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'Unfortunately it's not in our hands' - Raikkonen, Hamilton not keen on Rio move

Formula 1's most experienced drivers are not keen on the idea of moving the Brazilian GP to Rio de Janeiro.

The sport is openly contemplating abandoning Interlagos, where crime problems affect the F1 world almost annually, and switching to a new circuit in Rio for 2021.

Historical significance

"I'm always happy to go to new venues, especially if it can be a good circuit where the racing can be good and interesting," Sergio Perez said.

READ | Hamilton forecasts driver moves, warns against new Rio circuit damage to environment

But Kimi Raikkonen, who has raced at Interlagos throughout his almost two decades in F1, thinks swapping Sao Paulo for Rio would be "bad for the sport".


Do you think moving the Brazilian grand prix to Rio is a good move? Email us.

"Everything here is connected with history. It's a great place and we have seen a lot of exciting races here," said the 2007 world champion.

"Unfortunately it's not in our hands and I think that the main considerations as usual will be the commercial ones," Finn Raikkonen added.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton agrees, insisting the "old school" part of him still loves Interlagos.

"I think for the cars we have at the moment, the circuit is a bit small. I like the longer version better," the Mercedes driver said.

"But I think we have to keep the classic races and this is one of the absolute classics. Honestly, so much money goes into building a new circuit. We already have a historic circuit here," Hamilton continued.

"We don't need to cut any more rainforest down and the money would be better spent on the infrastructure of the cities and the poverty," Hamilton added.

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