Audi has a different look to the No.1 R18 e-tron quattro here, with a tribute graphic on the rear fin marking the final race, after a hugely successful career, for Tom Kristensen.
The car also features a very ‘Brazilian’ look on the front splitter courtesy of Aethre, a partner that has been with the Audi Sport family from the start of 2014, the company produces are scale metal presses used in the automotive trade, (the graphic normally placed in front to the rear wheel on both cars). The No.1, of course, also features Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi on the roster.
Toyota has Mike Conway aboard for his third race start of the year in the No.7 Toyota TS040 Hybrid, substituting again for the absent Kazuki Nakajima, the Japanese driver the innocent victim of a paperwork error for his required work visa.
The No.9 Lotus CLM features Lucas Auer and Pierre Kaffer this weekend with the team hoping for better luck on the reliability front after a first lap retirement at Bahrain.
Aside from di Grassi, Fernando Rees (above) is the other full season Brazilian driver in the field. He’ll be hoping to re-find his podium-winning form in the No.99 Craft Bamboo AMR Vantage to finish the teams first season in the WEC with a bang. Darryl O’Young rejoins the team after racing in Macau over the Bahrain race weekend, sporting a moustache for 'Movember'.
The rather faded glory of the Interlagos circuit is, of course, to see a new pits complex for 2016 with the current very tired building scheduled to be demolished. Beyond T3, meanwhile, a temporary pitlane is being constructed to allow circuit operations to continue despite the works.
Graham Goodwin
