2026 | WEC | 6 Hours of São Paulo | FP2 | Genesis tops session for first time

Genesis Magma Racing topped an FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) session for the first time as Mathieu Jaminet set the overall pace during Free Practice 2 (FP2) for the 2026 Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo.

Jaminet recorded a 1m24.271s in the No. 19 Genesis GMR-001 to beat Marco Sørensen’s No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie by just 0.060s. The sister No. 007 Aston Martin, which topped FP1, followed in third, while Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA placed both of its cars inside the top five.

Meanwhile, Akkodis ASP Team controlled LMGT3 as Clemens Schmid led a Lexus one-two. The Austrian’s 1m34.498s placed him only 0.037s ahead of Hadrien David in the sister No. 78 RC F LMGT3 during an uninterrupted 90-minute session at Interlagos.

2026 FIA WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo: FP2: Hypercar

Genesis claims its first FIA WEC session lead

Genesis continued its impressive start to its maiden FIA WEC campaign by leading the second practice session in São Paulo. The South Korean manufacturer had already shown encouraging pace at Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans before converting that potential into its first session-topping result at Interlagos.

Jaminet established the decisive benchmark with a 1m24.271s on the sixth lap completed by the No. 19 Genesis. He shares the GMR-001 with Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella, and the crew completed 45 laps as it continued preparations for Sunday’s six-hour race.

However, the narrow margin kept the leading order open. Just 0.060s separated Genesis from Aston Martin in second, while the first five Hypercars all finished within 0.442s of Jaminet’s benchmark.

Aston Martin continues strong Interlagos form

Aston Martin followed its FP1-leading performance with another competitive showing as both Valkyries finished inside the top three. Sørensen placed the No. 009 second with a 1m24.331s, maintaining the car’s positive form at the circuit where it recorded its first top-10 result one year earlier.

Harry Tincknell then took third in the No. 007 Aston Martin that he shares with Tom Gamble. Tincknell, who led the opening session, posted a 1m24.487s and finished 0.216s behind Jaminet and 0.156s behind the sister Valkyrie.

The results gave Aston Martin two cars immediately behind Genesis and reinforced the manufacturer’s early competitiveness in Brazil. Both entries also completed more than 50 laps, with the No. 009 recording a class-high 56 alongside the No. 50 Ferrari.

Cadillac places both cars inside the top five

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA followed Aston Martin’s two-car formation by taking fourth and fifth. The No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R of Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken recorded a 1m24.685s to finish 0.414s away from the Genesis.

Will Stevens and Norman Nato placed the No. 12 Cadillac fifth with a 1m24.713s, only 0.028s behind the sister car. The pair will contest the weekend without Alex Lynn as the British driver continues his recovery following surgery.

The No. 12 also completed more laps than any other Hypercar during FP2. Stevens and Nato accumulated 58 tours of Interlagos as Cadillac combined competitive short-run pace with substantial mileage.

Alpine leads Ferrari and BMW

Alpine placed the No. 35 A424 sixth through António Félix da Costa, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg. Its 1m24.755s left the crew 0.484s behind the leading Genesis and only 0.042s away from the No. 12 Cadillac.

The No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari followed in seventh as Yifei Ye, Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson led the manufacturer’s three-car challenge. Raffaele Marciello placed the No. 15 BMW M Hybrid V8 eighth, while the second Alpine took ninth.

Ferrari AF Corse completed the top 10 with the No. 50 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. Only 0.221s separated Alpine in sixth from Ferrari in 10th, underlining the close competition behind the leading Aston Martins and Cadillacs.

Toyota remains outside the leading group

The No. 20 BMW followed in 11th, only 0.010s behind the No. 50 Ferrari. The No. 94 Peugeot placed another 0.010s behind in 12th, while the No. 17 Genesis finished 13th and 0.777s away from its session-leading sister car.

Toyota remained outside the top 10 after also struggling for outright pace in FP1. The recent Le Mans-winning No. 7 TR010 Hybrid finished 14th with a 1m25.134s, while the No. 8 Toyota followed 0.017s behind in 15th.

The No. 51 Ferrari took 16th after finishing more than one second away from the benchmark. The No. 93 Peugeot completed the 17-car Hypercar order, with only 1.291s covering the class during a session that ran without a Full Course Yellow or red flag.

Classification

1. No. 19 Genesis Magma Racing — Mathieu Jaminet/Paul-Loup Chatin/Daniel Juncadella — Genesis GMR-001 — 1m24.271s — 45 laps
2. No. 009 Aston Martin Thor Team — Álex Riberas/Marco Sørensen — Aston Martin Valkyrie — +0.060s — 56 laps
3. No. 007 Aston Martin Thor Team — Harry Tincknell/Tom Gamble — Aston Martin Valkyrie — +0.216s — 52 laps
4. No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Earl Bamber/Sébastien Bourdais/Jack Aitken — Cadillac V-Series.R — +0.414s — 54 laps
5. No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Will Stevens/Norman Nato — Cadillac V-Series.R — +0.442s — 58 laps
6. No. 35 Alpine Endurance Team — António Félix da Costa/Charles Milesi/Ferdinand Habsburg — Alpine A424 — +0.484s — 45 laps
7. No. 83 AF Corse — Yifei Ye/Robert Kubica/Phil Hanson — Ferrari 499P — +0.600s — 51 laps
8. No. 15 BMW M Team WRT — Kevin Magnussen/Raffaele Marciello/Dries Vanthoor — BMW M Hybrid V8 — +0.641s — 54 laps
9. No. 36 Alpine Endurance Team — Frédéric Makowiecki/Jules Gounon/Victor Martins — Alpine A424 — +0.654s — 51 laps
10. No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse — Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen — Ferrari 499P — +0.705s — 56 laps
11. No. 20 BMW M Team WRT — Robin Frijns/René Rast/Sheldon van der Linde — BMW M Hybrid V8 — +0.715s — 53 laps
12. No. 94 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Loïc Duval/Malthe Jakobsen/Théo Pourchaire — Peugeot 9X8 — +0.725s — 50 laps
13. No. 17 Genesis Magma Racing — André Lotterer/Pipo Derani/Mathys Jaubert — Genesis GMR-001 — +0.777s — 50 laps
14. No. 7 Toyota Racing — Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Nyck de Vries — Toyota TR010 Hybrid — +0.863s — 48 laps
15. No. 8 Toyota Racing — Sébastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryō Hirakawa — Toyota TR010 Hybrid — +0.880s — 50 laps
16. No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse — Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi — Ferrari 499P — +1.100s — 49 laps
17. No. 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Paul di Resta/Stoffel Vandoorne/Nick Cassidy — Peugeot 9X8 — +1.291s — 49 laps

2026 FIA WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo: FP2: LMGT3

Akkodis ASP Team secures Lexus one-two

Schmid established the fastest LMGT3 time during his opening run in the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus. His 1m34.498s remained unbeaten for the rest of the session and gave the defending São Paulo class winner the early advantage ahead of qualifying.

The Austrian shares the Lexus RC F LMGT3 with Petru Umbrărescu and José María López. The trio returns to Interlagos seeking a second consecutive victory after winning the Brazilian round together in 2025.

However, the sister No. 78 Lexus provided the closest challenge. David posted a 1m34.535s in the car he shares with Tom Van Rompuy and Esteban Masson, leaving the two Akkodis ASP entries separated by only 0.037s.

Heart of Racing places both Aston Martins inside the top five

The No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin took third after Kobe Pauwels set a 1m34.580s. Pauwels joined Gray Newell and Jonny Adam for the São Paulo weekend as he replaced Eduardo Barrichello, who had IMSA commitments.

Only 0.082s separated the Aston Martin from Schmid’s leading Lexus. Garage 59 followed in fourth after Finn Gehrsitz recorded a 1m34.851s in the No. 58 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo that he shares with Alexander West and Benjamin Goethe.

Heart of Racing then placed its second Aston Martin fifth. Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi recorded a 1m34.960s, giving the team two cars inside the leading five and placing the No. 27 entry 0.462s behind the class benchmark.

Corvette leads Porsche and Ford battle

Racing Team Turkey by TF completed the top six with the No. 34 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R. Patrick Dempsey, Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood recorded a 1m35.379s, leaving them 0.419s behind the second Heart of Racing Aston Martin.

The No. 92 The Bend Manthey Porsche followed in seventh through Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz. Proton Competition then placed both Ford Mustang LMGT3s inside the top nine, with the No. 77 finishing only 0.016s ahead of the No. 88.

Garage 59’s second McLaren completed the top 10. Andrew Au, Tom Fleming and Marvin Kirchhöfer ended the session 1.051s behind Schmid, while only 0.170s separated the Corvette in sixth from the McLaren in 10th.

FP1 leader Iron Lynx drops to 15th

The two VISTA AF Corse Ferraris occupied 11th and 12th, with the No. 21 finishing 0.073s ahead of the No. 54. The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette followed in 13th, while the No. 91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche took 14th.

Iron Lynx could not repeat its FP1-leading result as the No. 61 Mercedes-AMG slipped to 15th. Maxime Martin, Rui Andrade and Martin Berry finished 1.404s behind the leading Lexus, while the sister No. 79 Mercedes-AMG took 16th.

The two Team WRT BMWs completed the order. The Brazil-inspired No. 69 M4 LMGT3 Evo finished 17th, just 0.051s ahead of the No. 32 car shared by Darren Leung, Sean Gelael and home driver Augusto Farfus.

Classification

1. No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team — Petru Umbrărescu/Clemens Schmid/José María López — Lexus RC F LMGT3 — 1m34.498s — 39 laps
2. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team — Tom Van Rompuy/Hadrien David/Esteban Masson — Lexus RC F LMGT3 — +0.037s — 48 laps
3. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team — Gray Newell/Kobe Pauwels/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 — +0.082s — 51 laps
4. No. 58 Garage 59 — Alexander West/Finn Gehrsitz/Benjamin Goethe — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo — +0.353s — 51 laps
5. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team — Ian James/Zacharie Robichon/Mattia Drudi — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 — +0.462s — 48 laps
6. No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF — Patrick Dempsey/Salih Yoluç/Charlie Eastwood — Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R — +0.881s — 47 laps
7. No. 92 The Bend Manthey — Yasser Shahin/Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 — +0.945s — 51 laps
8. No. 77 Proton Competition — Eric Powell/Ben Tuck/Sebastian Priaulx — Ford Mustang LMGT3 — +0.961s — 49 laps
9. No. 88 Proton Competition — Stefano Gattuso/Giacomo Levorato/Logan Sargeant — Ford Mustang LMGT3 — +1.027s — 51 laps
10. No. 10 Garage 59 — Andrew Au/Tom Fleming/Marvin Kirchhöfer — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo — +1.051s — 51 laps
11. No. 21 VISTA AF Corse — François Hériau/Simon Mann/Alessio Rovera — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo — +1.093s — 51 laps
12. No. 54 VISTA AF Corse — Thomas Flohr/Francesco Castellacci/Davide Rigon — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo — +1.166s — 49 laps
13. No. 33 TF Sport — Ben Keating/Jonny Edgar/Nicolás Varrone — Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R — +1.251s — 47 laps
14. No. 91 Manthey DK Engineering — James Cottingham/Timur Boguslavskiy/Ayhancan Güven — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 — +1.269s — 46 laps
15. No. 61 Iron Lynx — Martin Berry/Rui Andrade/Maxime Martin — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 — +1.404s — 50 laps
16. No. 79 Iron Lynx — Johannes Zelger/Matteo Cressoni/Lin Hodenius — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 — +1.468s — 45 laps
17. No. 69 Team WRT — Anthony McIntosh/Parker Thompson/Dan Harper — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo — +1.514s — 45 laps
18. No. 32 Team WRT — Darren Leung/Sean Gelael/Augusto Farfus — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo — +1.565s — 47 laps

Genesis and Lexus head into Saturday on top

Genesis Magma Racing ended Friday with a milestone result after Jaminet delivered the manufacturer’s first FIA WEC session lead. However, Aston Martin’s pace and Cadillac’s presence inside the top five suggested that the Hypercar order could change again when teams switch their attention towards qualifying preparations.

Meanwhile, Akkodis ASP Team established itself as the early LMGT3 favourite after placing both Lexus entries at the head of a tightly matched field. The third and final Free Practice session will begin at 10:10 local time on Saturday, giving every team one final opportunity to refine its car before qualifying at Interlagos.