Why Drivers Say Interlagos Has F1's Best Crowd

Ask a driver which race they'd want to attend as a fan rather than compete in, and Brazil comes up more than almost anywhere else on the calendar. It isn't the racing alone that does it. Interlagos has built a reputation, race after race, as the loudest, most emotionally committed crowd in Formula 1.

What the noise actually sounds like

Interlagos sits in a natural bowl, and the shape of the venue does some of the work: sound from the grandstands carries and compounds in a way flatter circuits simply don't produce. Into that bowl, Brazilian fans bring batucada drums, samba rhythms and chants that run the length of a session, not just the closing laps. Heikki Kovalainen has called it "one of the best atmospheres of the whole season," adding that the crowd is "incredibly passionate" and "knowledgeable," turning the weekend into what he described as a giant party in the stands. Paul di Resta made a similar point from a different angle: drums playing in the grandstands, a party mood that never really lets up, and, in his words, "it definitely gives you a buzz."

A crowd big enough to feel like a stadium

The scale backs up the reputation. The 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix alone drew more than 157,000 spectators across the race weekend. Interlagos packs that crowd into a tighter, bowl-shaped footprint than most modern circuits, which is a large part of why the same number of fans sounds louder and sits closer to the track here than it would almost anywhere else on the calendar.

Why it doesn't fade after the chequered flag

What separates Interlagos from a circuit that's merely loud is that the atmosphere doesn't depend on the result. Brazilian fans have shown up in force for home wins, for home heartbreaks, and for races with no Brazilian driver anywhere near the podium. The batucadas start during Friday practice, not Sunday afternoon. For a traveling fan weighing which Grand Prix is actually worth the flight, that consistency is the real case for Interlagos.