The triptych of races condensed into 20 days ends in Brazil, in Sao Paulo. The Carlos Pace racetrack, also known as the Interlagos circuit, will be the venue for the third to last round valid for the 2023 Formula 1 world championship. This race adopts the Sprint race format for the sixth time this season, with qualifying on the following Friday the only free practice session, for which the teams are obliged to bring single-seaters to the track with set-ups already approved from home.
The Interlagos circuit is located at around 700m above sea level so the air is a little rarefied (17% less density) and is positioned between two artificial lakes which make the surrounding terrain not very solid and compact, causing less than optimal leveling of the road surface and the formation of bumps. It is run in an anti-clockwise direction and is certainly not a very stressful track for the tyres, although the direction of travel makes the tires on the right side subject to greater stress.
Despite the presence of two very long straights, which favor overtaking, the track is particularly varied and requires a medium-high aerodynamic load to optimally deal with the twisting nature of the second sector.
Photo by: MegaRide
MegaRide simulation, Brazilian GP
As is evident from the graph representing the tread temperatures, below, the curves that involve the tires on the left side are essentially curve 6 and curve 8 while those on the right, more critical, are stressed between curve 1-2, S do Senna, turn 4 and turn 11-12.
The track offers medium levels of abrasion and grip, as the asphalt is very rough, justifying Pirelli’s choice to allocate medium compounds across the entire range, therefore bringing C2-C3-C4.
Photo by: MegaRide
MegaRide simulation, Brazilian GP
The choice seems balanced even in the face of the very variable weather in Brazil at this time of year: the asphalt temperatures can be among the highest of the year, but it has not been uncommon in past years to have borderline weather situations with rain even torrential.
Photo by: MegaRide
MegaRide simulation, Brazilian GP
We do not have a pre-eminent stress, with longitudinal and lateral loads quite balanced. The first and last sectors are those where the engine is most important and the longitudinal loads are slightly more prevalent while in the second sector, which is decidedly more driven, the lateral loads are more important, although they are not very high as the curves are very short.
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