F1 Brazilian Grand Prix 2025: Interlagos layout including DRS zones and track changes

F1 heads to the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace this weekend for the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 21st round of the 2025 championship.

And with four race weekends remaining, Interlagos could play a pivotal role in the eventual direction that the drivers' championship goes, with Lando Norris currently one point ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, and four-time champion Max Verstappen a further 35 points behind Piastri.

Since its introduction as a championship track on the calendar in 1973 - and consecutively since 1990 other than the 2020 event which was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic - Interlagos has played a pivotal role in a number of championship battles.

It previously made up the final race of the season, and who can forget Lewis Hamilton dramatically losing out on the championship at the 2007 event, before returning a year later and relying on a last lap overtake to steal the championship from Brazilian hero Felipe Massa's grasp.

F1 legend Ayrton Senna finally claimed his first victory in Brazil after eight years of trying at the 1991 Brazilian GP, in a historic moment that is still reminisced upon by motorsport fans around the world 34 years on.

The Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace is steeped in history, and this year's event sees a few minor changes being made to the track, but the same iconic twists and turns remain.

Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace track layout

The Interlagos track is 4.309km in length, and drivers will complete 24 laps of that in Saturday's sprint race, before a mammoth 71 laps during the grand prix on Sunday.

1.2km of that is taken up by an incredibly fast section from the exit of turn 12 right up to the entrance of turn one, which sees cars reach over 300kph as they finish one lap and start another, as long as the conditions remain dry.

That speed then needs to be pulled back a touch for a left-right turns one and two section, known as the 'Senna Esses' after the late, great Brazilian racer, before opening up the throttle as they go through turn three and onto another long straight.

This is where the first DRS section of the lap is, and will be one of two great overtaking opportunities during the races this weekend.

After two left handers at turns four and five, drivers then head down a mini straight which almost acts as a bridge between the fast-paced section of the track, and the lower-speed section.

The track then almost condenses, with a number of slow, tight turns that see the field bunch up, particularly on the opening laps or after a safety car period.

This section through turns six, seven, eight, nine, 10 and 11 is arguably the trickiest part of the track, and is the only section that prevents teams from using a completely low downforce setup, with the rest of the track mainly being straights and high-speed corners.

Shortly after turn 11, you enter sector three of the lap, and this is where the fast-paced rush to the line starts, after navigating the slow left-hander of turn 12.

The second DRS activation point only actually comes into play after turn 14, however, when the track really straightens out and allows drivers to reach those top speeds. That run down to turn one is another area where drivers will be looking to get past a rival ahead.

What changes have been made to this year's Brazilian GP?

The biggest change that has been made to the track for this year's event is the resurfacing of the big long straight from the exit of turn 12 all the way down to turn one.

They have also resurfaced the area between turn three and turn four, while grooving has been added at various points around the circuit.

In an alteration that will change how track limits infringements are ruled upon, the white line at the exit of turn four has been realigned.

An official FIA document also revealed that the hatched zone between the pit exit road and the track edge has been removed for this year's event.

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