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, necessitating 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, settling into second position behind the #35 Alpine A424, piloted by Ferdinand Habsburg. The Alpine team opted for short-stinting to gain track position, briefly 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, the initial leader, experienced a setback during his first pit stop when a front-right wheel nut appeared to get stuck, causing a delay of around 15 seconds. This incident cost the American Hypercar eight places, forcing Stevens into a recovery drive. He subsequently overtook 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, trailing the Magnussen-piloted BMW.
Mid-Race Developments and Penalties
The highest-placed Ferrari at the two-hour mark was the #83 entry, with Ye having recovered from a five-second stop-and-go penalty for a starting infringement. Ye was running third, ahead of the #94 Team Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 driven by Loïc Duval in the initial two stints. Giovinazzi was in fifth position in the #51 Ferrari after an eventful first two hours. This car endured several instances of contact and was 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 recovering #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R managed to climb back into the top six after losing time during its first pit stop due to being out of position upon entry to the pits. The #17 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 held seventh place, having survived a significant collision with the #8 Toyota. The two Aston Martin Valkyries were in eighth and ninth positions, 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 was compelled to pit for repairs following contact first 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 implemented after 70 minutes of racing due to debris on the track; otherwise, the race proceeded under green flag conditions.
LMGT3 Class Action and Local Interest
In the LMGT3 category, Proton Competition’s pair of Ford Mustangs performed strongly in the opening hours, securing a one-two position. Stefano Gattuso in the #88 car overtook Petru Umbrărescu in the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus, last year’s race winner, for the lead at the Senna S corner after 30 minutes of racing. Eric Powell in the sister #77 Mustang followed, placing the two Fords at the front for the first 80 minutes of the race.
Following the initial scheduled pit stops, the Akkodis ASP Team Lexus regained the lead through short-fuelling, with Umbrărescu leading the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette as the two-hour mark approached. The close intra-team competition between the Mustangs became contentious after 90 minutes when Gattuso and Powell made contact at the exit of the Senna S corner, forcing Powell wide and costing him momentum. However, the Proton pair later returned to a one-two position, 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 strong double stint by Salih Yoluç.
Local driver Pipo Derani, from São Paulo, expressed his delight at competing in his home round of the FIA World Endurance Championship after an 11-year wait. Derani, driving the #17 Genesis GMR-001 alongside Andre Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert, noted the passion of the Brazilian fans. 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 country’s flag. Farfus aimed for a strong result on home soil, having previously secured tenth and twelfth places in the past two years.
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 final attempt to reach Hyperpole, where he managed twelfth place. In contrast, Mathieu Jaminet in the sister #19 Genesis car secured a spot in the final shoot-out, being sixth quickest before receiving a one-place grid penalty for impeding. Derani acknowledged that the team was surprised by their competitiveness in the car’s debut campaign, despite the depth of the field.
Ian James in the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage completed several solid stints, preparing to hand over to teammate Zacharie Robichon. Alexander West spun the #58 Garage 59 McLaren shortly after his first pit stop but recovered to rejoin the race. The Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo continued with intense competition across both Hypercar and LMGT3 categories.
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Source: fiawec.com
Sam Whitlock is a Sports News Writer at News-GB.org. He moved from local newspapers into digital sport. He focuses on rugby union, golf and boxing and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. He holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Gloucestershire and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Gloucester, he plays amateur rugby and follows the fight game. “Clarity beats cleverness in breaking sport news.”