267,000 fans attended the sold out 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix weekend, where it was announced that Interlagos will remain on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2030.
Formula 1 has reported a record breaking attendance of 267,000 at the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix. The sold-out event was the 40th World Championship race to be staged at Interlagos since the track first joined the calendar in 1973.
Max Verstappen secured the 52nd victory of his career at the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix, overtaking Alain Prost for fourth in Formula 1’s all-time win list. Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso finished alongside the Dutchman on the podium, with Alonso securing third place by just 0.053 seconds in a last lap duel with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Impressively, attendance at the event in 2023 was almost double that of the attendance at the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, when 136,410 fans were at the Interlagos track over the race weekend. The attendance figure has grown every time F1 has staged an event in Brazil since 2016, with the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix attracting 31,000 more fans than 2022.
The race weekend did not run entirely smoothly, with heavy wind and torrential rain in the concluding stages of qualifying on Friday afternoon leading to the roof of a grandstand being ripped off. Furthermore, organisers were summoned to the stewards after Sunday’s Grand Prix after a “large group” of fans made their way onto the track at Turn 1 while the track was still classed as live.
New Contract For Interlagos Confirmed at 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix
Over the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix weekend, Formula 1 announced it had signed a 5-year contract extension with Interlagos. The new deal means that the track will remain on the calendar until at least 2030.
The previous deal, signed in December 2020, was also a 5-year contract extension, lasting until 2025. As part of that deal, the Interlagos race changed its official title from the ‘Brazilian Grand Prix’ to the ‘São Paulo Grand Prix’, reflecting the financial backing of the local government.
The new deal disproves theories that Formula 1’s race in Brazil could move away from the Interlagos track in the near future. Speaking about the new contract extension, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said:
“I am delighted to announce we will be staying at Interlagos until 2030, and I can’t wait for many more years of the wonderful atmosphere that the Brazilian fans bring. Brazil has such a rich racing heritage, and this iconic circuit is a favourite of drivers and fans around the world. It embodies everything that is great about racing, and we look forward to seeing how it develops over the years to come to create an even better experience.”
The 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix is set to take place on November 1-3.
Two Races Remain in 2023
There are now just two races remaining in the 2023 Formula 1 season. Next up is the highly-anticipated inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix as F1 makes its return to Sin City for the first time in almost 40 years. The sun will set on the season – both literally and metaphorically – at the twilight Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 24-26.
Total confirmed weekend attendance across all races in 2023 currently stands at just over 5.3 million, though that figure does not include attendances at the Monaco or Azerbaijan Grands Prix, for which figures have not yet been announced. The total attendance figure last year was 5.7 million.
Of the remaining races, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is expected to have a maximum weekend attendance somewhere in the region of 350,000, while last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix attracted 160,000 fans over the weekend. With those figures and the missing totals in Monaco and Azerbaijan added, F1’s total attendance this year could surpass 6 million.
