In the first twenty years of the World Championship Brazil had shown very little interest in motor sport. All that changed in the early 1970s when Emerson Fittipaldi exploded on the international scene. His success led to the inauguration of the Brazilian Grand Prix and the venue chosen was São Paulo - Emerson's home town.

The Interlagos circuit had been built in 1940 and consisted of a sweeping outer section with a tight infield - an unusual concept in its day.

At just shy of five miles in length the circuit was also one of the longest tracks on the calendar. Located just a few miles from downtown Sao Paulo attendances have usually been enormous especially in the boom years of Brazilian racing.