{"id":8419,"date":"2025-07-14T16:14:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T20:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/?p=8419"},"modified":"2025-07-19T16:25:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T20:25:28","slug":"new-winners-at-interlagos-as-cadillac-and-lexus-break-through-in-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/new-winners-at-interlagos-as-cadillac-and-lexus-break-through-in-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW WINNERS AT INTERLAGOS AS CADILLAC AND LEXUS BREAK THROUGH IN BRAZIL"},"content":{"rendered":"

The FIA World Endurance Championship celebrated two new winners at Interlagos, as Cadillac and Lexus both claimed their breakthrough victories following a sensational showdown in the Rolex 6 Hours of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/em><\/p>\n

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14 July 2025–In the headlining Hypercar category, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA finally fulfilled the promise it has shown all season by converting a peerless performance in qualifying into an equally dominant display in the race.<\/p>\n

After Will Stevens and Earl Bamber overhauled early leader Julien Andlauer in the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 \u2013 the former in the pit-lane and the latter courtesy of a gutsy on-track pass \u2013 the two Cadillac V-Series.R prototypes went on to establish themselves as the 18-strong field in front of a record trackside audience for FIA WEC in Brazil of 84,741 enthusiastic fans.<\/p>\n

Despite having to serve a drive-through penalty for a technical infringement, the #12 entry crewed by Stevens \u2013 whose wife hails from S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 pole-sitter Alex Lynn and Norman Nato, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier in the week, ultimately proved to be unbeatable.<\/p>\n

The trio fought back from their early delay to assert their supremacy and cement Cadillac\u2019s status as the first American brand to triumph in the series, while their success means the race has still never been won from lower than the front row of the grid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is now year number three racing this car, and honestly, seeing what it has become in the hands of JOTA and what the programme has become as well, I\u2019m extremely grateful to be a part of it and honoured to finally win a race in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac,\u201d enthused Lynn. \u201cThis is just the beginning \u2013 I think we can achieve everything we dream of with this partnership. The sky\u2019s the limit, and I\u2019m so excited!\u201d<\/p>\n

Bamber \u2013 another Cadillac birthday boy, having turned 35 last Wednesday \u2013 Jenson Button and S\u00e9bastien Bourdais completed a one-two finish for the American manufacturer, after the latter held off a charging Andlauer in the closing stages, with the Porsche-piloting Frenchman and Michael Christensen rounding out the rostrum in third.<\/p>\n

Defending world champions K\u00e9vin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor wound up fourth in the #6 Porsche \u2013 albeit a lap down on the winning Cadillac \u2013 with BMW M Team WRT\u2019s #20 entry saving a set of fresh tyres until the end to vault up to fifth. That catapulted the BMW M Hybrid V8 past the two Team Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 Hypercars, which ran up towards the sharp end throughout but had to settle for sixth and seventh at the flag, the #94 ahead of the #93.<\/p>\n

The result nonetheless represented the Lion\u2019s first double top ten finish of 2025, but it was, by contrast, a quiet weekend for runaway championship leader Ferrari. The best-placed 499P \u2013 the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning #83 \u2013 crossed the finish line eighth, while the two scarlet factory cars could manage no better than 11th and 12th. There was similarly disappointment for reigning Manufacturers\u2019 title-holder Toyota, as for the first time in FIA WEC\u2019s Hypercar era, the Japanese giant failed to score a point.<\/p>\n

LEXUS LIGHTS UP LMGT3<\/p>\n

Much like Cadillac, Lexus has been threatening to steal the show all year, and at Interlagos, the Japanese marque did just that, with Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda L\u00f3pez, Clemens Schmid and Petru Umbr\u0103rescu storming to glory in Akkodis ASP Team\u2019s #87 RC F LMGT3.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis race was the worst one for us last year, but we learned a lot from that, we knew where to work and the team did an amazing job this weekend,\u201d reflected former world champion L\u00f3pez. \u201cIf I had to choose a place to win, this would be the one. It\u2019s close to home, and I had my dad and my brothers here, and some friends, so it was very, very special. Of course, I got a drive-through (for pit-lane speeding), but it wouldn\u2019t be me if I didn\u2019t make a little mistake! Fortunately, I had a bit of a gap so we were ok…\u201d<\/p>\n

The #81 TF Sport Corvette ultimately prevailed in a multi-car scrap for second, but the crowd\u2019s biggest cheers were reserved for home hero Eduardo Barrichello. Following up on his pole position on Saturday, the Paulista grittily battled his way past the Iron Dames Porsche almost within sight of the checkered flag to clinch a hugely popular podium finish for Racing Spirit of L\u00e9man.<\/p>\n

Following the traditional summer break, the 2025 FIA WEC campaign will continue with round six \u2013 the Lone Star Le Mans at Texas\u2019 Circuit of The Americas \u2013 on 5-7 September.<\/p>\n

Watch FIA WEC live<\/a>\u00a0or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app \u2013 your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don\u2019t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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