Interlagos: the turning point for F1 championship battles

Few circuits in Formula 1 history have shaped the destiny of championships quite like Interlagos where, from its snaking layout, have come a series of almost unbelievable championship twists.

In the years where Brazil hosted the season finale, Kimi Räikkönen claimed a title against all odds, and Felipe Massa‘s dream unravelled in the cruellest of ways.

More recently, F1 has mostly visited Interlagos earlier in the calendar, but the outcome has often produced just as dramatic a shift in the championship standings.

In 2025, Brazil once again finds itself poised at the inflexion point of a title race. Lando Norris leads by a single point from Oscar Piastri, with Max Verstappen looming 36 points behind, ahead of one of his favourite events of the year.

Four races remain, all likely to be as important for the championship protagonists, but Interlagos has unmatched history in being the venue of as much despair as joy.

The circuit’s very character lends itself to drama. Its compressed layout, added to the wildcard that is its unpredictable weather, has rewritten more than one championship script.

Norris arrives as the hunted, Piastri as the frustrated pursuer, and Verstappen as the defending champion who cannot afford to lose any more ground.

A strong weekend in Brazil has a habit of echoing through the final rounds. Here are some examples of how Interlagos has played a key role in deciding the outcome of F1 championships.

2007 – McLaren’s implosion, Räikkönen’s gain

Interlagos has never witnessed a more improbable title turnaround than in 2007.

Lewis Hamilton arrived in Brazil as the clear favourite, leading McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso by four points and Ferrari‘s Räikkönen by seven in a season where the winner still got 10 points.

But from the moment the lights went out, everything that could go wrong did for the Woking squad.

Räikkönen made a great start from P3 to move up to second as Hamilton and Alonso fought for third, the Briton nearly crashing into the back of the Spaniard going into Turn 4.

To avoid the accident, Hamilton went off and dropped down the order. That was followed by a mysterious gearbox glitch that left him crawling before he got going again, eventually finishing a distant seventh.

While Massa led comfortably for much of the race, Ferrari strategically prioritised Räikkönen’s championship by managing pitstops and track position to ensure he edged ahead.

Räikkönen ultimately took the win by 1.4 seconds over Massa, with Alonso finishing third. Hamilton, needing a top-five finish to secure the title, fell short.

The victory gave Räikkönen 110 points to Hamilton’s and Alonso’s 109, crowning him world champion by a single point.

2008 – Is that Glock?

A year later, Interlagos delivered one of the most iconic F1 finishes of all time.

The focus was on the championship battle between Massa and McLaren’s Hamilton, who was leading the championship by seven points heading into the weekend.

As Massa dominated from the lead, rain fell late in the race, creating treacherous conditions on the drying track. Hamilton, running in sixth, needed to finish at least fifth to secure the title.

As the rain intensified on the last laps, Toyota driver Timo Glock stayed on dry tyres, losing grip and struggling for pace.

Massa won the race from pole position, dominating much of the event and thrilling the home crowd and, for less than a minute, celebrated as if he had secured the title.

Hamilton capitalised and overtook Glock in the final corner, securing fifth place, just enough to be crowned world champion by a single point over Massa.

2010 – The starting point of Vettel’s reign

Unlike the previous two examples, Brazil wasn’t the season finale in 2010, but still proved to be a turning point in Sebastian Vettel‘s first championship.

By the time the championship reached Brazil, Red Bull had the fastest car but the title picture was complicated.

Having retired from the Korean Grand Prix, Vettel had dropped to fourth in the standings, 25 points behind Alonso with only Brazil and Abu Dhabi remaining.

Four drivers — Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton and Mark Webber — were in mathematical contention for the title.

Vettel, who couldn’t afford to lose a single point to Alonso, dominated the Interlagos race from start to finish, while Webber shadowed him home in a Red Bull one-two that set up a four-way title fight in Abu Dhabi.

Vettel’s win was the moment the tide turned.

Although Webber was 14 points ahead of Vettel ahead of the Brazilian GP, Red Bull refused to impose team orders, allowing the German to close to within 15 points of Alonso.

One week later, it all conspired for Vettel to complete his comeback and secure the first of his four consecutive titles.

Brazil 2010 wasn’t the conclusion, but the ignition point of Vettel’s four-year reign.

2012 – Vettel’s miraculous escape

If any race sums up Interlagos’s ability to twist narratives, it’s the 2012 finale.

Two years after his decisive win in Brazil, Vettel was back needing only to finish in the points to clinch a third consecutive title.

However, his hopes almost ended on lap 1.

After a poor start, two collisions with Bruno Senna at Turn 4 spun his Red Bull and left it damaged, although miraculously, Vettel managed to continue at the back of the pack.

Somehow, amid rain, chaos, and constant safety cars, Vettel clawed his way back to sixth, enough to deny Alonso a title with Ferrari by just three points after the Spaniard had to settle for second in the race behind Jenson Button‘s McLaren.

By the flag, Vettel had not only secured his title; he had survived the ultimate test of resilience.

2021 – Hamilton’s double comeback

The 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix was another crucial weekend that reignited a title fight.

Hamilton got to Interlagos 19 points behind Verstappen and facing grid penalties that should have buried his hopes.

Disqualified from qualifying for a minor rear-wing infringement and starting Saturday’s sprint from last, Hamilton produced a sensational comeback, charging to fifth at the finish.

Hit by a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, Hamilton was forced to start Sunday’s Grand Prix from 10th, but still managed to win the race.

His relentless attack, capped by a decisive overtake on Verstappen after a tense wheel-to-wheel battle, allowed him to take victory and close the gap to 14 points to the Red Bull driver.

What had looked like Verstappen’s championship to lose was suddenly a two-horse race again.

Interlagos didn’t decide the title that day, but it set up a showdown for the remaining races in the Middle East.