How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't

At this state of the Formula 1 season and with this form of the regulations, overtaking is more difficult than it should be. Although it turns out that nobody told Max Verstappen, who marched from 21st to second in his third consecutive Sao Paulo comeback.

Brazil's penchant for drama delivered again with 2026's first-ever set of qualifying and race sessions held in wet conditions. And while drivers still took issue with Pirelli's current range of wet and intermediate tyres, it's hard to find fault with race control.

Race director Rui Marques, known as being rather cautious, made every effort for qualifying to take place despite the torrential conditions. A bit of bad luck was involved in the 1h20m delay on Saturday, as the rain appeared to pick up every time safety car driver Bernd Maylander went out for reconnaissance laps to inspect pools of standing water.

But we got there in the end, unlike 2024 when qualifying had to be held at 8am on Sunday and tired team members and officials started streaming in under the cover of darkness. Arriving for race day at 6am was quite a surreal experience at the time, though not quite as surreal as Saturday's downpour making its way through the different compartments of the temporary media tent that year.

Verstappen's heroic comeback stole the headlines again, then. And in the FIA press conference Lando Norris couldn't hide his bemusement when local journalists kept peppering the mercurial Dutchman with questions about his exploits. Rather than, you know, the actual winner of the race. Towards the end of a difficult year with McLaren as a reigning world champion, Norris underlined his credentials as one of F1's best wet weather drivers, showcasing his adaptability in low-grip conditions as often heralded by team boss Andrea Stella.

Brazilians have a tendency to embrace heroism, whether foreign or domestic, as Sao Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes alluded to on Saturday when the race's contract extension until 2035 was announced. "We are excited to have two Brazilians on the grid this year with Gabriel [Bortoleto] and Rafa [Camara], but, really, we have four Brazilians on the grid with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. In their heart, they are Brazilian too.”

Brazil will have two drivers on the grid next year, the first time since 2016 with Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr

Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

Hamilton's ties as an honorary citizen of Brazil are known, and Antonelli has also endeared himself with the way he idolises Senna, visiting Senna's grave in Morumbi and spending time with his family. On the opposite end, Arvid Lindblad even caught criticism from some Brazilians on social media for having the temerity not to idolise Senna all that much, simply because the three-time world champion died 13 years before the Brit was born...

Ever since Felipe Massa won his home race in 2008 - but famously still missed out on the world title - the Brazilian Grand Prix has not been kind to its own. Last year's debutant Bortoleto suffered a horror weekend punctuated by a huge crash into Turn 1.

Bortoleto's second attempt didn't go much better owing to an engine related grid penalty, while Haas debutant Camara also faced a real baptism of fire. After crashing in horrific conditions in qualifying, albeit after advancing to Q2, the Ferrari protege finished a distant 20th on Sunday after struggling badly.

Following Isack Hadjar's incident with a fan in Mexico, Interlagos is another race that has become a victim of F1's success at the expense of personnel who actually work there

Whether or not Camara was overawed by the occasion is impossible to prove, so therefore unfair to state with certainty. But what was clear is that Interlagos was unbelievably tricky to drive even for the very best and most experienced drivers, so handing the 21-year-old the keys to Esteban Ocon's Haas in those conditions was no early Christmas present. Unless you like to gift your loved ones a poisoned chalice…

Like Antonelli's fraught FP1 debut in Monza two years ago, and Bortoleto's horrible home debut 12 months ago, Camara's first grand prix on home soil is at least a helpful learning experience to get out of the way. Right now, Camara is playing with house money until he makes his full-time debut in 2027.

In any case, Interlagos's deep historic connection with F1 and Brazil's passionate fans continued making Sao Paulo one of the best stops on the calendar, even if there were some complaints about accessibility and vantage points, as well as the ever-growing hordes of VIPs that make working in the paddock almost impossible as drivers and team bosses go into hiding.

Interlagos will be on the calendar until at least 2035

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Following Isack Hadjar's incident with a fan in Mexico, Interlagos is another race that has become a victim of F1's success at the expense of personnel who actually work there. Sunday was the worst, with the narrow paddock - a working area - swamped by hordes of VIPs, angling for a snapshot of Neymar Jr. or other celebrities.

When sent the below picture, one official said it was just an issue because of Brazil's cramped paddock. That's like trying to cram nine people into a Renault Clio and blaming the car for being too small. Perhaps it would be prudent to dial things back a little bit. One assumes the upcoming races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be a lot quieter, for various reasons.

"Nada ultrapassa essa emoção," is the slogan greeting fans at Interlagos's entrances. ‘Nothing surpasses this emotion.’

Keeping the race on the calendar until 2035 ensures that that will remain the case, pending the necessary investments to bring the ageing infrastructure up to par.

Quite what F1 and its popularity will look like by then is anyone's guess. But as the slogan suggests, you can count on the Brazilian passion being hard to top.

The Interlagos paddock

Photo by: Filip Cleeren