Winners and losers from the 2026 WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo

BMW took a second emphatic victory in the space of three World Endurance Championship events at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo.

There was loads of action up and down the grid in both the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes. But who did well in the six-hour race, and who struggled to make the race work out for them?

That’s what we unravel in the first of our winners and losers columns.

Winner - BMW

 BMW’s impressive form in Brazil is best exemplified by Dries Vanthoor’s final stint as he was able to work his way through the field, consistently clock some of the fastest laps of the race and fend off the No.51 Ferrari, all while suffering from ill health.

The BMW M Hybrid V8’s race pace was clear from the off as Kevin Magnussen decisively snatched second form the No.38 Cadillac.

Its ability in wheel-to-wheel contact was reinforced by a memorable battle for the lead with the No.35 Alpine in the final hour of the race, while the team made no errors on the strategic front and was free of any major reliability issues.

Simply put, BMW had the most consistent package this weekend. 

Loser - Toyota

The highs of Le Mans must feel like a distant memory for Toyota. After struggling for pace throughout free practice and qualifying, neither car made it to Hyperpole.

To add insult to injury, Brendon Hartley collided with the No.17 Genesis in the
second hour, a damaged steering linkage forced him to make two unscheduled
stops, one of which lasted more than 15 minutes.

By the time it rejoined, the No.8 car was over 12 laps off the lead and essentially served as a test bed for the majority of the race.

The sister No.7 car fared little better, a five-second penalty for a start procedure violation, coupled with a drive-through penalty for a Full Course Yellow violation, meant 12^th was all Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries could manage.   

Winner - Ferrari

A manufacturer like Ferrari is rarely content with second, but after a sluggish start to the weekend on a track that has never suited the 499P, the prancing horse completed a credible salvage job in the race. The No.50 car’s hopes of victory were
dashed by a drive-through penalty awarded for speeding under a Full Course
Yellow.

The sister No.51 car (that had started only 11^th) was left to head the Ferrari challenge. James Calado suffered a late scare when he hit the tyre barriers at the start of his final stint and was forced to run to the end of the race with an advertising sticker covering his front left headlight.

Even so, Calado was able to capitalise on the 499P’s pace in the cooler conditions and gave serious chase to the leading BMW. Calado eventually fell short by just over two seconds, but given Ferrari’s prior form at Interlagos, a podium will be considered encouraging. 

Loser – Cadillac

On the face of it, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota should be delighted with third and fourth. It was a result that has yielded the team its largest points haul of the season so far after all.

But after locking out the front row on Saturday and jostling for the lead early on, operational failures prevented a repeat of last year.

A stuck wheel nut for the No.12 car led to a slow stop, while the No.38 car stopped slightly out of position and lost time as well.

Both cars were forced to attempt a recovery drive and while the V-Series.R’s pace was solid the time lost in the pits and behind traffic meant a top-two finish was out of reach.

Loser – Alpine

According to Alpine sporting director Nicholas Lapierre, fifth on merit was the best the team could have hoped for.

Clearly lacking the pace needed to keep up with the likes of Cadillac and BMW, Alpine opted for an offset fuel strategy. As a result, the No.35 car was out of sync with the rest of the field for the majority of the race as the team gambled on a possible safety car.

Charles Milesi battled for the lead with Dries Vanthoor in the final hour of the race. A duel that ultimately meant very little.

Not only did Milesi have to pit again for fuel, (having not been bailed out by a safety car) a right-rear puncture sealed both his and Alpine’s fate.

The sister No.36 car suffered a similar issue; they may never have been realistic contenders for the win but 10^th and 11^th does not reflect Alpine’s solid form this weekend.  

Winner – Racing Team Turkey

After starting only 10th, Racing Team Turkey has unexpectedly become the fourth different team to taste victory in LMGT3 this season.

As the likes of Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Ford traded blows in pursuit of the early lead, Racing Team Turkey made an unorthodox call.

In contrast to much of the opposition, the team decided to run Salih Yoluc, its silver driver, for the opening stint. Yoluc stayed out of trouble before handing over to Peter Dempsey, the team’s bronze entrant for the middle stint.

As a result, Charlie Eastwood was left to manage the final stint during which he outpaced the No.69 BMW (the only LMGT3 entrant not to be lapped by the No.34 Corvette) by just over eight seconds.

Having failed to secure a podium in the opening three rounds, this win will be a source of relief for Yoluc and his outfit.

Loser – Garage 59

In contrast to its impressive form at Imola and Spa, Garage 59 was anonymous in Brazil.

The No.10 car collided with the No.21 Ferrari lost a lap as the team was forced to replace a damaged wing mirror and finished 16^th.

The No.58 car finished outside the points in 11^th after a race that even Tom Fleming described as ‘boring’.

A bout of bad luck allied to poor pace meant Garage 59 was essentially lost in the crowd for much of the weekend.