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While the 2025 6 Hours of Sao Paulo may not have been a classic, it will be remembered for one thing: Cadillac's first win partnered with JOTa.
The #12 Cadillac of Alex Lynn, Will Stevens and Norman Nato were in unbeatable form at Interlagos, taking the win at a canter despite an early penalty. And to top it off, the sister #38 car of Earl Bamber, Jenson Button and Sebastien Bourdais took second, completing by far Cadillac's best result in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Let's go through every Hypercar team and see how they did.
Alpine Endurance Team
Car #35
Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin
Finishing position: 18th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.333
Fastest lap: 01:25.871 (Paul-Loup Chatin)
Number of pit stops: 6
Car #36
Frédéric Makowiecki, Jules Gounon, Mick Schumacher
Finishing position: 9th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.103
Fastest lap: 01:25.344 (Mick Schumacher)
Number of pit stops: 5
Not the race Alpine were hoping for at Interlagos.
While points for the #36 car was damage limitation, they still lost out compared to their championship rivals, especially BMW.
That said, in terms of average pace, the #36 Alpine actually recorded the sixth best top 20% average lap time. The car also had the fourth-fastest lap time, in the hands of Mick Schumacher.
Unfortunately, that promising pace didn't really convert into results for Alpine.
The #35 was a little slower in both metrics, but was waylaid by a hybrid issue early on, with Ferdinand Habsburg behind the wheel at the time. This dropped them right down to the bottom of the field, and while the crew did manage to fix the car and get it back out on track, it became a glorified test session.
Rating: 5/10
BMW M Team WRT
Car #15
Dries Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello
Finishing position: 17th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.481
Fastest lap: 01:26.087 (Kevin Magnussen)
Number of pit stops: 5
Car #20
Marco Wittmann, René Rast, Sheldon Van Der Linde
Finishing position: 5th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.214
Fastest lap: 01:25.726 (Sheldon Van Der Linde)
Number of pit stops: 6
A decent race for one BMW, while the other was delayed with brake issues very early into the race.
The #20 race well and finished 5th, in a race where BMW lacked the pace to properly challenge Cadillac and Porsche at the front.
Wittmann, Rast and van der Linde qualified behind both Peugeots, but were able to use strategy and pace to come out top against both the French cars, passing the #94 car in the closing stages of the race. They did receive a penalty for full course yellow procedures, but this likely didn't affect their finishing position.
The #20 car had the seventh fastest top 20% average lap time, just under two tenths slower than the Peugeot it finished ahead of. This indicates that S. van der Linde may have been faster through traffic in the latter stages, giving him the edge over Loic Duval in the Peugeot.
The #15 BMW had issues with the brakes early on, with Magnussen pitting the car on lap 6, from seventh. It did get back out, but was 19 laps down. With no safety cars this gap was impossible to close meaningfully, and like the #35 Alpine, the raced turned into a glorified test session.
Rating: 7/10
Aston Martin THOR Team
Car #007
Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble
Finishing position: 16th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.678
Fastest lap: 01:25.913 (Harry Tincknell)
Number of pit stops: 5
Car #009
Alex Riberas, Marco Sorensen
Finishing position: 13th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.427
Fastest lap: 01:25.614 (Alex Riberas)
Number of pit stops: 5
It's clear that Aston Martin are making genuine, tangible progress with the Valkyrie.
The car is now getting Balance of Performance worked out from data generated by the car, whereas in the early races before Le Mans, it was harsher as the data did not exist.
But that doesn't disguise the amount of learning the team have done. While points were possible at Interlagos, they didn't quite get there. But they were consistently in the mix on the fringes of the top 10.
Both cars average lap times were faster than both Toyotas, as well as the factory #51 Ferrari and the delayed BMW. To add to that, the #009 had the eighth fastest lap of the race, a 1:25.614 from Alex Riberas. This kind of result would have been unthinkable even at Spa in May.
Aston wanted more, though. Hear what Alex Riberas, of the #009 Valkyrie, said:
'I think part of us is slightly disappointed with the end result just because we found ourselves fighting to be in Hyperpole and fighting to be in the top 10 throughout the entire weekend,' said Riberas after the race.
'So we knew our pace was competitive here, and it's the first time really this year where we have been able to even consider dreaming of finishing in the top 10, so obviously that brings along some type of expectation.'
Harry Tincknell, in the #007 sister car, believed there's still work to be done in understanding the tyres.
'Tyre deg was the order of the day and I think we just got some stuff to improve on there. But you know, two cars to the finish with no issues was really good.
'Others sort of didn’t have that, which was positive, and I think our pace at times was really strong. But I think sort of deep into the second stint is probably where we lost time to the leaders today, and that’s where we need to improve in the future.'
Rating: 8/10
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Car #8
Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa
Finishing position: 15th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.890
Fastest lap: 01:26.368 (Ryo Hirakawa)
Number of pit stops: 5
Car #7
Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, Nyck De Vries
Finishing position: 14th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.936
Fastest lap: 01:26.477 (Kamui Kobayashi)
Number of pit stops: 5
What a shocking race for Toyota.
14th and 15th in a race they won at a canter last year is a very stark drop off, especially for a team of Toyota's calibre.
Their average pace lap times were the two slowest across the entire field, and the only car they beat that hadn't been delayed in the pits was the #007 Aston Martin. Their fastest laps, too, were the slowest across the field.
The thing is, we know the GR010 Hybrid is a good car. It's a race-winning, title-winning, Le Mans-winning car. It's not as bad as it's being made to look.
The key may be that it's gentle on its tyres, which the current BoP formula tends to punish, as it takes the top 60% lap times to form an average. This means, because the lap times may not be experiencing huge drop off, it gets punished because of it.
It will be interesting to see how the team bounces back at the next race in Austin, a race they narrowly lost to the satellite #83 AF Corse Ferrari last year.
Rating: 3/10
Ferrari AF Corse
Car #50
Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
Finishing position: 12th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.307
Fastest lap: 01:25.814 (Nicklas Nielsen)
Number of pit stops: 6
Car #51
Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado
Finishing position: 11th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.476
Fastest lap: 01:26.049 (Antonio Giovinazzi)
Number of pit stops: 6
Car #83
Philip Hanson, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye
Finishing position: 8th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.354
Fastest lap: 01:25.534 (Robert Kubica)
Number of pit stops: 5
Ferrari knew they'd struggle at Interlagos – they said as much before Le Mans.
Phil Oakley
But maybe they didn't think they'd struggle so much where they'd go pointless with both factory cars. The #83 didn't score much better, taking eighth. While the car doesn't score manufacturer points, those few points could be valuable in the drivers' championship, as Kubica, Ye and Hanson attempt to steal the crown off the factory cars.
The #51 had the fourth slowest average lap, and also the fourth slowest fastest lap. They also got a penalty late on for an incident with Nico Varrone in the #99 Proton Porsche, where he and Pier Guidi came together as Varrone attempted to pass the Ferrari into turn 4.
The #50 fared a little better than its sibling, 10th fastest on average and the 12th-fastest lap. But this is not a team or manufacturer at large that aspires to these results.
The #83 was the best of the bunch for the second race in a row. Kubica set the car's fastest lap, a 1:25.534, just under half a second off the fastest, while the average lap time was around a second off.
Interestingly the #83's average was a little slower than the #50's. Without Nicklas Nielsen's contact with a GT car, and the team subsequently being ordered to fix it, resulting in an unscheduled stop, could the Nielsen/Fuoco/Molina trio have scored points? Who knows.
James Calado, from the #51 car, said after the race:
'We knew this race would be tough for us, and today confirmed it. We struggled with top speed on the straights, and a few situations went against us — including the penalty we received at the end, which I honestly find hard to understand.
'We leave Brazil not particularly happy, but we’re still leading the championship and we’ll keep doing our best to defend that position.'
Rating: 4/10
Proton Competition
Car #99
Neel Jani, Nicolas Pino, Nicolas Varrone
Finishing position: 10th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.276
Fastest lap: 01:25.526 (Nicolas Varrone)
Number of pit stops: 5
Proton Competition generally aren't on the same level as the factory Porsches, but this was the best race of the season for the customer Porsche team.
They scored their first world drivers' point of the year in 10th, with a strong race to finish ahead of cars that have typically beaten Proton in the past.
Their average lap time wasn't miles off the pace either, just under three tenths off the #6 Porsche, and a fastest lap just over a tenth faster than the same car, thanks to Varrone.
'It was a great result for us today and I think we can be really proud of our performance,' said Varrone after the race.
'It was an excellent race and, although it was difficult with the tyres, we were really happy with the finish.'
Rating: 7/10
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Peugeot
Car #93
Mikkel Jensen, Paul Di Resta
Finishing position: 7th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.302
Fastest lap: 01:25.691 (Mikkel Jensen)
Number of pit stops: 5
Car #94
Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen
Finishing position: 6th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.018
Fastest lap: 01:25.520 (Loïc Duval)
Number of pit stops: 5
By far Peugeot's best race of the year.
Was Le Mans a blip? Peugeot had strong pace in Spa, marred by operational and strategic errors. Le Mans was disappointing for the team, by their own admission, but the pace here was real and genuine.
The #94 car, generally the better-placed all race, finished sixth with the fifth-fastest average lap, and the fifth-fastest lap overall. In all three cases, the best LMH-rules Hypercar. It's not often we've said that about Peugeot.
Duval did lose out late on to Sheldon van der Linde in the #20 BMW, something technical director Olivier Jansonnie was disappointed about, but don't let that take away from Peugeot's season-best performance.
The #93 didn't fare quite as well, but still finished seventh, Peugeot's first double top-10 of the year.
The 'new' 2024 9X8 is still a diva, but it seems the team are slowly learning more about it, understanding its quirks and getting it into what seems to be a small setup window. Combine that with a generous BoP – maximum power, minimum weight – and the performance is coming.
Tim Fullbrook
That said, though, COTA in Austin is a very different type of circuit, with high speed sweepers and long straights. The former may be a weakness for Peugeot, as it tends to suffer in scenarios where high downforce is required, while the latter may be a strength due to its low-drag design.
It's also very bumpy as a result of the natural geography the track is built on, which is a known weakness for the 9X8 generation of cars.
Rating: 8/10
Porsche Penske Motorsport
Car #6
Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor
Finishing position: 4th
Top 20% average lap time: 01:26.000
Fastest lap: 01:25.635 (Laurens Vanthoor)
Number of pit stops: 5
Car #5
Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen
Finishing position: 3rd
Top 20% average lap time: 01:25.614
Fastest lap: 01:24.563 (Julien Andlauer)
Number of pit stops: 5
An excellent race for Porsche, even without taking the win.
The #5 car led the race for the first two hours, before the Cadillacs hit their stride and took over the lead. But even then, Andlauer and Christensen were almost faultless in third, staying consistent and out of trouble on the way to their first podium finish of the year. Plus, it was Andlauer's first podium finish in factory Porsche colours.
The Frenchman almost overtake his countryman Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 Cadillac right at the end, but the veteran single seater and sportscar driver was able to fend off the Porsche.
L. Vanthoor and Estre climbed from seventh on the grid in the #6 car, to fourth at the flag, never quite on the pace of their teammates, but clear of the other cars they were fighting against. The two Peugeots put up a stout challenge, but both were dispensed with, to give Estre and L. Vanthoor a comfortable fourth-place finish.
As we've seen before, most recently at Le Mans, Porsche struggled when the temperatures were high, before the performance came back to them at the end of the race.
Rating: 9/10
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA
Car #38
Earl Bamber, Jenson Button, Sébastien Bourdais
Finishing position: 2nd
Top 20% average lap time: 01:25.722
Fastest lap: 01:25.088 (Jenson Button)
Number of pit stops: 5
Car #12
Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will Stevens
Finishing position: 1st
Top 20% average lap time: 01:25.307
Fastest lap: 01:24.498 (Will Stevens)
Number of pit stops: 6
What can we say about Cadillac and JOTA here?
A few stats and facts may be a better way of looking at it.
- The first win for Cadillac in WEC competition.
- The first win for the Cadillac/JOTA partnership.
- The first win for a Dallara-based LMDh car/chassis.
- Alex Lynn's first WEC overall win.
- Will Stevens second WEC overall win.
- Norman Nato's third WEC overall win.
- JOTA's second WEC overall win.
- Before this race, Cadillac's best WEC result was third, in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The #12 Cadillac of Nato, Lynn, and Stevens was imperious all weekend, the best car on the grid. The #38 wasn't far behind either, around four tenths on average, with a fastest lap just under a tenth slower than the team car, thanks to Button.
The only real blip was the penalty for the #12 early on due to too-low tyre pressures, but the team were able to overcome this slight set back and take victory. The team were able to overcome their nemesis, excessive tyre degradation, keeping the rubber alive over a double stint, something the Cadillac V-Series.R has traditionally struggled with in both WEC and IMSA.
Phil Oakley
In actuality, this may have helped the #12 in a roundabout way, because it meant they could use the undercut strategy. Here's what Bamber told Sportscar365:
'I think their penalty with the tire pressures actually kind of helped them with the strategy because that was the undercut. Our car was actually going to do that strategy, so we swapped. But to honest, the 12 car was a bit of a step above us all weekend.'
Finally, here's what Alex Lynn said after the race:
'Honestly, this is now year number three of me racing this car and year number four of driving it. And, personally, it's a huge sense of satisfaction. You know, it's been a huge journey with Cadillac and to finally win a race of the WEC Championship is special. It's been a lot of hours driving the car and a lot of hours working on it and it means everything.'
That about sums it up.
Rating: 9.9/10
Feature image: DPPI / WEC
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