São Paulo: BMW secures victory in 6 Hours race
Race Highlights and Early Challenges
The Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo began with a damp track, leading to an early incident for Mike Conway, whose #7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar made contact with the pit wall during a reconnaissance lap, necessitating a front bodywork change. At the start, Will Stevens initially led, establishing an early advantage over the #15 BMW M Team WRT entry, driven by Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen had moved past the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R of Earl Bamber, which started on the front row.
During the initial stages, Magnussen reported a power issue, but later regained pace. The #35 Alpine A424, piloted by Ferdinand Habsburg, briefly took the lead in the second hour after a short-fuelling strategy. However, the Alpine later dropped down the order following a driver change to António Félix da Costa during its second pit stop.
Stevens experienced a setback during his first pit stop when a front-right wheel nut became stuck, causing a delay of approximately 15 seconds and costing his American Hypercar eight places. This incident led to a recovery drive for Stevens, who subsequently overtook several competitors, including the #8 Toyota of 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 BMW driven by Magnussen.
The #83 Ferrari was the highest-placed Ferrari, 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. Giovinazzi’s #51 Ferrari was in fifth position after an eventful first two hours, during which it sustained multiple contacts and was investigated for a clash with the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 entry.
The #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R also recovered into the top six after losing time during its first pit stop due to an out-of-position entry. The #17 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 was running seventh after an incident with the #8 Toyota. The #8 Toyota required repairs after contact with the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Marco Sørensen and later the #19 Genesis of Daniel Juncadella, rejoining 13 laps behind the leader. A brief Full Course Yellow was issued after 70 minutes for track debris.
LMGT3 Class Action
In the LMGT3 category, the Proton Competition pair of Ford Mustangs initially performed strongly, securing a one-two position. Stefano Gattuso in the #88 car overtook Petru Umbrărescu in the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus for the lead. 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, through short-fuelling, regained the lead, with Umbrărescu heading the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette as the two-hour mark approached. Pole-sitter Gray Newell had a challenging start, allowing Johannes Zelger of Iron Lynx and then Umbrărescu to take the lead before the Fords moved to the front. An incident between Gattuso and Powell after 90 minutes saw Powell forced wide, affecting his 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 double stint by Salih Yoluç.
Ian James in the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage completed solid stints. Alexander West spun the #58 Garage 59 McLaren after its first pit stop but rejoined the race.
Brazilian Drivers Compete at Home
Brazilian driver Pipo Derani, from São Paulo, expressed his satisfaction at racing 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, had previously attended the 2014 event. The Genesis team 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 difficult for Derani, as two of his flying laps were deleted due to the car’s powertrain exceeding the prescribed limit, resulting in a 12th-place finish. Jaminet secured a spot in the final shoot-out, placing sixth quickest before receiving a one-place grid penalty for impeding. Derani noted that the car appeared to have good race pace despite the qualifying challenges.
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 with the Brazilian flag. Farfus aimed for a strong result on home soil, having finished tenth and 12th in the previous two years at the event.
The BMW M Team WRT ultimately secured the victory in the 6 Hours of São Paulo.
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Source: fiawec.com
Reuben Castle is the Sports News Writer at News GB, covering rugby union, golf and boxing with six years of reporting experience. He moved from print into digital sport news. He holds a degree in Journalism from Coventry University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Coventry, he follows the Open Championship and amateur boxing. “Accuracy first; the analysis can follow.”
