Second half of FIA World Endurance Championship season set for blast-off in Brazil

Sport news The historic Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, named for its location 'between lakes', is South America's premier motor sport venue and is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. A regular fixture in FIA WEC during the series’ early seasons, the popular venue rejoined the schedule last summer following a ten-year absence, with a trackside crowd of more than 73,000 fans enjoying the action. At just 4.309km, the anti-clockwise layout is the shortest circuit on the calendar, but its gradient changes and flowing layout make for a considerable challenge. Hypercars hit speeds in the region of 305kph, with approximately half of the lap spent at full throttle, while the long pit straight and back straight invariably generate plenty of overtaking opportunities. TITLE FIGHT INTENSIFIES IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE Ferrari arrives in São Paulo in dominant form, having prevailed in every round of the campaign to date with its trio of all-conquering 499P Hypercars. For those who believe in superstition, it should be pointed out that only one car number has previously won in Brazil more than once – the #51 AF Corse Ferrari in the LMGTE Pro class in 2012 and 2013. Which of the Italian marque’s three Hypercar line-ups currently sits at the top 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 entry. On just one occasion has the same crew triumphed at both La Sarthe and Interlagos in a single season – and even then, not in the headlining category – and neither the Hypercar nor LMGT3 winner in France last year 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 to the Japanese brand’s 47th FIA WEC victory, at the same circuit where it claimed its first. The reigning Manufacturers’ champion has yet to reach the rostrum this season. Fellow title-holder Porsche clinched its own first podium of the campaign last month 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 thus far.   LOCAL STARS PRIMED TO SHINE IN LMGT3 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. KEY INFO 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 details, including the full event timetable and entry list, click HERE . World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Sao Paulo WEC SEASON 2025 Sport Rallies 1SportWorld Endurance ChampionshipRalliesWECSEASON 20256 Hours of Sao Paulo00 Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - 4:55pm Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - 4:55pm