Genesis Magma Racing’s Pipo Derani will finally compete on home soil at the highest level of international endurance racing when the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) visits Interlagos for the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo.
Despite making 30 previous FIA WEC starts, the 32-year-old Paulista has never contested a championship round at his home circuit. He now returns to Brazil as the only local driver in the Hypercar field and one of the key figures in Genesis’ first motorsport programme.
Derani shares the #17 GMR-001 with two-time world champion André Lotterer and French rising star Mathys Jaubert. The trio scored Genesis’ first FIA WEC points at Spa-Francorchamps before a suspension failure ended its 24 Hours of Le Mans challenge. Consequently, the team heads to São Paulo determined to turn its developing pace into another points-scoring result.
Derani relishes long-awaited home appearance in WEC São Paulo with Genesis
Derani has achieved considerable success throughout his endurance racing career. He has won two top-class IMSA titles, triumphed at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and secured multiple FIA WEC class podiums, including two victories.
However, an FIA WEC appearance at Interlagos has remained absent from his résumé.
The Brazilian has also competed only sparingly at the circuit during his career. Therefore, the opportunity to represent a new manufacturer in front of his home supporters carries particular significance.
“I can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to finally racing in the top class of a high-level championship in my hometown,” Derani enthused, while speaking to FIAWEC.com. “I’m from São Paulo, but have barely competed at Interlagos during my career, so to be able to go there with Genesis Magma Racing as the only Brazilian driver [in the Hypercar field] will be amazing.
Derani also expects strong support from the Brazilian crowd, which has followed Genesis’ progress since the manufacturer launched its ambitious Hypercar project. At the same time, he hopes the team can respond to its disappointment at Le Mans and resume the progress it demonstrated earlier in the campaign.
“The Brazilian fans are always great, and I know a lot of them have been following our progress since the start of the project. The retirement at Le Mans was a bit of a disappointment, especially as you could see we made some good steps forward with the performance, but hopefully we can continue our progress and get back to finishing races and scoring some points. To do that in my home race would be amazing.”
Spa performance demonstrated Genesis’ potential
Derani returned to the FIA WEC in 2026 after spending more than three seasons away from the championship. He joined Genesis as the South Korean manufacturer, the luxury division of Hyundai, entered motorsport for the first time. The new programme immediately faced the challenge of developing the GMR-001 while competing against established Hypercar manufacturers.
Nevertheless, Derani, Lotterer and Jaubert opened Genesis’ points account during the second round at Spa-Francorchamps.
Derani played a central role in that result. He defended eighth position on heavily used tyres during the closing stages and brought the #17 car to the chequered flag despite intense pressure.
That performance provided early evidence of the car’s potential and the crew’s ability to maximise difficult circumstances.
Le Mans retirement strengthens São Paulo motivation
Genesis continued to make progress at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Jaubert produced one of the team’s strongest qualifying performances.
The 21-year-old set the third-fastest time during Hyperpole 1 and finished barely one tenth away from the quickest lap around the 13.626-kilometre circuit.
During the race, the #17 crew remained in contention for a second consecutive top-10 result. However, a suspension failure forced the car into retirement after approximately two-thirds of the contest.
The result frustrated the team after its encouraging pace, but it also strengthened its determination to convert that performance into points at Interlagos.
Jaubert prepares for first Interlagos race
Like Derani, Jaubert enters the São Paulo weekend without previous racing experience at Interlagos.
The Frenchman has therefore focused on learning the circuit through onboard footage and simulator work. Although virtual preparation cannot fully reproduce the circuit’s elevation changes and distinctive surface, it can help him understand the sequence of corners before his first laps.
“The Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo will be a new challenge for me as it will be my first time racing at Interlagos, but it’s an iconic circuit and I’m really looking forward to it,” added 21-year-old Frenchman Jaubert, one of the stars of the show at La Sarthe after lapping third-quickest in Hyperpole 1, barely a tenth-of-a-second adrift of the fastest time around the 13.626km lap.
Jaubert plans to use every session to build confidence and support Genesis’ continued development.
Rather than focusing solely on the final result, the team must also collect information and improve the GMR-001 throughout the second half of its debut season.
“I’ve watched plenty of on-board videos to learn the track and understand its characteristics as much as possible before arriving, and I’ve been able to do some preparation on our simulator. The goal for me and the team for the weekend is to adapt quickly and keep developing the package we currently have. We want to maximise every session, learn as much as possible and continue moving in the right direction during the second half of the season.”
Sister Genesis crew builds on Le Mans finish
While the #17 car retired at Le Mans, the sister #18 GMR-001 reached the finish with Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella.
The trio ran as high as fourth during the twice-around-the-clock race and showed competitive pace at several stages. However, a persistent power-cycle issue disrupted its challenge and left the car nine laps behind in 13th.
Despite the setback, Genesis gained substantial information from its first Le Mans appearance. Chatin also set the manufacturer’s fastest race lap, adding another encouraging element to the team’s debut at La Sarthe.
“Le Mans was an incredibly valuable experience for the whole team,” reflected Chatin, who posted the best Genesis race lap in the twice-round-the-clock contest. “The ten days we spent there were extremely positive and gave us a lot to build upon. Now, our focus is on becoming more competitive and closing the gap to the front, but at the same time, we’re still very much in a development phase, and that’s something we need to keep in mind heading to Interlagos.
Interlagos presents a different technical challenge
Interlagos offers a considerably different challenge from the long straights and high-speed sections of Le Mans.
The Brazilian circuit combines elevation changes, several slower corners and a relatively short lap. Traffic management will therefore play an important role as the Hypercars negotiate the LMGT3 field.
The circuit also places a premium on traction, braking stability and mechanical grip. Teams must balance performance through the technical middle sector against straight-line speed on the uphill run towards the start-finish line.
Chatin expects those characteristics to provide Genesis with another valuable opportunity to understand its car.
“It’s a unique circuit, with a layout that is predominantly low-speed and it’s a place with a lot of history, that I respect a lot. Our goal is to make the most of the weekend, continue improving, keep learning about the car and gradually raise our expectations as we move forward.”
Genesis targets renewed points in Brazil
Genesis enters the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo with clear evidence of progress but unfinished business from Le Mans.
Both GMR-001 crews demonstrated competitive pace in France, although reliability issues prevented the team from converting that speed into a stronger result. Interlagos now gives Genesis another opportunity to complete a clean race and add to the points it earned at Spa.
For Derani, however, the weekend carries an additional emotional dimension.
He will finally race an FIA WEC Hypercar in his hometown, represent Brazil as the category’s only local driver and compete in front of supporters who have followed his international career from afar.
A points finish would strengthen Genesis’ developing programme. Achieving it at Interlagos would make the result particularly meaningful for its Brazilian driver.
