, as Nigel Mansell and Piquet outpaced their rivals by some two seconds for a Williams 1-2; McLaren’s Prost was 3.047s off in fifth, with new team-mate Stefan Johansson simply tenth – his deficit a whopping 4.348s.
Piquet led Lotus’ Ayrton Senna early on, to the gang’s delight, however the 35C ambient temperature meant each Williams-Honda vehicles overheated, hampered by paper particles of their radiator consumption ducts; an identical drawback on Prost’s TAG Porsche-powered McLaren was much less impactful.
The Frenchman mastered these powerful situations to nurse his equipment – each engine and tyres – and led runner-up Piquet by over 40 seconds underneath the chequered flag.
Jacarepagua 1988 – Prost is untouchable once more
Alain Prost, McLaren MP4/4
Photograph by: Sutton Photos
As McLaren’s supremacy started with its dominant Honda-powered MP4/4, Senna simply took pole – as he typically did – over half a second quicker than Williams’ Mansell and McLaren team-mate Prost.
Albeit very quick in corners, the Judd-equipped, non-turbo FW12 was some 30km/h slower than the MP4/4 on the straights, and it had an inclination to overheat – therefore early retirements for Mansell and team-mate Riccardo Patrese.
Senna hit gearbox bother earlier than the race had even began, discovered himself down the order and ended up disqualified for swapping to a special chassis after the formation lap had begun.
In different phrases, Prost had little competitors; he gained by 10 seconds over Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger.
Interlagos 1991 – Senna overcomes gearbox gremlins for residence win
Podium: Race winner Ayrton Senna, McLaren, second place Riccardo Patrese, Williams, third place Gerhard Berger, McLaren
Photograph by: Ercole Colombo
After Ferrari victories in 1989 and 1990 – the latter courtesy of Prost – McLaren returned to profitable methods for the second race on the shortened Interlagos structure, which F1 nonetheless races on right this moment.
Senna took his very first residence victory from pole place, main each lap of the race. However that doesn’t imply it was straightforward; the Brazilian’s MP4/6 misplaced fourth gear 20 laps from the tip, and he was lucky that his major challenger, Mansell, was taken out of the race by his Williams’ personal gearbox.
Senna finally took a well-liked victory three seconds forward of Williams’ Patrese, having loved a niche as massive as 42.5 seconds on lap 54.
Interlagos 1993 – Senna shines as rain hits Sao Paulo
Ayrton Senna, McLaren, Damon Hill, Williams
Photograph by: Pascal Rondeau / Getty Photos
There was nothing Senna may do towards the mighty Williams in 1992, however rain gave him precisely the chance he wanted the next 12 months.
Senna certified in third, almost two seconds away from polesitter Prost and one second off the second FW15C pushed by Damon Hill; Senna did briefly seize second place from Hill initially however was left battling Benetton’s Michael Schumacher whereas the Williams vehicles pulled away.
To compound his wrestle, Senna was furious to be one in every of a number of drivers netting a 10-second stop-go penalty for overtaking underneath yellow flags, ending up 48 seconds away from the race lead, whereas his deficit to third-placed Schumacher reached 30 seconds.
Then the monsoon arrived, and all of it went unsuitable for Prost, who misinterpreted an intermittent radio message and stayed out too lengthy within the rain earlier than crashing into Christian Fittipaldi’s Minardi.
For the second time in F1 historical past, the race was neutralised by the protection automotive. An interesting duel ensued between Hill and Senna over the next 20 laps, with the Brazilian popping out on prime due to a elegant transfer down the within at Ferradura. This was McLaren’s one centesimal grand prix victory – ever so near document holder Ferrari’s 103-win tally.
Interlagos 1998 – Hakkinen’s grand chelem
Mika Hakkinen, McLaren, David Coulthard, McLaren, Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
Photograph by: Motorsport Photos
Mika Hakkinen’s emphatic victory from pole place within the 1998 Brazilian Grand Prix marked a 3rd consecutive 1-2 for McLaren after 1997’s season-ending Jerez spherical and the 1998 season opener in Melbourne.
David Coulthard had been very shut in qualifying at Albert Park, however Hakkinen took an uncontested pole at Interlagos with a 1m17.092s lap that was 0.665s quicker than his team-mate’s; everybody else was not less than a second off.
McLaren overwhelmingly dominated on Sunday, beating third-placed Schumacher by a minute. Hakkinen was shadowed by Coulthard all through the race – however by no means truly threatened.
Interlagos 1999 – McLaren overcomes reliability issues with Hakkinen
Race winner Mika Hakkinen, Mclaren sprays second positioned Michael Schumacher, Ferrari with champagne on the rostrum
Photograph by: Sutton Photos
Hakkinen gained once more in 1999, however Schumacher gave him a a lot tougher time.
As was the case within the opening spherical, the Finn received pole forward of team-mate Coulthard, with Stewart’s Rubens Barrichello a shock however distant third forward of Schumacher.
However on the way in which to a dominant 1-2 in Melbourne, McLaren had suffered a expensive double retirement because of mechanical issues.
Issues went unsuitable once more in Sao Paulo as Coulthard stalled on the grid and finally retired because of gearbox points. In the meantime, Hakkinen misplaced the result in native hero Barrichello on the fourth lap as he suffered a brief transmission malfunction, dropping to 3rd however placing Schumacher underneath intense stress.
Barrichello slowed down after his pitstop with engine issues inflicting his eventual retirement, and Hakkinen efficiently overcut Schumacher, benefiting from 4 fast laps in a light-weight automotive earlier than refuelling.
Interlagos 2001 – Coulthard makes probably the most of Montoya’s misfortune
Podium: race winner David Coulthard, McLaren, second place Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, third place Nick Heidfeld, Sauber
Photograph by: Motorsport Photos
The 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix arguably belonged to Juan Pablo Montoya.
Williams’ rookie driver certified fourth for his third F1 race, sandwiched between the McLarens, who had a horrible begin to the race – Hakkinen stalled and Coulthard was overtaken by Montoya, whose team-mate Ralf Schumacher dropped down from second to fifth.
The protection automotive was deployed to clear Hakkinen’s McLaren from the grid, and as quickly because the race restarted, Montoya muscled his well past Schumacher for the lead.
By lap 38, the older Schumacher had made a primary pitstop and Montoya led Coulthard by six seconds, however that was when he was rear-ended and brought out of the race by backmarker Jos Verstappen.
Coulthard pitted 15 laps later than Schumacher and overcut him, then survived a downpour as his rival misplaced management on a moist white line, profitable by 16 seconds. Solely they completed on the lead lap.
Interlagos 2005 – McLaren 1-2 fails to stop Alonso’s title
Podium: second place Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, Race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren, third place Fernando Alonso, Renault, third and World Champion
Photograph by: Sutton Photos
By 2005, Interlagos had moved to a late-season slot, and that 12 months’s operating of the race topped Renault’s Fernando Alonso regardless of a McLaren 1-2.
Alonso loved a 25-point benefit over Kimi Raikkonen forward of the race and simply wanted to retain 21 to make sure he would come out on prime; the Spaniard gave himself the means to make it actual, setting pole place forward of McLaren’s Montoya, with Raikkonen down in fifth following an error on his qualifying lap.
Raikkonen, nevertheless, made brief work of BAR’s Jenson Button and Giancarlo Fisichella on the primary lap; following a brief security automotive intervention, Montoya made probably the most of Alonso operating vast at Flip 1 and snatched the lead.
Because it occurred, Alonso merely didn’t have sufficient tempo to match the McLarens and ended up 25 seconds away from the victory as pitstops unfolded, however that was sufficient to safe the title. Montoya led Raikkonen by 2.5s underneath the chequered flag.
Interlagos 2012 – Button win ends McLaren’s period of success
Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-27
Photograph by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Photos
The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix is well-known as a sensational title decider that swung Sebastian Vettel’s manner regardless of a first-lap collision, nevertheless it was additionally Button’s remaining profession victory and McLaren’s final win till the exceptional 2021 Monza race.
McLaren locked out the entrance row with Lewis Hamilton simply 0.055s forward of Button, with each drivers battling for the lead early on in barely damp situations. However Pressure India’s Nico Hulkenberg was having the time of his life and snatched the lead manner on lap 18.
Hamilton finally made a transfer stick on Button. Hulkenberg saved the lead till he made a mistake which let Hamilton by means of; six laps later, Hamilton locked up behind the backmarking Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen, Hulkenberg consequently misplaced management of his Pressure India and hit the McLaren.
Button, who had been 4 seconds behind, inherited the lead and capped off a strong race that epitomised changeable climate to disclaim Alonso the win – and the world title.
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