BMW M Team WRT secured a victory at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, overcoming challenges from Ferrari and Cadillac. The race began on a damp track, which led to an early incident for Mike Conway in the #7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar, requiring front bodywork changes.
Will Stevens initially led the race, establishing an early five-second advantage. However, a pit stop issue, where a front-right wheel nut became stuck, cost the #12 Cadillac Hypercar approximately 15 seconds and eight places. This allowed Kevin Magnussen in the #15 BMW M Team WRT entry to move into second position.
Hypercar Class Developments
Magnussen, who had earlier reported a lack of power, regained pace and maintained a strong position. The #35 Alpine A424, piloted by Ferdinand Habsburg, briefly took the lead through a short-fuelling strategy but later dropped down the order after Habsburg handed over to António Félix da Costa.
Stevens mounted a recovery drive, overtaking several competitors, including Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota and Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. At the two-hour mark, the #12 Cadillac was running second behind the BMW driven by Magnussen.
The #83 AF Corse Ferrari, with Yifei Ye at the wheel, recovered to third despite an earlier five-second stop-and-go penalty for a starting infringement. Loïc Duval in the #94 Team Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 was positioned fourth. Giovinazzi’s #51 Ferrari, which had experienced contact during the initial hours, was under investigation for a clash with the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 entry.
The #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R also faced a setback during its first pit stop due to being out of position upon entry, but subsequently fought its way back into the top six. The #17 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 was running seventh after contact with the #8 Toyota. The #8 Toyota was forced into the pits for repairs following contact with the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie and the #19 Genesis, rejoining the race 13 laps behind the leader.
A brief Full Course Yellow was implemented after 70 minutes of racing due to debris on the track.
LMGT3 Class Highlights
In the LMGT3 category, the Proton Competition pair of Ford Mustangs initially led the race, with Stefano Gattuso in the #88 car taking the lead from Petru Umbrărescu in the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus. Eric Powell in the sister #77 Mustang followed, placing both Fords at the front for the first 80 minutes.
Following the first scheduled pit stops, the Akkodis ASP Team Lexus regained the lead. However, contact between Gattuso and Powell at the Senna S corner after 90 minutes caused Powell to lose momentum. Despite this, the Proton pair later returned to a one-two position, though the net lead was held by the Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette, driven by Salih Yoluç and Peter Dempsey.
Kobe Pauwels secured pole position in the LMGT3 division in a Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, marking Aston Martin’s 72nd pole in the series and its sixth in the LMGT3 era. Pauwels’ lap of 1:33.350 was the quickest-ever LMGT3 lap at Interlagos, surpassing the previous best of 1:33.849.
The championship-leading #33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R did not make Hyperpole, but Ben Keating expressed satisfaction with his 12th place, achieved despite carrying 36 kilograms of weight penalties. The Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evos also did not progress to Hyperpole, with the #10 crew experiencing a driveshaft problem during Friday practice.
The 6 Hours of São Paulo was scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Read Also
Source: fiawec.com
Daniel Fairbrother is the Senior Football Correspondent at Latest News UK, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with over a decade of reporting experience. He spent eight years on the football desk of a Yorkshire daily before moving into national coverage. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of Sunderland and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Leeds, he watches non-league football and runs a five-a-side league. “The best football stories are won in the week, not on the whistle.”