Editing Interlagos Circuit (section)

==History==
[[File:Jose Carlos Pace bust.jpg|left|thumb|100px|The bust of [[José Carlos Pace]] in the circuit]]
The land on which the circuit is located was originally bought in 1926 by property developers who wanted to build housing.<ref name="history">[http://www.gpbrasil.com.br/_site11e/historia.asp Interlagos circuit history] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130103041/http://www.gpbrasil.com.br/_site11e/historia.asp |date=30 November 2011}} – Official Brazilian Grand Prix website</ref> Following difficulties partly due to the [[Wall Street crash of 1929|1929 stock market crash]], it was decided to build a racing circuit instead; construction started in 1938 and the track was inaugurated on 12 May 1940.<ref name="history"/> Its design was inspired by tracks such as the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] and [[Roosevelt Raceway]] in the United States, [[Brooklands]] in England, and [[Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry|Montlhéry]] in France.<ref name=Wolfe234>{{citation | title = Autos and Progress: The Brazilian search for Modernity | ref = JW1 | publisher = Oxford UP | location = New York City | date = 2010 | isbn = 978-0-19-517456-4 | page = 234 (footnote 66) | last = Wolfe | first = Joel}}</ref><ref name="aihistory" />

The traditional name of the circuit, [[Interlagos]] (in Portuguese, "between lakes"), comes from its location on the neighborhood of the same name, a region between two large artificial lakes, [[Guarapiranga]] and [[Billings Reservoir|Billings]], built in the early 20th century to supply the metropolitan region of São Paulo with water and electric power. The name "Interlagos" was suggested by the French architect and urban planner [[Alfred Agache (architect)|Alfred Agache]] after the [[Interlaken]] region located in Switzerland.<ref name="aihistory">{{cite news|url=http://www.autodromodeinterlagos.com.br/wp1/conheca-interlagos/historia/?lang=en |title=History – The Interlagos Race Track|publisher=autodromointerlagos.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701202037/http://www.autodromodeinterlagos.com.br/wp1/conheca-interlagos/historia/?lang=en |archive-date=1 July 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Interlagos was renamed in 1985 to "Autódromo José Carlos Pace" in honor of the Brazilian Formula One driver [[José Carlos Pace]], also known as "Moco", who died in a plane crash in 1977.<ref name="aihistory" />

Formula One started racing at Interlagos in 1972, when the event was run as a non-championship race (won by Argentinean [[Carlos Reutemann]]). The first World Championship Brazilian Grand Prix was held there in [[1973 Brazilian Grand Prix|1973]], and it was won by defending Formula One World Champion and São Paulo local [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]. Fittipaldi won the race again the [[1974 Brazilian Grand Prix|following year]], and [[José Carlos Pace]] won his only race at Interlagos in [[1975 Brazilian Grand Prix|1975]].

Due to safety concerns with the {{cvt|7.960|km|mi|abbr=on}} original layout, including a bumpy surface, the inadequate barriers, deep ditches and embankments, the last Formula One race held on the original Interlagos was in [[1980 Brazilian Grand Prix|1980]], when it was nearly cancelled after protests by many Formula One drivers – including defending world champion [[Jody Scheckter]]. The safety concerns were directed towards the track surface, which BBC commentator Murray Walker described as "appallingly bumpy". Most of the ground-effect cars of 1980 were designed in such a way that bumpy surfaces were barely tolerable for the drivers. These factors meant that Formula One would move back to the [[Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet|Jacarepaguá]] circuit in Rio de Janeiro, hometown of established star [[Nelson Piquet]] and where the Brazilian Grand Prix was held in 1978. After Formula One moved away, the only major race being held at Interlagos was the Mil Milhas Brasil, and the last major race on the original circuit was the 1989 Mil Milhas Brasil. Formula One returned to the circuit in [[1990 Brazilian Grand Prix|1990]] after it had been shortened and modified at a cost of $15 million. The track layout, aside from the pit exit being extended along the "Curva do Sol" over the years has remained the same since 1990.
    
The circuit is often witness to dramatic results when it hosts the Formula One [[Brazilian Grand Prix]], especially since its move to an end of season slot in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/rain-fire-and-winds-change-2003-brazilian-gp-may-be-f1s-craziest-race |title= Rain, fire and the winds of change: the 2003 Brazilian GP may be F1's craziest race |work= [[Motor Sport magazine]] |date= 8 January 2020 |access-date= 25 April 2021 |last= Keilloh |first= Graham}}</ref> [[Fernando Alonso]] won both the 2005 and 2006 world titles in Brazil, with Renault also clinching the constructors' title in 2006. [[Kimi Räikkönen]] won the [[2007 FIA Formula One World Championship|2007 World Championship]] here after being seven points down and in third place in the championship entering the final race of the season. [[Felipe Massa]] almost won the 2008 Driver's World Championship when he finished the [[2008 Brazilian Grand Prix]] as winner, but after he finished, [[Lewis Hamilton]] overtook [[Timo Glock]] and was crowned World Champion. Despite [[Rubens Barrichello]]'s pole position in [[2009 Brazilian Grand Prix|2009]], [[Mark Webber (racing driver)|Mark Webber]] won the race and [[Jenson Button]] won the championship for [[Brawn GP|Brawn]] after starting 14th. [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] got their first pole since 2005 here at the [[2010 Brazilian Grand Prix]] with [[Nico Hülkenberg]]. The race was won by [[Sebastian Vettel]], and with Mark Webber coming second, [[Red Bull Racing|Red Bull]] secured the constructors title; however the driver's title was not confirmed until the [[2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix|last race of the season]].

During the weekend of the 2023 race, one roof in the complex came off because of bad weather.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/f1/13000006/storm-causes-havoc-at-brazilian-gp-qualifying-this-is-absolutely-crazy | title=Storm rips roof off stand at Sao Paulo GP qualifying &#124; 'This is absolutely crazy!'}}</ref>

===Tribute to José Carlos Pace===

In August 2024, the body of José Carlos Pace himself was transferred from his vandalized mausoleum to the race circuit to be laid to rest in the race track named after him. The idea for this came was organized by the president of the Confederação Brasileira de Automobilismo (Brazilian Automobile Confederation) (CBA), Paulo “Loco” Figueiredo, the president of the Comissão Nacional de Carros Clássicos (National Classic Car Commission) and journalist Ricardo Caruso, as soon as they were informed of the vandalism of Pace's mausoleum, in the Araçá cemetery, in São Paulo. Figueiredo and Caruso began a long battle against bureaucracy, which included meetings with municipal authorities, at least 15 trips to the cemetery, as well as searches in registry offices, collecting documents and various authorizations, just to give the departed racer his deserved respect, and all with the support and help of Pace's family, who were unaware of the situation of his grave in the cemetery and immediately authorized them to do whatever was necessary. 

Finally, on August 23, Pace's body arrived in Interlagos, where he was buried next to the bust that stands there in his honor. The emotional ceremony was attended by Pace's family (his widow Elda, his children Patrícia and Rodrigo, and his grandchildren), friends, other drivers, journalists and admirers of “Moco”. Then, José Carlos Pace took one last lap around the track, where Rodrigo, “Moco's” son, drove a 1967 [[Karmann-Ghia]] racing car that was used by his father, from the old [[Dacon]] team, where José Carlos Pace formed a trio with none other than the Fittipaldi brothers of [[Emerson Fittipaldi|Emerson]] and [[Wilson Fittipaldi|Wilson Jr.]] at the time. Alongside Rodrigo was Maurício Marx, collector and current owner of the Karmann-Ghia, who took the urn with Pace’s remains to his “final chequered flag”. This makes Pace the first departed driver ever to be buried in a race circuit.