Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet

What is a lap of Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet like?

Jacarepaguá was built in Rio de Janeiro on reclaimed marshland, on the site of the earlier Barra da Tijuca road course: a relatively flat, anticlockwise lap with a long pit straight, an even longer back straight lined by giant grandstands, and mid- to slow-speed corners. The back straight let the turbo-engined cars of the mid-1980s reach about 300 km/h; the race lap record for this layout is Riccardo Patrese's 1:32.507 in a Williams FW12C in 1989. It hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix ten times, in 1978 and from 1981 to 1989; in 1990 the race moved to a shortened Interlagos, where it has been held ever since. The circuit stood until November 2012, when it was demolished to make way for venues for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Lap length

5.031 km

Turns

11

Direction

anticlockwise

Longest straight

900 m

Character

Balanced (about 42% of the lap is cornering)

Layout described

Original Grand Prix circuit, 5.031 km, 11 turns, used for the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1978 and 1981-1989

Map, character and grey values are approximate (measured from a GPS trace). Report a correction.

Does pole position win at Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet?

The pole sitter has won 1 of 10 races here (10%). Across all circuits since 1950 the pole sitter wins 44% of races. The winner started from the front row (P1 or P2) in 3 of 10 races (30%) and from the top three in 4 (40%). Lowest grid position to win: 6th, Alain Prost in 1985.

Where the winner started, every race at this circuit. Pole sitter means the driver who set the fastest qualifying time (first on the grid where no qualifying data exists); a grid penalty can move the pole sitter back, and that race still counts for them. Compare every circuit.

Lap times over the years

All races at Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet