Formula One extends Sao Paulo contract to 2035

SAO PAULO, Nov 7 : Formula One will continue to race at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit until 2035 after announcing a five-year contract extension on Saturday.

The existing contract, under an extension agreed in 2023, had been due to run until 2030.

Interlagos, officially named the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace after Brazil's 1975 race winner, first hosted a world championship grand prix in 1973. It is currently the only South American round of the championship. 

The atmospheric circuit has witnessed some major milestones in the sport's history, including the late triple champion Ayrton Senna’s emotional home win in 1991, Kimi Raikkonen winning the 2007 title for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton's first with McLaren in 2008.

"Brazil is an important part of Formula One’s history and our future, and I am delighted that this five-year extension will see us continue racing in Sao Paulo until 2035," said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

"The passion of our Brazilian fans is extraordinary and every time we return to Interlagos we feel their energy in the grandstands and in the city of Sao Paulo."

The announcement came as neighbouring Argentina pushes for a return to the calendar, with Buenos Aires' Oscar y Juan Galvez Autodrome undergoing renovations aimed at achieving FIA Grade One status.

Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri, who was at Interlagos this weekend, said on social media that he had met Domenicali and presented a proposal for the sport's return to the Argentine capital, which last hosted a race in 1998.

"We have mayors from other cities around the world visiting the circuit here but they will not leave with a contract for their cities," Sao Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes told reporters.

"What they will take home is very nice