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Judging by the long run pace from the opening practice sessions from Interlagos, host of the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, it's Porsche's time to shine in WEC competition this year.
The German manufacturer was top of the timesheets over a single lap in both practice sessions, and the long run data shows very little difference in this regard.
Specifically, the #5 Porsche looks quickest, with Julien Andlauer setting the car's fastest long run in practice 1, and his teammate Michael Christensen in practice 2.
Their average lap times were half a second apart in Christensen's favour, 01:26.362 vs 01:26.864, with Andlauer doing 12 laps and Christensen one less.
But, it's very very close. In first practice there were 14 cars within a second a lap on average. That includes all eight manufacturers. The only four cars not in that group were the #009 Aston Martin, the #99 Proton Porsche, the #51 Ferrari, and the #15 BMW.
The #94 Peugeot looked good in both sessions, surprisingly, after a disastrous Le Mans where they were by far the slowest car.
Loic Duval set the car's fastest long run in both sessions, ending up second in practice 1 and third in practice 2. He was slightly faster in practice 2, but not by much, with a 14-lap run in the former and 13 laps in the latter.
Much like practice 1, the second session was similarly close. After being nowhere earlier, BMW improved to be second fastest on their long run in practice 2, with Kevin Magnussen in the #15 BMW just a couple of hundredths faster than Duval.
There were 11 cars covered by a single second on average in FP2. This once again covers all eight manufacturers.
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Cadillac 'in the right window'
In the Balance of Performance figures, we theorised Cadillac might be looking good at Interlagos, with a relatively low weight and decent power available to them.
However, while they certainly weren't slow or off the pace, it's possible many were expecting more from the gold JOTA-run cars.
'I think in long run pace and short run pace we’re OK,' said Alex Lynn, of the #12 Cadillac.
'Qualifying is going to be very close. We have some homework to do tonight, but largely we’re in the right window. Looking forward to tomorrow and the race Sunday.
'I love this track and I’m really having a good time. The car is working well and that just makes our job a real pleasure.'
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Ferrari to be knocked off the top spot?
Ferrari have won four races on the trot this year, amounting to every WEC race held in 2025. That includes Le Mans, which they took victory at despite a near-perfect race for the #6 Porsche, and multiple penalties for the Ferraris.
Phil Oakley
But, as we wrote earlier this week, Interlagos is not one of Ferrari's strongest tracks. It features many low speed corners, including a highly technical, twisty sector 2, which doesn't play to the 499P's strengths.
As such, it's not too surprising to see Ferrari in the midfield here. Their overall fastest long run, from each of the three Ferraris, was a 01:26.792 on average, a 16-lap stint with Nicklas Nielsen at the wheel of the #50 car. That was set in practice 2, around four tenths off Christensen in the #5 Porsche.
Phil Oakley
The yellow #83 machine, the 'satellite' Ferrari, a thinly-veiled factory car, placed third on average in practice 1, with Robert Kubica at the wheel of the Le Mans-winning car. The Pole set a 01:27.035 on average over nine laps, much faster than Nielsen or Antonio Giovinazzi in the same session.
That said, the latter two set much longer stints, 15 laps for Nielsen and 17 for Giovinazzi, who recently re-signed with Ferrari with a new multi-year contract.
Aston Martin 'hopefully fighting for top 10'
Maybe, just maybe, Aston Martin are getting there with the Valkyrie.
Harry Tincknell, in the #007 car, took a top 5 in the single lap results in practice 2 – Aston's first ever top 5 finishing result in Hypercar with the Valkyrie.
This is backed up by taking sixth fastest on average in the same session, although it was teammate Tom Gamble who did the car's 16 lap stint, with a 01:27.044 on average for the Briton.
'Session 1 was a lot about learning, getting our heads around the car in the first session,' said Gamble after second practice.
'Engineers did a great job in changing the stuff we needed to for session 2. Obviously both cars I think in the top 10 [in practice 2] was mega and puts us in good stead for tomorrow.
'I think we know what we need to improve on the car heading into tomorrow, and hopefully coming into the race we can be fighting for that top 10. That's probably the best start to a weekend we've had all year, so, yeah, very, very positive and great job by all the team.'
Interlagos is known for its bumps and uneven surface, despite being resurfaced last year. What did Gamble think of it, with his first ever visit to Interlagos, let alone the first time the Valkyrie will race at the historic track?
'Quite a bumpy circuit to be honest,' he said.
'They resurfaced it last year, and it's still quite bumpy, quite busy, not a lot of breaks. Compared to Le Mans where we had so many long straights, and here the tyres especially never really get a rest, so trying to manage them in the race is going to be key, I think, to having good performance.'
Putting the data together
So, if we group this together into a graph, where does it put us?
Porsche are clearly fastest, but BMW and Peugeot (!) are not far behind. Ferrari, too, are there or thereabouts, as are Aston Martin as they continue to find pace in the Valkyrie.
The strange one for me here is Toyota. They are last year's winners at Interlagos and know this track well from racing here in 2012-2014. To see them sixth fastest on average when looking at the practice data is hugely surprising.
But, we know Toyota tend to come good in the race. Qualifying, though, may be tricky for them. They've often struggled this year for one lap pace – Le Mans is a prime example – and it sets them back in the race, even when they have good race pace.
Cadillac and Alpine will be doing their homework tonight to find some pace, but even then both aren't miles off. They're both less than a second on average off Porsche, in a weekend of small margins and big games should you find something which unlocks pace.
Proton, as we've maybe come to expect, are last and quite a way off the pace as the team continue to endure a tough season.
Feature image: Juergen Tap / Porsche