WEC Sao Paolo 6 Hours: Cadillac claims a dominant 1-2 LMDh victory at Interlagos

Will Stevens, Alex Lynn and Norman Nato led house a Cadillac 1-2 at Interlagos because the US producer notched up its maiden World Endurance Championship victory.

The 2 Jota-run manufacturing unit Cadillac V-Collection.R LMDhs dominated the Brazilian spherical of the sequence by which solely Porsche provided a short problem within the preliminary phases of the six-hour race on Sunday.

Nato took the chequered 57s up on the sister automotive shared by Earl Bamber, Jenson Button and Sébastien Bourdais, which in flip was 1.8s forward of the perfect of the Penske manufacturing unit Porsche 963 LMDhs shared by Julien Andlauer and Michael Christensen.

The successful Cadillac got here again from an early penalty for a tyre-pressure infringement to say the break-through win for Cadillac, a marque that had completed no higher than third since becoming a member of the WEC in 2023.

#12 Cadillac Hertz Group Jota Cadillac V-Collection.R: Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will Stevens #31 The Bend Group WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, Augusto Farfus

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Lynn moved into the lead on the second spherical of pitstops a 3rd of the way in which via the Sao Paulo 6 Hours.

He had taken over the automotive seven laps earlier than Bamber handed over to Button, rising with a 15s lead courtesy of the undercut. Button had 4 new Michelin tyres in contrast with Lynn’s two and was in a position to scale back the deficit to below 10s earlier than the chief prolonged his benefit over the second half of their double stints.

A lead that stood at simply over 20s earlier than the ultimate driver adjustments grew dramatically after Nato and Bourdais took over their respective Caddys.

Because the race unfolded

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, #12 Cadillac Hertz Group Jota Cadillac V-Collection.R: Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will Stevens, #38 Cadillac Hertz Group Jota Cadillac V-Collection.R: Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

The third-placed Porsche led the early entering into Andlauer’s arms.

The Frenchman took the lead on the opening lap and was in a position to stretch his benefit to as a lot as 4.5s, however the Cadillac proved superior over a double stint, Bamber and Stevens closing him down because the second spherical of stops approached.

Bamber bought forward with an around-the-outside transfer into Flip 1 shortly after Stevens had pitted.

After the stops had been full, Christensen was over a second down on Button, the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry by no means trying like a contender for victory once more.

However Andlauer, on the brisker tyres on the finish, was in a position to shut down on Bourdais because the clock counted down. Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre took a distant fourth, a lap down on the winner, within the second of the PPM entries.

Estre had certified down in seventh, and the 2 hours it took to clear the pair of Peugeot 9X8 2024 Le Mans Hypercars left it out of rivalry for a podium.

#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

BMW took fifth after a late cost from Sheldon Van Der Linde within the M Hybrid V8 LMDh he shared with Marco Wittmann.

The BMW got here again from a penalty for dashing below a Full Course Yellow and made it previous the perfect of the Peugeots pushed by Loic Duval and Malthe Jakobsen within the closing phases.

The sixth-place Peugeot was adopted house by the sister automotive of Paul di Resta and Mikkel Jensen.

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Ferrari salvaged eighth place for the Le Mans 24 Hours-winning entry shared by Phil Hanson, Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye. The 499P LMH proved uncompetitive across the Autodromo Jose Carlos Tempo after taking a double hit below the Steadiness of Efficiency forward of the race.

Alpine and the Proton buyer Porsche group stuffed out the rest of the highest 10, Mick Schumacher, Frédéric Makowiecki and Jules Gounon heading house Nico Pino, Neel Jani and Nicolás Varrone.

They saved the 2 manufacturing unit Ferrari 499Ps out of the factors paying positions for producers.

#009 Aston Martin Thor Group Aston Martin Valkyrie: Alex Riberas, Marco Sorensen, #36 Alpine Endurance Group Alpine A424: Jules Gounon, Frederic Makowiecki, Mick Schumacher

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

The championship-leading entry of James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi was operating tenth within the last hour earlier than Pier Guidi was penalised for a transfer on Varrone as they battled for place.

The Italian crossed the road in eleventh place after taking a drive-through, one place forward of the sister automotive pushed by Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, which misplaced time to a rear finish change after a collision with an LMGT3 automotive.

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Toyota didn’t get a automotive house within the factors for the primary time within the Hypercar period that began in 2021.

The GR010 HYBRID LMH, just like the Ferrari, wasn’t within the sport round a circuit at which it dominated 12 months beforehand.

The BoP — it was operating heavier and with much less energy than in 2024 — mixed with the resurfacing of the Interlagos circuit that befell forward of final yr’s System 1 race mixed to take away the benefit it loved in 2024.

Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi crossed the road in 14th, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa fifteenth.

LMGT3 class outcomes

#87 Akkodis ASP Group Lexus RC F LMGT3: Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, Jose María Lopez

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

In a day of firsts, Lexus took a maiden victory within the LMGT3 class.

Jose Maria Lopez, Clemens Schmid and Razvan Umbrarescu led for almost all of the period on the way in which to a 37-second victory that got here regardless of a penalty for pitlane dashing.

#33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R: Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar, Daniel Juncadella

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Charlie Eastwood moved the TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R he shared with Rui Andrade and Tom van Rompuy up into second with 10 minutes of the race remaining.

The Chevy manufacturing unit driver overtook Michelle Gatting within the Manthey-run Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3-R to seal the runner-up spot.

#59 United Autosports Mclaren 720S LMGT3 Evo: James Cottingham, Sebastien Baud, Gregoire Saucy, #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3: Celia Martin, Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Gatting, who was partnered with Rahel Frey and Célia Martin, then misplaced third with lower than three minutes left to Eduardo Barrichello within the Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Vantage GT3 by which he was teamed with Valentin Hasse-Clot and WEC debutant Anthony McIntosh.

#87 Akkodis ASP Group Lexus RC F LMGT3: Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, Jose María Lopez

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Pictures from Sao Paulo – Race

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Cadillac Hertz Group JOTA HYPERCAR

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Coronary heart of Racing Group LMGT3

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