Brazil and rhythm go hand in hand. Paint a mental picture of Copacabana, imagine the raucous celebrations of the Carnival or even delve into the atmosphere of the lesser-known parts of the country and you’re bound to draw up a vast, colourful soundtrack to go with it.
Brazilians have music in their veins. Samba, bossa nova, choro and many more – even the genres reflect the uniquely varied cultural, historical and social background of the country. The common theme that unifies them all is rhythm. It’s the same rhythm the local footballers show on the pitch – their feet almost dancing around the ball since the times of Garrincha.
The same applies to Interlagos. It’s an old-school track – bumpy, physical, draining for the driver. It’s a circuit with narrow, twisty sections leading into high-speed corners, sharp turns, barriers ready to put an end to your race at the first error. To master it, you guessed it, you need rhythm. From the S do Senna in sector one to the left and rights of Pineirinho and Bico de Pato, the track comes at the driver like a capoeirista. It’s always moving, always asking of those behind the steering wheel. To go fast, you need to become one with this dance.
From the first lap of practice, driving here is a never-ending quest for rhythm.
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing
“Everyone in the team is working relentlessly to push us forward and back into the points. The last few races have shown progress, but we know we still have some work ahead of us to get back to the front of the midfield. We can build on the positives and on our strenghts in the confidence we can make another step forward in Brazil.”
Kimi Räikkönen
“This weekend’s race is another chance for us to score points. There have been a lot of positives in our most recent performances and we feel we can now fight in the midfield once again: it would be nice to have some points to show for our progress at the end of the weekend.”
Antonio Giovinazzi
“I am really looking forward to racing in Interlagos. It is a special track, one forever linked with Senna and with so much Formula One history. The renewal of my contract is a big confidence boost and I cannot wait to repay the faith the team has shown in me. We have made some big steps forward in the last few races and getting back into the points would be the right reward for all of our hard work.”