Autódromo José Carlos Pace

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Autódromo José Carlos Pace is the venue of the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix, located in a suburb of the city of São Paulo. It's still widely known by its former name, Interlagos. The neighbourhood is also known as Interlagos, from its proximity to the circuit.

The traditional name of the circuit (literally, "between lakes") comes from the fact that it was built in a region between two large artificial lakes, Guarapiranga and Billings, which were built in the early 20th century to supply the city with water and electric power. In the 1970s it was renamed to honor the then recently deceased Formula One driver José Carlos Pace. There is a kart circuit inside it named after Ayrton Senna.

The circuit is one of the few racing circuits outside of the United States to go in an anti-clockwise direction. As such, it is usually placed next to the San Marino Grand Prix in the Formula One calendar to help drivers acclimatise more easily, as Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari also goes in an anti-clockwise direction. However, for the 2004 season it will be the final race of the season due to uncertainty caused by legal wranglings.

Facilities and organisation at Interlagos are often criticised. Notably, during a qualifying session in 2000, the session had to be stopped three times due to advertising hoardings falling onto the track - one straight into the path of Jean Alesi's Prost car.

The circuit is also criticised for being bumpy. Despite attempts to smooth the surface, drivers still complain.