Interlagos: work for a contract until 2020
For a long time, Interlagos has been known as a dangerous circuit with outdated facilities. To keep F1, it was forced to undertake a large-scale renovation program.
This vast $65 million project was made possible by the signing of a long-term contract with the FOM, which now extends until 2020. With the assurance of continuing to host F1, the local authorities could thus afford to carry out these works that had been discussed for years.
But for the event promoter, Tamas Rohonyi, 2020 is just a step and he is already aiming for the next decade: « We thank the City Hall and the federal government. Formula 1 has renewed its contract with the City until 2020. I will recommend that the renewal be extended until 2030. »
During a visit to the circuit, the city’s mayor, Fernando Haddad, stated: “This is the biggest modification on the circuit since 1990. It started this year and will be completed in 2015 with the new pit area.” Indeed, next season, the teams will benefit from a brand new paddock, on the straight line that currently follows the Senna S.
But the first phase of the work is already impressive with the creation of a runoff area in the famous S-curves to enhance driver safety in case of off-track excursions, especially if it rains. Similarly, the entire track has been resurfaced again to avoid the notorious “staircase effect” in the final turn.
For the city, hosting F1 is of utmost importance as it allows it to be showcased to the world. It will thus significantly contribute to it potentially becoming the most visited city in South America, ahead of Buenos Aires and Mexico City. The work done on the circuit is therefore seen as an investment to increase the city’s reputation.
These works, however, had an unexpected consequence: they forced Pirelli to review the types of tires brought to Brazil since the characteristics of the track are no longer the same as in previous seasons. Paul Hembery, the competition director at the manufacturer, stated: “We have always said that we were open to making changes if necessary. After a new technical analysis of the impact of the new track surface and a risk analysis showing that there was little chance of the tires overheating due to an extreme track temperature, we made this change with the unanimous agreement of the eleven teams.”
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
