The São Paulo Grand Prix is just around the corner! Formula 1 is heading to the historic Interlagos circuit this weekend for an exceptionally busy sprint weekend. As the drivers tackle the first sessions on the new asphalt, let’s take a peek behind the scenes. What has been happening in the paddock over the past few days? Here are some behind-the-scenes snapshots from the São Paulo Grand Prix!
First up, a familiar face! Former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel is present in Brazil. This weekend, he is drawing attention to environmental issues and helping with the cleanup. Additionally, he has brought along a massive Ayrton Senna helmet (main photo), made from recycled materials (Getty Images).
Another old acquaintance; Emerson Fittipaldi is also spotted in the paddock. The Brazilian legend won fourteen Grand Prix in his lifetime and was crowned world champion in 1972 and 1974 with Lotus and McLaren (Getty Images).
Lewis Hamilton arrives in style for the São Paulo GP. As an honorary citizen of Brazil, he has donned his Ayrton Senna shirt and Brazilian trousers. This weekend, he also gets to take a victory lap in the McLaren MP4/5B, the car with which Senna won his second title in 1990 (Motorsport Images).
This fan would rather see Hamilton driving a Ferrari. They won’t have to wait much longer, as the seven-time world champion will drive four more Grand Prix for Mercedes before making the transfer to Maranello. Until then, we’ll have to make do with cardboard figures (Getty Images).
Enthusiastic Fans and Unexpected Replacements
Speaking of cardboard figures, a Sauber fan brought along a gigantic photo of Valtteri Bottas. However, the picture is not exactly recent! Who would have recognized Bottas from this baby photo?
Oliver Bearman has been called up for the third time to step in as a replacement. On Friday, he will take over the car of Kevin Magnussen, who has reported sick in the run-up to the weekend. It remains uncertain whether the Danish driver will still participate in São Paulo (Haas).
Fernando Alonso can thankfully smile again! He too has been feeling unwell in recent days. On Thursday, he had to skip his media obligations because he flew back to Europe this week with a gut infection. A specialist has treated him, and the seasoned Spanish driver is ready to take his place on the grid (Motorsport Images).
Max Verstappen pushes his RB20 during the first free practice. Interlagos has been resurfaced with a new layer of asphalt. It remains to be seen what Verstappen can do this weekend against the fast cars of Ferrari and McLaren (Red Bull Content Pool).
