Brazilian Grand Prix 2018 — Weekend Preview

Round 20 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to São Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian Grand Prix — Interlagos — Where Legends Are Made. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship with 358 points, 64 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Driver Championship (entering R20):
P1: Lewis Hamilton — 358 pts (9W, 15P)
P2: Sebastian Vettel — 294 pts (5W, 11P)
P3: Kimi Räikkönen — 236 pts (1W, 11P)
P4: Valtteri Bottas — 227 pts (0W, 8P)
P5: Max Verstappen — 216 pts (2W, 9P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Mercedes — 585 pts
P2: Ferrari — 530 pts
P3: Red Bull Racing — 362 pts
P4: Renault — 114 pts
P5: Haas F1 Team — 84 pts

São Paulo is one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, susceptible to changeable weather, steeped in motorsport history.

Recent winners at São Paulo:
- 2025: Lando Norris (McLaren)
- 2024: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2023: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2022: George Russell (Mercedes)
- 2019: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel — 64 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Kimi Räikkönen (236) vs Valtteri Bottas (227) — just 9 points apart.
P4 vs P5: Valtteri Bottas (227) vs Max Verstappen (216) — just 11 points apart.

Understand this race better:

- [Wet Conditions](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/wet-conditions)
- [Safety Car Strategy](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/safety-car-strategy)