TEAM REPORTS (SAN PAULO, BR.) - HRF1 Brazilian Grand Prix - Preview
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The Honda Racing F1 Team heads to South America this week for the climax to the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. Round 17, the Brazilian Grand Prix, takes place at the Interlagos circuit in the city of Sao Paulo. The home grand prix of Honda driver Rubens Barrichello will see the conclusion of one of the most exciting Formula One seasons in recent years and the Honda Racing F1 Team will be hoping to add to its points tally after an excellent drive by Jenson Button in Shanghai saw him claim 5th place and crucial points in the penultimate round.
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO - Senior Technical Director
"The Chinese Grand Prix was a challenging race due to the changeable weather conditions and our drivers lost ground in the early laps as they battled with understeer. We were therefore very pleased to pick up some valuable points due to a good strategy and a great drive from Jenson. Looking ahead to the final race of the season in Brazil, the main challenge at Interlagos is finding the best set-up on this bumpy circuit with its combination of low and high speed corners. I am very proud that the team has kept pushing this year and we will be doing our utmost to end the season on a high note"
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"I was born very close to Interlagos so the Brazilian Grand Prix means a great deal to me and it is always a very special weekend. However I really enjoy the circuit not just because it is my home race but also because Interlagos has some great corners and allows good overtaking. My favourite corner is the Curva do Laranjinha which is the most challenging corner of the lap. It's also the corner which I used to cycle to as a child and watch the races from. The bumpy surface of the track is also quite tricky meaning that the mechanical set-up of the car has to be very good. We have had a tough year in 2007 but I am looking forward to the race in Brazil and we will be hoping to end the season in a positive way."
JENSON BUTTON
"Interlagos is a particularly challenging circuit for the drivers as it is one of only two anti-clockwise tracks on the calendar this year. This takes a big toll, using muscles in the neck which aren't used to such an extent on other F1 circuits. The track is also notoriously bumpy and the key to getting a good lap is having total confidence in your car and understanding where all the bumps are and doing your best to minimise their impact. You can overtake at turn one, which I did in last year's race, and also into Bico de Pato. The race is often wet and then without doubt the biggest challenge is the long left-hand turn three. I had a really good race at Interlagos last year and it would be great for everybody at Honda if we could round off this season on an upbeat note, however in a dry race it remains difficult for us to finish in the points."
INTERLAGOS
No of Laps 71 laps Circuit Length 4.309 km Race Distance 305.909 km
The anti-clockwise Autodromo José Carlos Pace was built in a natural bowl that has gradually been absorbed by the sprawling city of São Paulo. The original track, first used in 1940, twisted between two lakes hence the name Interlagos. The new shorter version misses out much of the old track but maintains the stand-out feature of a steep start line straight. Also notable for its difficult corners and tight infield section, Interlagos is a very bumpy circuit, despite regular relaying of the racing surface. Chassis set-up therefore needs to ensure that the car rides well and has high levels of grip in the corners, with as little drag as possible so that straight-line speed remains high.
A lap of Interlagos with... Rubens Barrichello
"The Interlagos circuit is used anti-clockwise for the Brazilian Grand Prix, making it physically demanding for the drivers as it tests muscle groups which are rarely used on the conventional clockwise circuits. "We aim for a nice clean exit out of the last corner to ensure maximum speed along the main pit straight. Next, hard braking down from 300km/h for the left-hand turn one, Descida do Sol, taken in second gear, being careful not to lock the inside front wheel on the very bumpy entry. We fall downhill with a quick change of direction into the right-hand turn two, the Senna S, which we usually take flat at 140km/h in third gear, and then into the long left-hand turn three, the Curva do Sol, where we build up speed to 290km/h as we exit onto the only other straight on the circuit, Reta Oposta. "This takes us down to Curva do Lago which is a demanding and tricky medium-speed left-hander taken in third gear at 150km/h and which leads into the tight infield section. Next, the double-apex right-hander, Curva do Laranjinha. This is taken at 200km/h and has been the downfall of many drivers over the years, so we're careful on braking over the harsh bumps, then precise to keep the right line for the exit toward the tight second-gear right-hander at 90km/h. "This next section is a slow, flowing right-left-right combination through Pinheirinho and Bico de Pato. Leaving this section, we accelerate hard through a fast left-hander Mergulho - the lowest point of the circuit - which is on the limit at 200km/h and made all the more exciting by the various bumps at its apex. Then we brake hard from 250km/h to 120km/h and down to second gear for the final corner, Junção, which leads us onto the long sweeping left-hand drag up the steep hill toward the finish line."