Brazilian Throwbacks: McLaren’s Illustrious History in Sao Paulo
Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren, Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari, Jacky Ickx, Lotus
Photo by: David Phipps
The 1974 season proved a fruitful one for McLaren at the start, with Denny Hulme securing victory in the Argentinian race held in Buenos Aires. Then, in front of his home crowd, Emerson Fittipaldi came out on top at the old, meandering, dusty, uneven, 7.96km Interlagos circuit.
En route to securing his second world championship, Fittipaldi captured one of only a couple of pole positions for McLaren that year, outpacing Brabham’s Carlos Reutemann by 0.24s. The Argentinian overtook Lotus’ Ronnie Peterson early on, but his tyre choice proved unsuitable, resulting in a drop out of the points.
A close battle ensued between Peterson and Fittipaldi, and the native of Sao Paulo took the lead on lap 14, with his former team-mate Peterson later suffering a flat tyre.
Fittipaldi maintained a comfortable lead for the remainder of the race until a significant downpour prompted an early chequered flag. An error from race officials, however, meant that Fittipaldi and Ferrari’s Clay Regazzoni completed an additional lap.
Jacarepagua 1984 – Lauda Seemingly Hands Victory to Prost
Alain Prost, McLaren MP4-2 TAG, celebrates victory
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Ten years later, Formula 1 found a new home at Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepagua track, leaving Interlagos behind due to safety concerns. In the first four races, Ferrari, Williams, Renault, and Brabham claimed victories, and McLaren joined the ranks in 1984.
Reigning world champion Nelson Piquet faced setbacks in qualifying due to an off and an engine failure, placing him seventh on the grid. Lotus’ Elio de Angelis secured his second pole position, outpacing Michele Alboreto (Ferrari), Derek Warwick (Renault), and Alain Prost (McLaren) by half a second.
The race was filled with drama. De Angelis had a slow start, allowing Alboreto to take the lead early on, but the Italian spun out due to brake failure. Prost’s team-mate Niki Lauda, starting from sixth, inherited the lead after overtaking Warwick. “It may not have looked much, but it was quite a bang!” Warwick said of the contact.
Lauda led for 26 laps before an electrical issue took him out of contention. Warwick found himself with a 29-second lead, but suspension damage from his earlier collision forced his retirement on lap 52. With a substantial lead over Renault’s Patrick Tambay, Prost had a clear path to victory.
Jacarepagua 1985 – Prost Commences Title-Winning Year
Podium: race winner Alain Prost, McLaren TAG Porsche, second place Michele Alboreto, Ferrari, third place Elio de Angelis, Lotus Renault
Photo by: Motorsport Images
The subsequent Brazilian Grand Prix, which opened Prost’s championship-winning year, was not straightforward for the Frenchman, who began the race from sixth place, 1.349s behind poleman Alboreto (Ferrari), with the Williams and Lotus cars in between.
Williams’ Nigel Mansell retired on the opening lap, while Prost moved ahead of both Lotus cars, securing third. Keke Rosberg initially led in the FW10, but his turbocharger failed after 10 laps.
Alboreto reclaimed the lead but faced pressure from a steady Prost, who overtook the Ferrari, building a 28-second lead that he maintained for the rest of the race.
Jacarepagua 1987 – Prost’s Savvy Crucial Amidst Heat
Alain Prost, McLaren MP4/3
Photo by: Sutton Images
Following consecutive DNFs in 1986 due to engine troubles, McLaren bounced back the next year. Despite qualifying, Nigel Mansell and Piquet left rivals behind by about two seconds for a Williams 1-2 finish. McLaren’s Prost was more than three seconds behind in fifth, and his new team-mate Stefan Johansson was only tenth, a staggering 4.348s off the pace.
Piquet led Lotus’ Ayrton Senna early on, much to the crowd’s joy, but the 35C ambient temperature caused both Williams-Honda cars to overheat because of paper debris in their radiator ducts. Prost’s McLaren, powered by a TAG Porsche engine, was also affected but less so.
The Frenchman handled the difficult conditions well, carefully managing both his engine and tyres, ultimately leading Piquet, who finished second, by over 40 seconds.
