Last Five F1 Winners in Brazil: Who Ruled São Paulo?

The São Paulo Grand Prix has seen legendary drivers win legendary races. Held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, or better known as Interlagos, the sudden weather changes here have given Formula 1 fans many thrilling moments.

The fastest qualifying and race laps in Interlagos were set by two Mercedes drivers in 2018. Lewis Hamilton holds the fastest qualifying lap ever in Interlagos, setting a time of 1:07.281. That same year, his teammate Valtteri Bottas set the fastest race lap here with a time of 1:10.540 on Lap 65 of the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix (it was only in 2021 when the race was renamed to São Paulo GP).

Lando Norris isn't the reigning World Champion anymore (enter Kimi Antonelli), but he is still the most recent winner at Interlagos. 

The McLaren driver dominated the entire weekend. He had pole in Sprint qualifying, which he converted to a win. Then, Norris snatched pole for the main race, and won by more than 10 seconds over Antonelli and Max Verstappen on Sunday. 

The McLarens looked to be on pace for a Grand Prix win in Interlagos, with Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing 1-2 in the Sprint and the former qualifying on pole for the main race.

But the weather became an X-factor on Sunday, with the heavy rain causing red flags, Safety Cars, and multiple incidents. Max Verstappen, who initially qualified 12th and started in 17th (after a five-place engine penalty), used the wet conditions to his advantage.

He made progress through the field, which put him in a great positions during a red-flag period. Several leading drivers, including Norris and George Russell, had already committed to pit stops shortly before the stoppage. Meanwhile, Verstappen was able to change tyres during red flag conditions, allowing him to maintain his track position.

On the restart, the Red Bull driver quickly overtook Alpine's Esteban Ocon and pulled away to win by nearly 20 seconds.

Verstappen didn't have many problems during the 2023 São Paulo GP. He won the Sprint, which allowed him to start on pole for Sunday's race. Norris slotted alongside him, but the McLaren driver never managed to mount a serious challenge. 

Verstappen won by more than eight seconds over Norris, securing his 17th victory of the season to clinch the highest win percentage of any F1 driver in a single season.

It was shaping up to be a difficult season for Mercedes, as they were on the backfoot in the Constructors' Championship for the first time in many years. But the team bounced back nicely in Interlagos that year.

Russell won Saturday's Sprint, securing pole position for the Grand Prix. He maintained his position at the front, after Verstappen and Hamilton made contact at a restart. 

The race was stretched by multiple Safety Cars, but Russell controlled the pace and held off his charging teammate. Mercedes produced a morale-boosting 1-2, with Russell winning his first ever F1 Grand Prix.

With four races remaining on the calendar, Hamilton arrived in Brazil trailing Verstappen by 19 points in the Drivers' Championship. A chaotic series of events during the Sprint had him start Sunday's race in P10, with Verstappen starting in second. 

Hamilton put on the Hammer time music and charged through the field, eventually overtaking Verstappen on Lap 59. It was one of the best signature performances from Hamilton, producing his third victory in Interlagos.

Ferrari had the pace to win during the Mexican Grand Prix, but an intra-team battle allowed Verstappen to take the lead and eventually win the race. Both Hamilton and Verstappen have won three times at Interlagos, and we might see a good tussle between Red Bull and Ferrari this weekend.