(Reuters) – Formula One statistics for Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Brazilian round and 19th race of the 2021 world championship, at Sao Paulo’s Interlagos:
Lap distance: 4.309km. Total distance: 305.909km (71 laps)
2019 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull one minute 07.508 seconds.
2019 winner: Verstappen
Race lap record: Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Mercedes, 1:10.540 seconds (2018)
Start time: 1700GMT/1400 local
NOTE: No race in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BRAZIL
Four of the current drivers have won in Brazil: Vettel (2010, 2013, 2017), Raikkonen (2007), Hamilton (2016, 2018), Verstappen (2019).
Brazil has been on the calendar since 1973, starting at Interlagos before moving to Rio de Janeiro and then returning to Sao Paulo. The circuit is named after Brazilian driver Jose Carlos Pace, who won there in 1975 and died in 1977.
Hamilton clinched his first title in Brazil with McLaren in 2008 with an overtake on the last corner of the final lap.
Sunday will be the 48th world championship grand prix in Brazil, and 38th at Interlagos. Michael Schumacher has the most wins at the Sao Paulo circuit, with four.
Since the start of the hybrid era in 2014, the winner has started on pole position five times out of six. The exception was Vettel, from second, in 2017.
There is no Brazilian driver on the starting grid. The country has produced six race winning drivers and three world champions.
SPRINT
This weekend will be the third time the Sprint format has been used, with qualifying on Friday for a 100km (24 lap) race on Saturday that determines the starting grid for Sunday’s main race.
Points will be awarded to the top three on Saturday in a 3-2-1 system, meaning a maximum 29 points are available over the weekend (25 for a race win +1 for fastest lap + 3 for Sprint win).
The other two Sprint races were at Silverstone and Monza.
RACE WINS
Hamilton has a record 100 career victories, of which 79 have been with Mercedes, from 284 starts. He has been on the podium 178 times.
Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen has won nine times this year to Hamilton’s five. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes’ Bottas have each won once.
Ferrari have won 238 races since 1950, McLaren 183, Mercedes 121, Williams 114 and Red Bull 74.
POLE POSITION
Hamilton has a record 101 career poles and has won 59 times from pole. He and team mate Valtteri Bottas have each had three poles in 2021 — Bottas two of the last three.
Verstappen has been on pole nine times in 2021, while Leclerc was fastest in Azerbaijan and Monaco qualifying. McLaren’s Lando Norris was on pole in Russia.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Verstappen is 19 points ahead of Hamilton. Mercedes lead Red Bull by one point.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
