2026 | WEC | 6 Hours of São Paulo | FP3 | Martins tops closely matched final practice

Victor Martins placed Alpine Endurance Team at the top of the final Free Practice (FP3) session for the 2026 World Endurance Championship (WEC) Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, setting the fastest lap of the weekend before Saturday afternoon’s qualifying sessions.

Martins recorded a 1m24.038s in the No. 36 Alpine A424 to beat the No. 19 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 by 0.165s. Aston Martin followed in third, while Genesis placed its second entry fourth during another closely contested Hypercar session.

Meanwhile, Rui Andrade led LMGT3 for Iron Lynx despite setting exactly the same lap time as Clemens Schmid in the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus. Both drivers recorded a 1m34.283s, but Andrade secured first place because he completed the time before Schmid. The dry 60-minute session featured a track temperature of 31.6°C and an air temperature of 23.8°C.

2026 FIA WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo: FP3: Hypercar

Martins puts Alpine at the top before qualifying

Martins continued his impressive debut FIA WEC season by setting the quickest time of the São Paulo weekend so far. The French driver recorded his decisive 1m24.038s on the sixth lap completed by the No. 36 Alpine, which he shares with Jules Gounon and Frédéric Makowiecki.

The lap placed Alpine 0.165s ahead of the No. 19 Genesis and also improved on Mathieu Jaminet’s FP2-leading benchmark of 1m24.271s. The No. 36 crew completed 33 laps as Alpine gathered its final data before the qualifying and Hyperpole sessions.

Martins’ performance also marked a significant improvement from Friday. The No. 36 Alpine had finished fifth in FP1 and ninth in FP2 before moving to the head of the field on Saturday morning.

Genesis continues strong São Paulo form

Genesis Magma Racing remained among the leading contenders after topping FP2 on Friday. Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella placed the No. 19 GMR-001 second with a 1m24.203s, completing 35 laps during the session.

The South Korean manufacturer also placed its sister car inside the top four. The No. 17 Genesis of André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert recorded a 1m24.230s to finish only 0.192s behind Martins.

Just 0.027s separated the two Genesis entries, while the No. 17 finished only 0.010s behind the third-placed Aston Martin. Consequently, both crews approached qualifying with the pace to challenge for the leading positions at Interlagos.

Aston Martin maintains its place near the front

The No. 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie continued its consistently strong São Paulo weekend by claiming third. Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble recorded a 1m24.220s, which placed them 0.182s behind Alpine and only 0.017s away from the No. 19 Genesis.

The crew had already led FP1 before taking third during FP2. Therefore, the No. 007 finished inside the top three during every practice session and strengthened its position as one of the leading qualifying contenders.

Álex Riberas and Marco Sørensen placed the sister No. 009 Valkyrie 10th with a 1m24.563s. The pair finished 0.525s behind Martins after taking second during Friday afternoon’s FP2 session.

Five manufacturers fill the first six positions

Ferrari led the pursuit of Alpine, Genesis and Aston Martin with the No. 50 499P. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen set a 1m24.267s, placing the car fifth and only 0.229s away from the session lead.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA followed in sixth with the No. 38 V-Series.R of Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken. Its 1m24.289s put five manufacturers inside the first six positions, with Martins covering the entire group by only 0.251s.

The No. 51 Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi took seventh with a 1m24.478s. Meanwhile, the No. 35 Alpine followed just 0.008s behind in eighth, reinforcing the close margins throughout the leading half of the field.

Peugeot encounters technical trouble and contact

Malthe Jakobsen spent much of FP3 inside the garage while Team Peugeot TotalEnergies addressed a technical problem on the No. 94 9X8. However, the Danish driver produced a 1m24.492s after joining the session and secured ninth place, only 0.454s behind Alpine.

The sister No. 93 Peugeot endured a separate setback when Parker Thompson struck Paul di Resta at Junção in the No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo. The contact sent di Resta into a spin, although he continued without significant damage.

The No. 93 ultimately finished 16th with a 1m25.225s, ahead of only the No. 15 BMW. Race control also deployed a Full Course Yellow 35 minutes into the session after debris appeared at Turn 10, creating the only neutralisation of FP3.

Toyota improves but remains outside the top 10

Toyota Racing made progress after placing both cars 14th or lower during FP2. The No. 8 TR010 Hybrid of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa moved up to 12th with a 1m24.781s, finishing 0.743s away from Martins.

The Le Mans-winning No. 7 Toyota followed in 14th behind the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries recorded a 1m24.935s, which left them 0.897s behind the leading Alpine.

BMW M Team WRT completed the lower end of the Hypercar classification. The No. 20 M Hybrid V8 took 15th, while the No. 15 car finished 17th and 1.319s away from the benchmark.

Hypercar classification

1. No. 36 Alpine Endurance Team — Frédéric Makowiecki/Jules Gounon/Victor Martins — Alpine A424 — 1m24.038s — 33 laps
2. No. 19 Genesis Magma Racing — Mathieu Jaminet/Paul-Loup Chatin/Daniel Juncadella — Genesis GMR-001 — +0.165s — 35 laps
3. No. 007 Aston Martin Thor Team — Harry Tincknell/Tom Gamble — Aston Martin Valkyrie — +0.182s — 36 laps
4. No. 17 Genesis Magma Racing — André Lotterer/Pipo Derani/Mathys Jaubert — Genesis GMR-001 — +0.192s — 34 laps
5. No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse — Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen — Ferrari 499P — +0.229s — 31 laps
6. No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Earl Bamber/Sébastien Bourdais/Jack Aitken — Cadillac V-Series.R — +0.251s — 36 laps
7. No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse — Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi — Ferrari 499P — +0.440s — 34 laps
8. No. 35 Alpine Endurance Team — António Félix da Costa/Charles Milesi/Ferdinand Habsburg — Alpine A424 — +0.448s — 30 laps
9. No. 94 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Loïc Duval/Malthe Jakobsen/Théo Pourchaire — Peugeot 9X8 — +0.454s — 18 laps
10. No. 009 Aston Martin Thor Team — Álex Riberas/Marco Sørensen — Aston Martin Valkyrie — +0.525s — 37 laps
11. No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Will Stevens/Norman Nato — Cadillac V-Series.R — +0.649s — 36 laps
12. No. 8 Toyota Racing — Sébastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryō Hirakawa — Toyota TR010 Hybrid — +0.743s — 35 laps
13. No. 83 AF Corse — Yifei Ye/Robert Kubica/Phil Hanson — Ferrari 499P — +0.837s — 33 laps
14. No. 7 Toyota Racing — Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Nyck de Vries — Toyota TR010 Hybrid — +0.897s — 34 laps
15. No. 20 BMW M Team WRT — Robin Frijns/René Rast/Sheldon van der Linde — BMW M Hybrid V8 — +1.093s — 32 laps
16. No. 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Paul di Resta/Stoffel Vandoorne/Nick Cassidy — Peugeot 9X8 — +1.187s — 35 laps
17. No. 15 BMW M Team WRT — Kevin Magnussen/Raffaele Marciello/Dries Vanthoor — BMW M Hybrid V8 — +1.319s — 38 laps

2026 FIA WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo: FP3: LMGT3

Andrade leads remarkable LMGT3 dead heat

Andrade placed the No. 61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG at the top of LMGT3 with a 1m34.283s. He shares the car with Martin Berry and Maxime Martin, and the crew completed 33 laps during the final practice session.

Schmid then produced exactly the same time in the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus. However, Andrade reached the benchmark on lap 17, one lap before Schmid equalled it, so the timing system placed Iron Lynx first.

The result returned the No. 61 Mercedes-AMG to the class lead after Martin topped FP1. Meanwhile, Schmid maintained his strong weekend after leading FP2 and winning the São Paulo LMGT3 race in 2025 alongside Petru Umbrărescu and José María López.

Ferrari and Ford follow the leading pair

Simon Mann placed the No. 21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari third with a 1m34.416s. The car he shares with François Hériau and Alessio Rovera finished 0.133s behind the leading pair and strengthened Ferrari’s position ahead of qualifying.

Giammarco Levorato followed in fourth for Proton Competition. His 1m34.593s placed the No. 88 Ford Mustang LMGT3 0.310s away from the benchmark and 0.177s behind the Ferrari.

Five different manufacturers occupied the first six positions. The No. 69 Team WRT BMW claimed fifth with a 1m34.673s, while the No. 10 Garage 59 McLaren followed only 0.022s behind in sixth.

McIntosh recovers from Turn 10 contact

The No. 69 BMW experienced a busy session despite finishing inside the top five. Anthony McIntosh lost control at Turn 10 and lightly struck the tyre barrier with the rear of the car, but he continued without ending the crew’s programme.

Later, team-mate Thompson made contact with di Resta’s No. 93 Peugeot at Junção. Nevertheless, McIntosh, Thompson and Dan Harper completed 33 laps and secured fifth in the LMGT3 classification.

The result represented a significant improvement from FP2, where the Brazil-inspired BMW finished 17th. However, the incidents gave Team WRT additional work before the competitive sessions began.

Corvette serves penalty before joining the session

The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette remained in the pits for the first five minutes after the stewards imposed a penalty for its FP2 contact with the No. 93 Peugeot.

Patrick Dempsey, Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood eventually completed 27 laps and placed eighth with a 1m34.750s. The Corvette finished 0.467s behind Iron Lynx and only 0.010s behind the seventh-placed No. 54 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari.

The two Heart of Racing Team Aston Martins followed in ninth and 10th after setting identical 1m34.783s laps. The No. 23 took the higher position because it recorded the time before the No. 27.

Championship leader finishes at the rear

The No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus took 11th ahead of the No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren, while the No. 32 Team WRT BMW and No. 77 Proton Competition Ford completed the first 14 positions.

Manthey DK Engineering placed its No. 91 Porsche 15th, ahead of the second Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG and The Bend Manthey’s No. 92 Porsche.

The championship-leading No. 33 TF Sport Corvette completed the 18-car LMGT3 classification. Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Nicolás Varrone recorded a 1m35.636s, leaving them 1.353s behind the identical times set by Andrade and Schmid.

LMGT3 classification

1. No. 61 Iron Lynx — Martin Berry/Rui Andrade/Maxime Martin — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 — 1m34.283s — 33 laps
2. No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team — Petru Umbrărescu/Clemens Schmid/José María López — Lexus RC F LMGT3 — 1m34.283s — 32 laps
3. No. 21 VISTA AF Corse — François Hériau/Simon Mann/Alessio Rovera — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo — +0.133s — 28 laps
4. No. 88 Proton Competition — Stefano Gattuso/Giammarco Levorato/Logan Sargeant — Ford Mustang LMGT3 — +0.310s — 32 laps
5. No. 69 Team WRT — Anthony McIntosh/Parker Thompson/Dan Harper — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo — +0.390s — 33 laps
6. No. 10 Garage 59 — Andrew Au/Tom Fleming/Marvin Kirchhöfer — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo — +0.412s — 33 laps
7. No. 54 VISTA AF Corse — Thomas Flohr/Francesco Castellacci/Davide Rigon — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo — +0.457s — 22 laps
8. No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF — Patrick Dempsey/Salih Yoluç/Charlie Eastwood — Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R — +0.467s — 27 laps
9. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team — Gray Newell/Kobe Pauwels/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 — +0.500s — 34 laps
10. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team — Ian James/Zacharie Robichon/Mattia Drudi — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 — +0.500s — 33 laps
11. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team — Tom Van Rompuy/Hadrien David/Esteban Masson — Lexus RC F LMGT3 — +0.595s — 27 laps
12. No. 58 Garage 59 — Alexander West/Finn Gehrsitz/Benjamin Goethe — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo — +0.609s — 30 laps
13. No. 32 Team WRT — Darren Leung/Sean Gelael/Augusto Farfus — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo — +0.645s — 31 laps
14. No. 77 Proton Competition — Eric Powell/Ben Tuck/Sebastian Priaulx — Ford Mustang LMGT3 — +0.654s — 33 laps
15. No. 91 Manthey DK Engineering — James Cottingham/Timur Boguslavskiy/Ayhancan Güven — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 — +0.926s — 34 laps
16. No. 79 Iron Lynx — Johannes Zelger/Matteo Cressoni/Lin Hodenius — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 — +1.031s — 32 laps
17. No. 92 The Bend Manthey — Yasser Shahin/Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 — +1.047s — 34 laps
18. No. 33 TF Sport — Ben Keating/Jonny Edgar/Nicolás Varrone — Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R — +1.353s — 33 laps

Alpine and Iron Lynx complete practice on top

Alpine ended Free Practice with the quickest lap of the weekend, although Genesis, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Cadillac all finished within 0.251s of Martins. The narrow margin across five manufacturers suggested that Hypercar qualifying would produce another closely contested fight at Interlagos.

Meanwhile, Iron Lynx and Akkodis ASP Team entered qualifying with identical FP3 benchmarks in LMGT3. Ferrari, Ford, BMW and McLaren also remained within 0.412s of the lead, leaving the class order similarly open. Qualifying for the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo begins at 14:30 local time.