BMW Ends Ferrari’s Winning Run

BMW delivered a composed and resilient performance to claim victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of São Paulo, overcoming late drama, driver illness and a costly on-track mistake to secure its second Hypercar triumph of the 2026 season.

The No. 15 BMW M Hybrid V8, shared by Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor, prevailed after six demanding hours at Interlagos, finishing just 2.254 seconds ahead of the No. 51 Ferrari 499P of James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. The victory strengthens BMW’s position in the manufacturers’ and drivers’ championship battles while ending Ferrari’s hopes of extending its recent dominance.

Fuel strategy proves decisive

Although the winning margin was slim, BMW’s triumph was built on meticulous strategy rather than outright pace alone.

After Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello established the No. 15 BMW at the front during the opening hours, Dries Vanthoor inherited the car for the decisive final stint. However, victory briefly appeared to slip away when the Belgian ran wide through Interlagos’ technical infield, allowing James Calado’s Ferrari to seize the lead.

Fortunately for BMW, the mistake did not prove fatal.

Having carefully managed fuel throughout the race, the German manufacturer was able to extend its penultimate stint by almost 12 minutes. That allowed the No. 15 crew to complete a significantly shorter final refuelling stop, emerging back onto the circuit ahead of Ferrari despite briefly surrendering track position.

Vanthoor then faced another challenge after reporting over team radio that he was feeling unwell during the closing stages. Nevertheless, he maintained his composure to bring the BMW home safely and seal the team’s second victory in just three races following the No. 20 crew’s success at Imola earlier in the campaign.

Cadillac’s early promise fades

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA looked poised to dictate proceedings after securing pole position.

Will Stevens led comfortably from the rolling start in the No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R, with Magnussen’s BMW and Earl Bamber’s sister Cadillac giving chase. However, a troublesome first pit stop featuring a stuck wheel nut cost the No. 12 valuable time and handed the initiative to BMW.

The No. 38 Cadillac also encountered setbacks during the race, including a time penalty, although both entries recovered admirably to finish on the podium and in fourth respectively. The No. 12 machine eventually completed the podium after Stevens received a five-second penalty for contact with a GT car and Norman Nato later suffered a spin following contact with the No. 83 Ferrari.

Alpine threatens before fading

Alpine briefly emerged as BMW’s principal challenger through an alternative fuel strategy.

The French manufacturer elected to short-fill both A424 Hypercars, enabling Ferdinand Habsburg and Frédéric Makowiecki to leapfrog the BMW during the pit-stop cycle. However, the advantage gradually evaporated as the longer race unfolded.

The No. 35 Alpine remained in contention until the closing stages before a slow puncture ended any realistic hopes of challenging for victory, eventually slipping to tenth overall. Meanwhile, the sister No. 36 Alpine lost significant ground after suffering a puncture earlier in the race.

Ferrari recovers impressively

Despite starting only 11th on the grid, Ferrari produced another determined recovery.

Calado, Pier Guidi and Giovinazzi climbed steadily through the field before inheriting the lead after Vanthoor’s off-track excursion. Calado himself endured a scare exiting the pit lane, brushing the barriers and collecting an advertising board on the front-left corner of the Ferrari.

Ultimately, Ferrari’s shorter fuel window forced an earlier final stop, leaving Calado unable to attack BMW during the closing laps while also managing fuel consumption.

AF Corse’s customer Ferrari, driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, completed an excellent drive to fifth after taking advantage of a collision between Robin Frijns and Antonio Fuoco.

Difficult afternoon for Toyota

Toyota endured one of its toughest races in recent WEC history.

Fresh from its sixth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Japanese manufacturer failed to score a single Hypercar championship point at Interlagos.

The No. 7 GR010 Hybrid finished only 12th after lacking outright pace and collecting two penalties, while the sister No. 8 machine spent 12 laps in the pits for suspension repairs following contact with Genesis and eventually classified last among the Hypercar entries.

Corvette continues LMGT3 momentum

In LMGT3, TF Sport celebrated consecutive class victories after another perfectly executed race.

The No. 34 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Peter Dempsey, Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc combined clever strategy with consistent pace to defeat the No. 69 WRT BMW M4 GT3 by just over eight seconds.

Manthey Porsche completed the class podium, while the Proton Ford Mustang GT3 driven by former Formula 1 racer Logan Sargeant narrowly missed out after fading late in the race. Championship-leading Corvette trio Jonny Edgar, Ben Keating and Nicolas Varrone recovered to eighth despite carrying maximum success ballast following their Le Mans triumph.

Hypercar Top 10 Results

LMGT3 Podium