Interlagos Circuit (Brazil) – Location, Geography, Facts

Interlagos Circuit is an f1-circuit in Brazil, officially known as Autódromo José Carlos Pace and located in São Paulo.

Interlagos Circuit, Brazil.

Country: Brazil
Coordinates: 23.7011° S, 46.6972° W

Interlagos Circuit overview

Interlagos Circuit is an f1-circuit in Brazil, officially known as Autódromo José Carlos Pace and located in São Paulo. The circuit’s present FIA-graded layout measures 4.309 kilometres per lap and comprises 15 turns, making lap length a defining measurable attribute. Interlagos Circuit is significant for its repeated role as the venue for the Brazilian Grand Prix and for its association with Brazilian motorsport heritage and national racing infrastructure. The site combines permanent motorsport facilities with municipal ownership.

Interlagos Circuit coordinates

Interlagos Circuit is commonly mapped at approximately 23.7011° S, 46.6972° W, or -23.7011, -46.6972 in decimal degrees.

Degrees: 23.7011° S, 46.6972° W

Decimal: -23.7011, -46.6972

Where Interlagos Circuit is located

The Interlagos Circuit lies within the municipality of São Paulo in the southern sector of the city, occupying land in the Interlagos neighborhood. Geographically it sits near the Billings and Guarapiranga reservoirs, in an urban-industrial and green-mosaic landscape. Coordinates for the circuit are approximately 23.7036°S, 46.6997°W, placing it on the southern urban plateau of greater São Paulo. Administrative responsibility rests with municipal authorities while the facility borders mixed residential, recreational, and water-management zones.

Why Interlagos Circuit is important

Interlagos Circuit matters as a national motorsport landmark that has repeatedly hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix and other international series under FIA regulation. Its significance includes the circuit’s anti-clockwise configuration and a compact urban footprint that contrasts with longer rural tracks; the 4.309-kilometre lap and 15-turn sequence create specific engineering and strategic demands for vehicles and teams. Interlagos Circuit also figures prominently in Brazilian sporting culture through high-profile championship deciders staged on its tarmac and its name association with driver José Carlos Pace.

History of Interlagos Circuit

The site was developed for motor racing during the mid-20th century to serve a growing automotive and sporting interest in São Paulo, and the original track predates the present configuration. Over decades the layout, pit complex and spectator facilities were reconfigured to meet evolving safety standards and international homologation requirements. The circuit was later renamed to honor driver José Carlos Pace, reflecting its connection to national racing figures. Investments in resurfacing, structural upgrades and paddock modernization have accompanied its recurring selection as a championship-level venue.

Natural features of Interlagos Circuit

Interlagos Circuit combines engineered track geometry with permanent built elements such as a reinforced-concrete pit complex, steel-framed spectator stands, and a control tower overlooking the start-finish straight. The surface is asphalt over a compacted base designed for drainage and grip; curbing consists of raised concrete and metal kerbs at selected turns. The lap features pronounced elevation changes within its 4.309-kilometre loop and a signature left-right sequence near the start commonly referred to in technical descriptions as the opening “S”.

Environment, protection, and monitoring of Interlagos Circuit

Ownership and stewardship of the Interlagos Circuit involve municipal authorities contracting event promoters and maintenance contractors under concession arrangements subject to FIA homologation. The facility sits adjacent to important urban reservoirs, so environmental management addresses stormwater runoff, noise mitigation within urban zones, and vegetation buffers around service areas. Long-term management emphasizes scheduled resurfacing, structural inspections of concrete grandstands, and regulatory monitoring to retain racing homologation and municipal land-use compliance.

Interlagos Circuit facts

The Autódromo opened to motor racing in 1940 and retains structural elements dating back to its original mid-20th-century construction.
Interlagos Circuit is located roughly between the Billings and Guarapiranga reservoirs on São Paulo’s southern urban plateau.
The circuit carries the alternative name Autódromo José Carlos Pace, commemorating a Brazilian Formula One driver associated with the track.
The present racing configuration measures 4.309 kilometres per lap and runs in an anti-clockwise direction with fifteen defined turns.
Interlagos Circuit holds an FIA Grade 1 homologation and has been used repeatedly as the venue for Brazilian Grand Prix events.

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