Porsche Penske Motorsport is aiming for another podium finish after finishing second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The works team will take on round five of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season next weekend (11th – 13th July) with fond memories: in 2024, the two Porsche 963s finished the 6-hour race in São Paulo on the winner's podium. In the LMGT3 class, the Manthey 1st Phorm customer team will start as the leader of the standings. The team from the Eifel region in the immediate vicinity of the Nürburgring had recently won its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The preview

In the 2024 season, the two Porsche 963s thrilled in front of over 70,000 spectators in Brazil: In second and third place, the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team was able to consolidate its position as the leader in the championship. This year, Porsche travels to the traditional Formula 1 circuit in São Paulo in third place in the overall standings. At the wheel of the number 5 car, Frenchman Julien Andlauer will share driving duties with Michael Christensen from Denmark. The number 6 sister car is shared by the two reigning World Endurance Champions Kévin Estre from France and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium. The Proton Competition customer team is fielding another Porsche 963 in the top Hypercar class.

"We're hoping for fair and balanced competition over the entire six-hour distance," explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. "Last year we finished on the podium with both cars. If we call up our full potential next weekend and act flawlessly, a similar result should be possible. That's what we want. It would be nice if the fight for the championship in the second half of the season was as exciting as last year. Teams, drivers and fans would have deserved that."

"After the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there was little time to catch my breath. Now the next round of the World Endurance Championship is already ahead of us," says Urs Kuratle, Vice President Factory Motorsport LMDh, looking ahead to the fifth race of the year. "After a difficult start to the WEC season, we now finally want to build on last year's results. Our team and drivers are just as well prepared as our two cars. Since the introduction of the regulations in 2023, the Porsche 963 has established itself as the most successful of all LMDh vehicles. We want to continue on this path and finish on the podium again – of course, we'd love to clinch our first WEC win of the season in São Paulo."

"It was a disappointment to leave Le Mans without the overall victory – especially since our team had an absolutely perfect race," says Jonathan Diuguid, Executive Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. "The fact that, in addition to second place overall, a total of three Porsche 963s have made it into the top eight motivates us for the coming races. We want to get maximum points. The manufacturers' title in the WEC is within reach and therefore our big goal."

Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell will not compete in Brazil. The French-Australian duo is now concentrating on the title fight in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. There, the two lead the drivers' standings after six rounds of the season. In São Paulo, as in the previous year, local hero Felipe Nasr will be available as a reserve driver for the factory team.

In the top Hypercar class, the German Porsche customer team Proton Competition will compete with another Porsche 963. In the No. 99 hybrid prototype, Neel Jani from Switzerland and Nico Pino from Chile share the steering wheel work with Argentina's Nico Varrone.

LMGT3 class: Manthey 1st Phorm wants to defend championship lead in Brazil

The customer team Manthey 1st Phorm travels to the fifth race of the FIA WEC season with a strong tailwind: The team recently won the LMGT3 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. In the No. 92 car, works driver Richard Lietz from Austria will compete together with the American Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera from Italy. The trio leads the drivers' standings before the start of the second half of the season. The Iron Dames send Rahel Frey from Switzerland, Michelle Gatting from Denmark and the Frenchwoman Célia Martin into the race with an identical nine-eleven.

The race

The 6-hour race at the gates of the metropolis of São Paulo takes place at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos. Since its construction in 1942, the 4.309-kilometre circuit has provided the stage for more than 40 Formula 1 Grands Prix. From 2012 onwards, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) has completed three rounds on the permanent race track, which is used in an anti-clockwise direction. In 2014, Porsche celebrated its first race victory at this venue with the LMP1 prototype 919 Hybrid. In 2024, the World Endurance Championship returned to Brazil.

The FIA WEC will compete in São Paulo for the second time in July. During the midsummer month in Central Europe, Brazil experiences the "deepest" winter: in the coldest month of the year, the average maximum temperature in Interlagos is 23 degrees Celsius. Statistically, the probability of rain is considerably lower than at the events between 2012 and 2014, which took place in September and November.

Drivers' comments before the race

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): "I'm already looking forward to returning to Interlagos. Last year it was a great event: the course was great, the atmosphere was first-class. I hope that we will finally be more competitive in Brazil than in the first four races of the season. A podium finish would do us good. The track has been given a new asphalt since last year. This affects tyre grip and wear – hopefully in our favour."

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): "I had a short break after my appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and at the Nürburgring. Now it's finally starting again. São Paulo offers us a route with a lot of tradition, which is also a lot of fun. I like the overseas races on the calendar, so I'm really looking forward to it. At Le Mans, we saw a clear upward trend compared to the first races of the season. We want to confirm this trend in Brazil."

Neel Jani (Porsche 963 #99): "Last year we encountered very cool temperatures in Brazil. The forecast for the coming weekend promises higher values. This is good. In 2024, we were involved in some incidents, and there were also difficulties with the brakes of our Porsche 963. This year we want to make ends meet. The track in Interlagos on the outskirts of São Paulo is very different from Le Mans: There are many tight corners, the cars sometimes come very close to each other. Good traction is the key to strong lap times."

Célia Martin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #85): "After all the intensity and emotion at Le Mans, I'm now more motivated than ever for the 6 Hours of São Paulo. The hunger for success is great, even greater than ever before. With Porsche and Manthey at our side, we are absolutely ready to throw everything into the balance. We arrive fully focused, united and with high goals to give everything on the track."

Riccardo Pera (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): "After our class win at Le Mans, we're now also leading the championship. The mood and motivation couldn't be better. I'm really looking forward to Brazil because it's the first time I've been able to drive on this great track. We have to continue as we did recently. If we complete a completely clean race again without incident, then we can stay at the top of the overall standings."

The Porsche racing cars and drivers in São Paulo

Hypercar class (Porsche 963):
Porsche Penske Motorsport #5: Julien Andlauer (FRA), Michael Christensen (DNK)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Kévin Estre (FRA), Laurens Vanthoor (BEL)
Proton Competition #99: Neel Jani (CHE), Nico Pino (CHL), Nico Varrone (ARG)

LMGT3 class (Porsche 911 GT3 R):
Iron Dames #85: Rahel Frey (CHE), Michelle Gatting (DNK), Célia Martin (FRA)
Manthey 1st Phorm #92: Ryan Hardwick (USA), Richard Lietz (AUT), Riccardo Pera (ITA)

The schedule (local time = CEST -5 hours)

Friday, July
11 11:00 – 12:30: Free practice 1
15:45 – 17:15: Free practice 2

Saturday, July
12 10:10 – 11:10: Free practice 3
14:45 – 14:57: Qualifying LMGT3
15:05 – 15:15: Hyperpole LMGT3
15:25 – 15:37: Qualifying Hypercar
15:45 – 15:55: Hyperpole Hypercar

Sunday, July
13 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Race "6 Hours of São Paulo"