WEC Sao Paulo: Toyota fight back in Brazil, Porsche take 4 from 5

Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi took Gazoo Racing’s number 8 Toyota GR010 took an ultimately easy win from the two Penske Porsche 963s in a race that thrilled with close and combative racing throughout the field in what can only be described as a six-hour-sprint-race.

Championship leaders Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre, and Frederic Makowieck’s number 6 Porsche ended second from, Michael Christensen and Matt Campbell’s sister number 5 car. Porsche however emerged victorious in WEC GT3LM, where Manthey Rxcing took charge of that title race with another win in their 911.

The Toyotas held the upper hand throughout, although a technical problem and yellow flag infringement a drive-through penalty delayed Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi’s quicker sister car.

They ended fourth after passing the best of the revised Ferraris with five minutes to race after Toyota led the majority of the race. The Pier Guidi Calado Giovinazzi 51 Ferrari 499P ultimately came home fifth, a minute and a half off the pace and ahead the Le Mans winning Fuoco Molina Nielsen 50 car.

The Ferraris also benefited the privateer Button Hanson Rasmussen38 JOTA Porsche having to pit from fourth for tyres late in the race. They ended seventh ahead of a wild, race long battle with the 93 Jensen Müller Vergne Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar, the Vanthoor Marciello Wittman BMW, and the tenth-placed 36 Lapierre Schumacher Vaxiviere Alpine.

The yellow 83 Ferrari emerged eleventh from the second Alpine, the Cadillac a disappointing 13th after early brake issues, the second BMW, the Proton Porsche, the second Peugeot and the lone Lamborghini Hypercar. The second Jota Porsche followed, but the Isotta Fraschini expired later in the race.

The Malykhin Sturm Bachler Manthey Porsche duly overcame a race-long challenge from the James Mancinelli Riberas Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Sato Pino Caygill McLaren 720S GT3 to take GT3LM by a lap to score Porsche’s fourth win in five races so far.

The story of the race saw the number 7 Toyota take command early on until its fuel pressure sensor and flag issues allowed the sister car ahead.

The Porsches, Ferraris, and leading JOTA Porsche, Peugeot, BMW and even the Lamborghini cycled in and out of the top places as pitstop strategies played out. Racing was fraught throughout with the GT3LM chicanes proving a regular challenge through the many, fraught Hypercar battles.

The number 7 car then fought back into the top six and ultimately up to fourth. The Toyotas made best use of the medium compound Michelin tyres on the hot and abrasive Interlagos tarmac. Porsche and Ferrari used more hard tyres.

The six-entered Porsche also had its fair share of problems including after contact with the 12 Jota Porsche, which also brought a 30-second penalty.

It only passed its teammate for second place after the 5 was delayed changing its tail. It made contact with a LMGT3 car, which only just held the closing 7 Toyota off in the end. The 51 Ferrari was also delayed by a yellow flag drive-through penalty.

The Malykhin Sturm Bachler Manthey Porsche duly overcame a race-long challenge to take GT3LM by a lap. They scored Porsche’s fourth win in five races so far, from the James Mancinelli Riberas Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Sato Pino Caygill McLaren 720S GT3.

All that has served to shake up the 2024 WEC title chase as Toyota jumped Ferrari to move into second behind Porsche and Alpine, BMW and Peugeot in their private battle for fourth.

The WEC heads to the Circuit of Americas for the Lone Star Le Mans, in Auston, home of the United States Grand Prix.