- published: 11 Nov 2015
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Grand Prix (French pronunciation: [ɡʁɑ̃pʁi], meaning "Grand Prize"; plural Grands Prix) may refer to:
The Brazilian Grand Prix (Portuguese: Grande Prêmio do Brasil) is a Formula One championship race which occurs at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos, a district in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
A Brazilian Grand Prix was first held at Interlagos in São Paulo in 1972, although it was not part of the Formula One World Championship. The following year, however, the race was first included in the official calendar. In 1978 the Brazilian Grand Prix moved to Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro, briefly returning to Interlagos for the next two seasons before becoming the sole host from 1981 onwards, due to safety concerns with the 5-mile Interlagos circuit and the slums of São Paulo being at odds with the glamorous image of Formula One. During the 1980's at Jacarepaguá most of the races were held in hot temperatures and were from a physical standpoint extremely brutal; most drivers who won the race on the very demanding circuit at Rio often finished in a state of exhaustion. 1989 was the last race at Jacarepaguá, this race was won by British driver Nigel Mansell in his Ferrari, the first Grand Prix won by a car with a semi-automatic gearbox. In 1990 the Grand Prix returned to a shortened Interlagos, where it has stayed since. The 2004 event marked the first time since the race's admission to the Formula One Championship calendar that it was not one of the first three rounds of the championship season. In 2005, for the first time, the Brazilian GP decided the World Championship, won by Fernando Alonso. On November 2, 2008, Felipe Massa became the latest home winner of the Brazilian GP; his victory in the last race of the 2008 season was still not enough to secure the championship as he lost to Lewis Hamilton by a single point.