Magnussen wishes ‘legendary' Interlagos still hosted finale

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Renault driver Kevin Magnussen describes this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix as a “legendary” event on the Formula One calendar, and wishes it were still the season finale.

Interlagos hosted several title deciders over the past decade, including Michael Schumacher’s final race before his first retirement in 2006, Kimi Raikkonen’s against-the-odds 2007 triumph and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 world championship in a nail-biting showdown.

“Brazil is a legendary weekend,” Magnussen said. “It’s got so much about it, many of my idols have raced at Interlagos in the past. In my childhood it was always the last race so it had that championship presiding feeling about it.

“I think it’s unfortunate that it’s not the last race anymore as it feels like it should be but it’s still a fantastic weekend nonetheless.”

The 24-year-old Dane adds that the historic Autodromo José Carlos Pace, one of the shortest tracks on the F1 schedule at 4.309km, plays a prominent role in providing the excitement.

“I know a lot about the circuit and it’s one of those famous places that’s so ingrained in Formula One history. It’s a short lap, it has a go-kart feeling to it as you are having to turn all the time and it flows quite nicely.

“Interlagos, like Austin, is one of only a few circuits that run anti-clockwise, so it’s cool that these two races are close together on the calendar.

“From the first corner onwards, it’s a really exciting circuit and there are quite a few overtaking opportunities, especially in the first sector.

“It’s a real driver’s track and pretty bumpy all the way round, so set up will be crucial to getting the most out of a lap.”

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Julien Billiotte