Cadillac takes a surprise pole in São Paulo, while Barrichello thrills the home crowd with a standout GT3 performance.
The qualifying session for the 6 Hours of São Paulo delivered a major shock: Alex Lynn secured pole position for the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, extending the impressive streak of the American manufacturer. While Porsche and BMW were tipped as favorites heading into the session, Lynn delivered a stunning lap in the #12 V-Series.R at the crucial moment—marking the third pole of his WEC career.
The team had been exuding confidence in recent days, fully aware of their one-lap pace. However, their main focus has been on translating that speed into consistent race pace, with targeted efforts to maintain performance over the full distance.
A Cadillac front-row lockout looked possible for a moment. Sébastien Bourdais put the sister #38 car into second place, but was later demoted by the stewards for impeding Paul di Resta’s #93 Peugeot in Turn 12 during qualifying. As a result, Bourdais received a grid penalty, denying Cadillac the front-row sweep. Bourdais will now start third, while Julien Andlauer in the #5 Porsche lines up alongside Lynn on the front row.
Starting Grid: Surprises and Disappointments
- Malthe Jakobsen placed the second Peugeot 9X8 in a strong fourth position.
- Sheldon van der Linde was the best-placed BMW, qualifying fifth in the M Hybrid V8.
- Ferrari endured a disappointing session: Le Mans winner Robert Kubica could do no better than ninth in the #83.
- The factory Ferraris, #50 (Fuoco) and #51 (Giovinazzi), missed out on Hyperpole and will start from 14th and 17th respectively.
- Toyota also struggled: Ryō Hirakawa (#8) qualified tenth, while Kamui Kobayashi (#7) will start last among the Hypercars.
LMGT3: Barrichello Ignites São Paulo
In LMGT3, local hero Eduardo Barrichello delivered a special moment. The 23-year-old claimed his first-ever pole position in the #10 Aston Martin, edging out the competition by just 0.024 seconds. Hailing from São Paulo and living close to the circuit, Barrichello’s intimate knowledge of the track paid dividends. His strong performance in front of his home crowd and family highlights his rapid progress in the series.
Akkodis ASP continued their strong season with Clemens Schmid and Finn Gehrsitz securing second and third in the Lexus RC F. Lin Hodenius (Iron Lynx Mercedes) impressed with fourth place in the Hyperpole session.
Schedule and Outlook
The six-hour race gets underway on Sunday, July 13, at 11:30 a.m. local time (16:30 CEST). Full details on live coverage are available here. Comprehensive qualifying results are available through the official channels.
Photos © Fabrizio Boldoni, Julien Delfosse / DPPI (FIA WEC Press Material)