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Toto Previews Brazil:
Looking Forward to a ‘Proper Driver’s Circuit’

29 October 2024
8 Min Read

The final leg of the triple-header has arrived! With two weeks on the road in Austin and Mexico already behind us, the final push comes in São Paulo this weekend.

Always one of the more exciting and vibrant Grands Prix on the calendar, this will be F1’s 41st visit to Interlagos.

For a lap of about 70 seconds, the Autódromo José Carlos Pace does everything and more to keep a driver on their toes, and is a firm favourite among those on the grid.

“Interlagos is a proper driver’s circuit with plenty of undulation and a challenging mix of low, medium, and high-speed corners,” says Toto.

With such variety in its corners and layout, it can be a tricky track to get right, and the team will be keen to avoid any more errors after some difficult moments in the past two weeks.

Austin and Mexico City were not our cleanest, so we are aiming for a smoother weekend at Interlagos,” adds Toto.

Through the setbacks, the team have still come away with an increased understanding of our 2024 F1 challenger, something the team hopes will bear fruit beyond this season.

“Despite the challenges we have furthered our learning with the W15,” says Toto. “Given our position in the Championship, we have been able to test things out with little penalty.

“Whilst we are still focused on maximising our result each and every weekend, that testing and learning will be valuable in setting us up strongly for 2025.

“We will continue that approach this weekend in Brazil.”

There will be no time to ease in to that approach, either. For the fourth consecutive season, Interlagos will host an F1 Sprint weekend, maintaining its record as the only circuit to have hosted the shortened format every season since its introduction in 2021.

Toto said: “We will have to execute effectively from the first session to get the car in a good window, given it is the penultimate Sprint format of the campaign.”

Interlagos has been kind to the team in both Sprint and Grand Prix over recent years.

In 2021, Valtteri Bottas triumphed on Saturday before Lewis’ epic comeback win on Sunday, with George victorious in both races in São Paulo a year later.

This time around, expectations are definitely in check as we arrive in South America for the first time this season.

“We know it will be difficult to challenge the Ferraris and the McLarens who have looked strong in recent races,” said Toto

“We will still be working hard to do so though and will see where our relative performance is over the weekend.”

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