The FIA World Endurance Championship returns to Brazil this weekend (12-13 July) for the fifth outing of its 2025 campaign, with the discipline’s fastest drivers and most formidable cars set to put on a scintillating show at the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo.
The historic Autódromo José Carlos Pace – more commonly known as Interlagos, in recognition of its location ‘between lakes’ – is the South American nation’s premier motorsport facility. Having been inaugurated all the way back in 1940, it is celebrating this year its 85th anniversary.
A regular fixture during FIA WEC’s early seasons, the popular venue rejoined the schedule last summer following a ten-year hiatus, with a huge trackside crowd of more than 73,000 spectators enjoying an exhilarating spectacle of top-flight competition.
At just 4.309km, the anti-clockwise circuit might be the shortest on the calendar, but its gradient changes and flowing layout make for a considerable challenge. Hypercars hit speeds in the region of 305km/h – with approximately half of the lap spent at full throttle – while the long pit straight and back straight invariably generate plenty of overtaking opportunities.
Ferrari arrives in dominant form, having prevailed in every round of the campaign thus far with its trio of all-conquering 499P Hypercars. For those who believe in superstition, it should be noted that only one car number has previously won in São Paulo more than once – the #51 AF Corse Ferrari in FIA WEC’s LMGTE Pro class in 2012 and 2013. Which of the Italian marque’s three Hypercars currently sits at the summit of the standings? The #51…
If the statistics are on the side of world championship leaders Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, then the omens are arguably less auspicious for last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning #83 AF Corse crew. On just one occasion has the same line-up triumphed at both La Sarthe and Interlagos in a single season – and even then, not in the headlining category – and last year, neither the Hypercar nor LMGT3 winner in France took the chequered flag inside the top five in Brazil.
Emphasising the importance of qualifying, the race has never been won from lower than the front row of the grid, with Toyota’s Hyperpole hegemony in the southern hemisphere’s largest city in 2024 paving the way for the Japanese brand’s 47th FIA WEC victory, at the same circuit where it secured its first. The reigning Manufacturers’ champion has surprisingly yet to reach the rostrum this season – an unenviable run it will be eager to quash this weekend.
Fellow title-holder Porsche clinched its own first podium of 2025 at Le Mans courtesy of an inspired effort by Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell to split the Ferraris in the #6 963. The Frenchman and Belgian will be without the support of their Australian team-mate in Brazil, but will nonetheless be buoyed by their positive momentum as the German carmaker returns to the scene of its maiden triumph in FIA WEC’s top-tier, and the first of its 14 front row lockouts to-date.
Like in Hypercar, the LMGT3 field is composed of 18 ultra-high-calibre protagonists – with two of them featuring a homegrown hero amongst their ranks. Augusto Farfus shares The Bend Team WRT’s race-winning #31 BMW with Timur Boguslavskiy and Yasser Shahin, and having already ascended the rostrum once this season, the Curitiba native is keen to do so again in front of his enthusiastic fans.
For FIA WEC rookie Eduardo ‘Dudu’ Barrichello, meanwhile, São Paulo truly is home, since the 23-year-old – son of two-time Formula 1 World Championship runner-up Rubens Barrichello – was born in the Latin American megalopolis. Competing for Racing Spirit of Léman in an Aston Martin Vantage, the Paulista can take encouragement from the fact that no GT marque has achieved more podiums in Brazil than the famous British brand…
The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Friday, 11 July. Qualifying – and the all-important Hyperpole top ten shootout – starts at 14:45 local time (19:45 CEST) on Saturday, 12 July, with the race getting underway at 11:30 local time (16:30 CEST) on Sunday, 13 July.
For further information, including the full event timetable and entry list, click HERE.
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