Emerson Fittipaldi invited George to visit Brazil for the Interlagos Grand Prix. George arrived on January 31 on a Concorde at the Rio de Janeiro International Airport. On February 1st, he traveled to the city of Sรฃo Paulo, anticipating the Interlagos Grand Prix scheduled for February 4th. On February 7, 1979, George gave a press conference at the WEA offices in Rio de Janeiro.