Race Start and Early Challenges
The Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo began on a track that was slightly damp, leading to an early incident for Mike Conway. During his reconnaissance lap, the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans winner made contact with the pit wall, requiring a front bodywork change on the #7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar. Meanwhile, Will Stevens took an early lead, establishing a five-second advantage over the #15 BMW M Team WRT entry, driven by Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen had overtaken the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R of Earl Bamber, which started on the front row.
Magnussen initially reported a lack of power but soon regained pace, running second behind the #35 Alpine A424, piloted by Ferdinand Habsburg. The Alpine team opted for short-stinting to gain track position, taking the lead in the second hour. However, they dropped down the order after Habsburg handed over to António Félix da Costa during their second pit stop, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the race.
Stevens faced a setback during his first pit stop when a front-right wheel nut became stuck, causing a delay of around 15 seconds. This incident cost the American Hypercar eight places. Despite this, Stevens mounted a recovery drive, overtaking several competitors, including the #8 Toyota driven by Brendon Hartley, the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P of Antonio Giovinazzi, and the #83 AF Corse Ferrari of Yifei Ye. At the two-hour mark, the #12 car was running second behind the Magnussen-piloted BMW.
Mid-Race Developments and Penalties
The highest-placed Ferrari was the #83 entry, with Ye recovering from a five-second stop-and-go penalty for a starting infringement to run third, ahead of the #94 Team Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 driven by Loïc Duval in the initial two stints. Giovinazzi held fifth position in the #51 Ferrari, which experienced multiple contacts but remained under investigation for a clash with the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 entry driven by Martin Berry just before the two-hour mark.
The #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R also recovered into the top six after losing time during its first stop due to an out-of-position entry to the pits. The #17 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 was running seventh after a significant clash with the #8 Toyota. The Aston Martin Valkyries were in eighth and ninth, while the sister Genesis car completed the top 10 after being forced off the track by the #54 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari of Thomas Flohr, who received a 10-second stop-go penalty for the incident.
The #8 Toyota had to pit for repairs following contact with the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Marco Sørensen and later with the #19 Genesis of Daniel Juncadella. Hartley rejoined the race at the back of the field, 13 laps behind the leader. A brief Full Course Yellow was issued after 70 minutes of racing due to debris on the track, but otherwise, the race proceeded under green flag conditions.
LMGT3 Class Action and Local Interest
In the LMGT3 category, Proton Competition’s Ford Mustangs initially excelled, running one-two after a strong start. Stefano Gattuso in the #88 car overtook Petru Umbrărescu in the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus for the lead at the Senna S corner after 30 minutes of racing. Eric Powell in the sister #77 Mustang followed, placing both Fords at the front for the first 80 minutes of the race.
Following the first scheduled pit stops, the Akkodis ASP Team Lexus regained the lead through short-fuelling, with Umbrărescu heading the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette at the two-hour mark. Earlier in the race, pole-sitter Gray Newell appeared to misjudge the start, allowing Johannes Zelger of Iron Lynx and then Umbrărescu to take the lead before the Fords moved to the front. However, contact between Gattuso and Powell at the exit of the Senna S corner after 90 minutes forced Powell wide, costing him momentum. Despite this, the Proton pair returned to a one-two position after two hours, though the net lead was held by the Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette, which moved to the front between pit stops due to a double stint by Salih Yoluç.
Brazilian driver Pipo Derani of Genesis Magma Racing expressed his happiness at competing in his home round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Interlagos, an event he had been waiting 11 years to participate in. Derani, from São Paulo, noted the passion of the local fans. He drives the #17 Genesis GMR-001 alongside Andre Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert. The Genesis team also achieved a milestone by topping a practice session for the first time, with Mathieu Jaminet setting the pace in the sister #19 car during FP2.
Qualifying proved challenging for Derani, as two of his flying laps were deleted due to the car’s powertrain exceeding the prescribed limit, leaving him with one attempt to reach Hyperpole, where he secured 12th place. Jaminet, however, qualified for the final shoot-out, finishing sixth quickest before receiving a one-place grid penalty for impeding another car. Another Brazilian driver, Augusto Farfus, lined up ninth in the LMGT3 division in the #32 WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, which featured a special livery of the Brazilian flag. Farfus aims for a strong result on home soil after previous finishes of tenth and 12th in the last two years.
The #17 Genesis car, shared by Derani, Lotterer, and Jaubert, survived a significant clash with the #8 Toyota. Farfus, driving for WRT BMW, is eager to secure a strong result in his home race after previous performances at Interlagos. The race at Interlagos marked a significant return for the FIA World Endurance Championship to Brazil.
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Source: fiawec.com
