The economic and political stakes are high as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo wrestle for the right to host the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix.
Interlagos in Sao Paulo hosted the first Brazilian Grand Prix in 1973 and has been home for every edition since 1990, but its contract expires after next year's race.
For F1 it is a tricky and important decision. The sport's largest audience is in Brazil, with 115.2 million viewers watching at least one GP in 2018, far ahead of China (68 million) and the United States (34.2 million).
On May 8, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a member of parliament for Rio for 30 years, announced with great fanfare that the Brazilian Grand Prix would be held "next year" in Rio, at a circuit "built in six or seven months".
F1 leadership quickly said that Sao Paulo will host the 2020 race and Rio is simply a candidate to organise the event from 2021.
JR Pereira, CEO of the Rio Motorsports consortium said they had made a "communication error in briefing the president's team. In reality, the planned duration of the work is 16 to 17 months".
Joao Doria, the Sao Paulo state governor, said the race was not moving.
"The GP will take place in Interlagos in 2020 and will stay here, Doria said. "If Rio wants to compete with Sao Paulo, I can guarantee that Sao Paulo has a better chance of winning."
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Pereira says he dreams of a Spa-Francorchamps in the tropics, with the "fast track" of the Belgian circuit, while the project "tries to preserve as much green space as possible."
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