David Coulthard's Brazilian GP preview

Interlagos. Just saying the word conjures up images of so many triumphs and tragedies, and the real Brazilian gladiators of Formula 1 like Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Emerson Fittipaldi basking in the adoration of their home crowd. And while it's not quite up there with Spa and Suzuka as the drivers' favourite tracks, you don't exactly hear many complaints either.

The circuit itself might not quite be the challenge that it was back in the 1970s, but it's still a classic, and has produced some absolute thrillers; Kimi Raikkonen's title in 2007, Jenson Button's charge to the championship two years ago, and the unforgettable last corner pass by Lewis Hamilton on Timo Glock that made him - and not Felipe Massa - world champion in the intervening season. And that's only going back a couple of years.

I haven't even mentioned the atmosphere yet. And that's something to behold. So many of these new tracks now have amazing facilities, but there's just something lacking in their personality. In Brazil you just know you won't go even a day without one of the toilet blocks overflowing and most of the track needs a lick of paint or two, but you don't notice any of it really, and what you do notice, you certainly don't mind, because the personality of the place is amazing.

The passion of the Brazilians has such an impact on the race weekend. So whether it's the track marshals, the race fans, even the guys that are there to hold you up and steal your watch, these guys are amazing to be around.

Nowhere is it more obvious than on the start/finish straight. You've just had the real rollercoaster of the left-hander at Juncao, the climb up to the left at the top of the hill and then the flat-out downhill sweep to the finish line, and you suddenly feel the crowd right on top of you, and you really feel the intimacy.

The podium is pretty special too. I'm fortunate to have won the Brazilian Grand Prix back in 2001 (I'd have had another in 2003 as well if we hadn't messed up on the strategy and stopped on the lap that the race ended up getting declared on), and the closeness of the crowd is even more apparent on the podium when you get showered in tickertape and can see and hear the dancing and singing.

Barrichello's home swansong?

I remember watching the races on TV at Rio when Senna and Piquet were at their peak, the reception they got from the fans looked incredible. I'm sure some of that will be there this time for Massa, Barrichello and Bruno Senna.

For Rubens especially, it could be his last grand prix as he'll head into the winter without a contract in all likeliness, and that would be a massive shame. I think it's a bit of an injustice that he's never won his home grand prix, as he's been so fast there on so many occasions, especially during his time at Ferrari. This is the Brazilian crowd's chance to give him the send-off - if, indeed that's what it proves to be - that he deserves. I hope he can get a result.

Young driver testing

There have been a fair few comments made about last week's Abu Dhabi young driver test, with F3 Euro Series champion Roberto Merhi even labeling it 'a joke' in terms of some of the drivers that turned out for the teams.

While some teams will use the test to earn extra money from well-backed GP2 drivers, and others will use it to test bits for their 2012 cars, there's nothing inherently wrong with that; it's been happening for decades, albeit in perhaps a less public manner.

The shame is that with different teams having different agendas, we have no idea - timesheets notwithstanding - who has actually done a good job and who hasn't; so it's not really a public display of young talent. Only the individual teams themselves know for sure, and they're not likely to share that information. This is F1, after all.

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- The Autosport.com Team

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