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2012 Brazilian Grand Prix: The circle is complete, and what a circle it's been [spoilers]

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:45:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Infiniti, Ferrari, South America, McLaren

The track between the lakes, the Circuit d'Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yet again served up a fitting finale to the Formula One season. There were all kinds of ways for the two Driver's Championship contenders - Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari - to win and lose during the 71 laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix, and that was before the rain, before the yellow flags and safety car periods, and before the accidents.

The World Championship lead swapped hands at least three times during the race. By the end of Lap One, in fact, it was a fair question if either driver would have hands, or a car, steady enough to hold it...

Continue reading 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix: The circle is complete, and what a circle it's been [spoilers]

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2011 Brazilian Grand Prix wraps up the season at Interlagos [spoilers]

Noah Joseph — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, South America

It's been one heck of a season in Formula One racing. Not since the days of Michael Schumacher at the pinnacle of his career with Ferrari have we seen the kind of domination that his fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel has smote upon the championship.

Leading into this weekend's final round in Brazil, Vettel had already won eleven out of eighteen rounds from fourteen pole positions. As a result he'd been crowned champion early on, and helped secure the constructors' title for his Red Bull Racing team as well. But would the young champ - the youngest multiple champion in F1 history, in fact - be able to tie up the season in as grand a style as he'd displayed all year? Follow the jump to find out.

Continue reading 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix wraps up the season at Interlagos [spoilers]

2011 Brazilian Grand Prix wraps up the season at Interlagos [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Brazilian Grand Prix closes ranks to season's end [Spoilers]

Noah Joseph — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:05:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, South America

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

The naysayers dismiss Formula One racing as elitist. They say the same handful of teams win every year and nobody else has a chance. Maybe once upon a time, but with teams like Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing climbing out of nowhere to compete for victories and world championship standings, who could say it's still the case today?

Of course when one team rises, others must fall. While teams like Ferrari and McLaren are still veritable forces to be reckoned with, others have fallen by the wayside - arguably none more emphatically than Williams. The team of Damon Hill, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna; the team with nine constructors' titles to its name and seven drivers' championships; the team that once struck fear into the hearts of all challengers has long since fallen off its perch.

It's all the more surprising, then, when the team's young talent Nico Hulkenberg knocked the others off theirs this weekend in Brazil by taking pole position in qualifying on Saturday. Would he be able to defend the lead at such a vaunted circuit against such a formidable field of title-seeking adversaries? Follow the jump to find out.

[Images: Mark Thompson/Getty | Ricardo Mazalan, Silvia Izquierdo, Andre Penner/AP Photo]

Continue reading 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix closes ranks to season's end [Spoilers]

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix closes ranks to season's end [Spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fórmula Truck - The bigger they race, the bigger they crash

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, South America, Racing

When ~~worlds~~ Fórmula Trucks collide - Click above to watch video after the jump

Bruno Junqueira, veteran of both Formula One and IndyCar, is now racing in Brazil's spectacular Fórmula Truck series. Along with moving to a larger series comes larger accidents.

According to reports, Bruno lost his brakes just before a turn on the Interlagos circuit, causing him to run straight into a back of another competitor's truck, with the collision sending him airborne and into the other cab. The result was king-sized carnage and, thankfully - shockingly - only minor injuries for Junqueira and no injuries for Diumar Bueno, the racer whose truck was decabitated. Follow the jump for the stunning video footage.

[Sources: YouTube, ITN, Fórmula Truck]

Continue reading Video: Fórmula Truck - The bigger they race, the bigger they crash

Video: Fórmula Truck - The bigger they race, the bigger they crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SPOILER ALERT: The Fat Lady Sings at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix

Noah Joseph — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:47:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, South America

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

"Everything can change in a New York minute." It's a good thing Don Henley wrote his hit song twenty years before this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix. Because "in an Interlagos minute" just doesn't have the same ring to it. But it does go to show how quickly fortunes can be reversed over the course of a race distance. Especially when the championship is on the line.

With two races to go, the F1 circus rolled in to Sao Paulo with Jenson Button - winner of six grands prix this season - leading his Brawn GP team-mate, hometown hero and chief rival Rubens Barrichello 85 to 71, with Red Bull challenger Sebastian Vettel - fresh from victory in Japan - trailing with 69 points. The most likely scenarios placed Button clinching the title right here at the penultimate championship round, if not at the final race in Abu Dhabi two weeks from now.

But the heavens seemed to have a different plan when torrential downpours put a hamper on Saturday's qualifying session. Once the rain stopped, yesterday's proved to be the longest qualifying session in Formula One history, and the order came out all messed up. Instead of placing up at the front of the grid, Button and Vettel found themselves way down the pecking order in 14th and 16th positions. In their place, their respective wingmen Barrichello and Webber started 1st and 2nd on the grid, with half a field's worth of back-markers separating them. Follow the jump to read how the race unfolded.

Gallery: 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix

Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: The Fat Lady Sings at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix

SPOILER ALERT: The Fat Lady Sings at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brazil Nuts: F1 title decided on last corner of last lap of last race

Noah Joseph — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

It doesn't get any closer than this. A photo-finish has nothing on the last-minute - make that last-second - end to yesterday's Brazilian Grand Prix, the ultimate decider of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship. Even if you were watching it, chances are you might have missed it. It was that close.

Heading into this final round, the rival pair of young guns Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) were the only two in contention for the drivers' title. But Hamilton's lead in points would mean that Massa would have to win the race with Hamilton coming in no better than sixth place. The win would put the two tied in points, but give Massa the crucial extra grand prix victory to just edge out Hamilton and claim the title. Any less and they'd have to start counting podiums. Saturday's qualifying set the stage: Massa on pole, wildcard Trulli beside and team-mate Raikkonen behind him, with Hamilton stuck in fourth place on the grid. Les jeux sont faites; all bets were placed and the dealer spun the ball. And we wouldn't know who had taken home the prize until the very end. Follow the jump to read how it turned out.

Gallery: 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

Continue reading Brazil Nuts: F1 title decided on last corner of last lap of last race

Brazil Nuts: F1 title decided on last corner of last lap of last race originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brazilians planning return of the Interlagos

John Neff — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:57:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Renault

click above to view more high-res images of the Interlagos

Only the most well versed automotive cognoscenti will remember the Interlagos, a car produced by Willys-Overland in the mid-'60s based on the Renault Alpine 108. Named after the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the original car was a fiber glass-bodied sports car that sold 800 units during a period of two years ending in 1966. Two Brazilian designers by the name of Joao Paulo Cunha Melo and Felipe Guimaraes Coelho have plans to revive the Interlagos with a new design for a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive, mid-engine sports car. It would be powered by Renault's 2.0L four-cylinder producing 142bhp mated to a six-speed manual. While no production plans are set, the two Brazilian designers hope to find a backer that can make the new Interlagos a reality and fund its export to other markets besides Brazil. Their design is simple, elegant even, like a Lotus Europa crossed with a modern day Noble. And like the Noble, if the Brazilians do find funding, the new Interlagos could come to the U.S. as a rolling chassis that requires a drivetrain, thereby skirting the whole safety and emissions requirements imposed upon vehicles sold fully assembled in this country.

Check out renderings of the Interlagos design in our gallery below, and view the original car and new one together in a video after the jump. (WARNING: The video auto plays as soon as the page loads.)

[Source: Wide Industrial Design via World Car Fans]

Gallery: WID Interlagos

Continue reading Brazilians planning return of the Interlagos

Brazilians planning return of the Interlagos originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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