Get to know the autodromo in BrasĂlia
Built by the engineer, Samuel Dias, the AutĂłdromo Internacional Nelson Piquet was inaugurated in February of 1974, right in the middle of the nation’s capital. What very few people know is that the autodromo was designed to emulate a stylized figure of a woman playing a harp.
This mixed circuit is 5.475 metres long with 12 curves. The longest straight is 750 metres long. This speedway’s main characteristic is its still original flat asphalt, which gives drivers more stability at faster speeds.
The outer oval ring is 2.919 metres long, a particularly long circuit, with the longest lap times amongst other oval circuits in Brazil.
The autodromo seats 11.500 people in the covered area, with a maximum capacity of 50.000 people, and is conveniently located right next to the city’s hotel district.
The autodromo was inaugurated in high style, with a friendly F1 race won by Emerson Fittipaldi in a McLaren, amongst many other big names in racing, such as Jody Scheckter, Arturo Merzário, James Hunt, Carlos Reutemann and John Mass.
Nelson Piquet was also present, though occupied with a different activity. The driver did not have racing credentials and ended up working in Brabham’s pit box, where he assisted the mechanics by washing car parts and tidying up. The story becomes more curious as Piquet decided to stay overnight in the box, because if he left, he would not be able to come back in the next day. Four years later, Nelson won his first F1 world championship.
In 1995, the tracks underwent a series of improvements both on and off the tracks, such as the installation of 30 thousand new tyres, placed for protection. The paddock area was covered, an area was built to accommodate teams with headquarters in the city, as well as a new restaurant and lighting for the external ring.
BrasĂlia is known as one of the best venues in the world, and as such, welcomes many other racing categories throughout the year, such as Clio Cup and Formula Truck.
