Toyota has returned to dominance in the FIA WEC, redeeming themselves after the disappointment at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Japanese team triumphed at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, with Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa leading the race. Despite challenges, the trio of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck De Vries had to give up the podium to Penske Motorsport's Porsches due to technical issues.
The competition was intense from the start, with Hartley running wide at the S do Senna but rejoining the race behind Conway, who started from pole position. Conway, returning after an injury, maintained a fast pace until incurring a drive-through penalty. Despite this, he managed to hold the lead until issues with the No. 7 car's control unit forced the team into lengthy repairs, compromising the race.
Hartley then handed over the lead to Hirakawa, who solidified the top position, with Buemi crossing the finish line one minute and eight seconds ahead of the Porsche driven by Kevin Estre, André Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor. Vanthoor had earlier suffered a collision with Will Stevens' Porsche, necessitating an extra pit stop.
Team Penske responded with an effective strategy, climbing to second place and maintaining the championship lead. Porsche once again demonstrated its competitiveness with Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, and Frederic Makowiecki finishing third. After facing difficulties, the Toyota GR010 Hybrid came in fourth thanks to Kobayashi's comeback, overtaking Alessandro Pier Guidi's Ferrari in the final minutes.
The race was challenging for Ferrari, penalized by an unfavorable BoP and a penalty during the Full Course Yellow. The trio of Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, and James Calado couldn't compete for the win, with Ferrari finishing sixth, a lap behind the winning Toyota.
Team Jota had a tough weekend, losing fourth place in the final stages due to a penalty for Jenson Button. The No. 12 Porsche received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty after a collision, and an error by Callum Ilott further compromised their race.
The Peugeot 9X8 showed signs of improvement, finishing eighth ahead of the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the Alpine A424 LMDh. AF Corse's Ferrari 499P had a difficult weekend, finishing second among private teams. The Cadillac V-Series.R and Lamborghini had problems with a puncture and a retirement due to engine failure, respectively.
In LMGT3, Porsche won with Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm, and Klaus Bachler, securing their second victory of the season. The Iron Dames' Lamborghini was forced to retire due to a radiator issue. The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 took second place despite a late penalty, while McLaren completed the podium. Valentino Rossi and his team finished fifth, followed by AF Corse's Ferrari 296 GT3, which finished sixth after a comeback by Alessio Rovera.
Yasser Shahin was involved in incidents that affected Tom Van Rompuy's Corvette and Thomas Flohr's Ferrari, negatively impacting both cars' races.
© Cavalieri Garage & Co.
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