Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace

Interlagos is short, anticlockwise and relentlessly physical. The lap tumbles downhill into a tight opening complex, works through an undulating infield, then climbs the long hill back to the line, a gradient that punishes engines and rewards a car with good traction out of the final corners. The counter-clockwise direction and persistent bumps add to the strain on the driver, who is worked hard from start to finish.

Set in Sao Paulo and named after the Brazilian racer Jose Carlos Pace, it is famous for producing dramatic, weather-swung races in front of one of the most passionate crowds in the sport. Its compact length keeps the whole field close and the action almost constant, in a natural amphitheatre of grandstands.