The land was purchased in 1926 by property developers intending to build housing. Following difficulties partly caused by the 1929 stock market crash, the plan was changed to a racing circuit; construction started in 1938. The circuit's design drew inspiration from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Roosevelt Raceway, Brooklands in England, and Montlhery in France.
The name Interlagos - Portuguese for "between lakes" - comes from the neighbourhood of the same name, situated between two large artificial reservoirs, Guarapiranga and Billings, built in the early twentieth century to supply the Sao Paulo metropolitan region with water and electrical power. The name was suggested by French architect and urban planner Alfred Agache, inspired by the Interlaken region of Switzerland.
Formula One first raced at Interlagos in 1972 as a non-championship race, won by Argentinian Carlos Reutemann. The first World Championship Brazilian Grand Prix was held there in 1973 and won by defending champion and Sao Paulo native Emerson Fittipaldi, who won again in 1974. Jose Carlos Pace won his only race at Interlagos in 1975.
The original layout measured 7.960 km (4.946 miles) and featured long straight sections and high-speed curves that allowed cars to maintain maximum velocity for extended periods. By 1980, safety concerns had become critical. Drivers, led by defending world champion Jody Scheckter, protested the venue's bumpy surface, inadequate barriers, deep ditches, and embankments. BBC commentator Murray Walker described the surface as "appallingly bumpy". Ground-effect cars of 1980 were particularly sensitive to uneven surfaces. As a result, Formula One moved the Brazilian Grand Prix to the Jacarepagua circuit in Rio de Janeiro, hometown of Nelson Piquet, where the race was held in 1978 and again through most of the 1980s.
In 1979 upgrading work extended the pit lane past the first left-hand turn, narrowing that corner.
Formula One returned to Interlagos in 1990 after a $15 million renovation shortened the circuit from 7.87 km to 4.325 km, eliminating three long straights and nine fast curves (five lost permanently, four made slower). The pit exit was extended along the Curva do Sol turn; the layout has otherwise remained the same since 1990.
For the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, the largest-scale repairs in 35 years were carried out: the existing asphalt was entirely replaced, the pit lane entrance was enhanced for safety, and a new fixed grandstand was added. The circuit was closed for the five months immediately preceding the race. On 17 October 2007, the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) opened the Autodromo station on Line 9, improving access from central Sao Paulo.
Shortly before the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, FIA race director Charlie Whiting detailed further planned upgrades following several fatal accidents at the circuit that year: a new pit entrance and expanded run-off at the final corner. Further plans in 2012 called for a new pit building; the start-finish straight was ultimately retained at its existing location. A chicane was added to the pit lane entrance for the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix.
During the 2023 race weekend, strong winds from a storm tore off one roof section of the complex.
Interlagos was not built on flat terrain but follows a hilly landscape, making it more physically demanding for drivers and more stressful on car mechanical components. The counterclockwise direction means centrifugal forces push drivers' necks to the right, opposite to most Formula One circuits. The region is known for rapid weather changes, with frequent sudden rainfall ranging from light drizzle to torrential storm, a factor associated with the circuit's nickname "Land of the Drizzle" for Sao Paulo.
The race start is at the Tribunas section, from which a long uphill straight leads into the S do Senna (Turns 1-2), a pair of alternating downward turns with differing attack angles. The Curva do Sol (Turn 3), a large-radius left turn, connects to the Reta Oposta, the track's longest straight. Descida do Lago (Turns 4-5) is a pair of downhill left turns leading into a short straight that climbs toward the back of the pit buildings.
A slow technical section follows: Ferradura (Turns 6-7), a downhill right; Laranjinha (Turn 8), the circuit's slowest point; Pinheirinho (Turn 9), a left turn on flat ground; Bico de Pato (Turn 10), a tight right hairpin; and Mergulho (Turn 11), a constant-radius left that leads into the harder left of Juncao (Turn 12).
Cafe (Turn 13), an uphill left kink, opens the long high-speed section. Subida dos Boxes (Turn 14) is a long uphill left with a 10% gradient that demands sustained engine power. Arquibancadas (Turn 15), a wide high-velocity left, reconnects to the Tribunas straight to complete the lap. The sequence from Juncao through Arquibancadas is typically taken at full throttle and constitutes one of the longest sustained full-throttle sections on the Formula One calendar, comparable to the Rettifilo Tribune straight at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza and the Kemmel Straight at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Interlagos has one of the longest pit lanes used in Formula One, beginning just before the start-finish straight and rejoining after the Curva do Sol.
Since Interlagos moved to a late-season slot in 2004, the circuit has been the site of several Formula One title decisions. Fernando Alonso clinched both his 2005 and 2006 world championships in Brazil, with Renault also securing the 2006 constructors' title there. Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 championship here despite entering the final round seven points behind and in third place. Felipe Massa won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix but was denied the drivers' title when Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock on the final lap. Despite Rubens Barrichello's pole position in 2009, Mark Webber won the race and Jenson Button took the championship for Brawn GP from 14th on the grid. In 2010 Nico Hulkenberg gave Williams their first pole position since 2005; Sebastian Vettel won the race and, with Webber second, Red Bull secured the constructors' title, though the drivers' title was settled at the final round.
In August 2024, the body of Jose Carlos Pace was transferred from a vandalized mausoleum to the circuit to be interred next to the bust that stands there in his honour. The initiative was organised by Paulo "Loco" Figueiredo, president of the Confederacao Brasileira de Automobilismo, and Ricardo Caruso. The ceremony was attended by Pace's widow Elda, his children Patricia and Rodrigo, grandchildren, fellow drivers, journalists, and admirers. Rodrigo drove a 1967 Karmann-Ghia racing car formerly used by his father in the Dacon team, where Pace had raced alongside Emerson and Wilson Fittipaldi Jr. Pace is the first deceased driver to be buried at a racing circuit.
The circuit has held the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix since 1973, with a current contract running to 2030. Other past major events include the Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix (1992), the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (1996), the FIA GT1 World Championship (2010), and the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Sao Paulo (2012-2014 and again from 2024). Regular national series include Stock Car Brasil, Formulia Truck, Copa Truck, and others. The Prova Ciclistica 9 de Julho road cycling race was held at the venue from 2002 to 2006 and 2008 to 2013. The Lollapalooza music festival has been held at the venue since 2014.
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