Interlagos track talk with Robert Kubica

There is always a great atmosphere at Interlagos because of the passionate Brazilian fans. It’s one of those races that is usually exciting, often because of the unpredictable weather, and so we may have another interesting weekend. Overall the track is quite challenging to drive and it’s definitely a circuit that I enjoy.

It’s quite an old-fashioned track with some interesting sections. There are some uphill and downhill corners in the middle of the lap, as well as a couple of blind braking, late apex corners. Then you have the big uphill section from the last corner all the way along the main straight. It doesn’t seem especially steep when you watch it on television, but it’s important that you have good power and traction because it’s a long way to the first corner.

You need a set-up that deals with everything really because there is such a mix of corners – both high and low-speed. Plus, it’s bumpy, too, so you need a car that is smooth and comfortable to drive. And, as usual, you have to find the best compromise between downforce and top speed because you need to be competitive down the long straights.

It’s a circuit with good overtaking opportunities. The best chance is turn one and with a good tow along the main straight you can try and brake late and dive down the inside. Last year it helped that some cars were running a dry set-up and others had a wet set-up – so that led to quite a big speed differential between some of the cars.

When it rains the track becomes very tricky, especially because the rain is usually very heavy and you often get a lot of rivers and standing water across the track. But the organisers have done a good job of carrying out some drainage on the surface of the track recently, which has helped.