I looked at 800 overtakes from the last 30 years at Interlagos
I've always heard people say the Senna S is the best place to watch the Brazilian GP, but I wanted to know if that's actually true. So I went through data from the past 30+ years (roughly 1990–2023) and looked at around 800 on-track overtakes at Interlagos to see where the action really happens.
Main Straight / Start–Finish
Best overall
About half of all overtakes happen here. The long DRS zone and slipstreaming make it the busiest part of the circuit, and you see cars pull out to pass right in front of you. Plus you get the start, pit stops, and podium. Grandstand A is the go-to spot if you want overtakes and atmosphere in one.
Turn 1 (Senna S)
Pure action
Roughly a quarter of the overtakes happen here. Cars come flying down the straight and dive under braking. It's chaotic on lap 1 and great throughout the race. Grandstand M sits right at the end of the straight with a perfect view into the Senna S, while Grandstand B is slightly further back but still sees the braking zone and the start of the corner.
Turn 4 (Descida do Lago)
Underrated gem
Around 10% of the overtakes happen here. It's the second DRS zone, downhill, and you often get side-by-side moves that carry through the corner. Grandstand G looks straight down the hill and gives a great sense of speed.
Best spot
If you combine the main straight and Turn 1, you're looking at roughly 80% of all overtakes over the past three decades, which matches what most F1 analysis sites say about Interlagos' two DRS braking zones being where nearly everything happens.
Turn-by-Turn Ranking (top 8)
| Rank | Location | Total | % | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Straight | 471 | 53.2% | 14.7 |
| 2 | Turn 1 | 227 | 25.6% | 7.1 |
| 3 | Turn 4 | 80 | 9.0% | 2.5 |
| 4 | Turn 2 | 24 | 2.7% | 0.8 |
| 5 | Turn 6 | 19 | 2.1% | 0.6 |
| 6 | Turn 3 | 13 | 1.5% | 0.4 |
| 7 | Turn 10 | 10 | 1.1% | 0.3 |
| 8 | Turn 12 | 9 | 1.0% | 0.3 |
TL;DR:
- Main Straight (Grandstand A) – best all-round experience and most overtakes (~50% of overtakes)
- Turn 1 (Grandstand M or B) – most dramatic corner action (~25% of overtakes)
- Turn 4 (Grandstand G) – cheaper and still plenty going on (~9% of overtakes)
If you can get a seat that shows both the straight and the Senna S, you'll catch almost all the overtakes live.