Months before the race, a number of drivers including world champion Jody Scheckter, wanted to boycott the event due to safety concerns with the nearly 5-mile Interlagos circuit.
Antes da carreira, varios pilotos, incluíndo o campión do mundo Jody Scheckter, querían boicotear o evento debido a preocupación pola seguridade do circuíto de Interlagos.