Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Friday, July 10, 2026
Toyota Leads WEC Title Hunt Into São Paulo as BMW Closes to Within 36 Points
Toyota Gazoo Racing arrives at Interlagos for Round 4 of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship leading the Hypercar Manufacturers’ standings on 132 points, 36 clear of BMW after the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid’s victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries head the Drivers’ championship on 75 points, four ahead of BMW’s René Rast and Robin Frijns. Toyota has won more races at Interlagos than any other manufacturer in WEC history. Free Practice 1 gets the São Paulo round under way on Friday before qualifying on Saturday and the six-hour race at 11:30 on Sunday morning.
Sources: DailySportscar.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
BMW Carries Back-to-Back Podium Momentum Into São Paulo as Hypercar Title Fight Opens Up
BMW M Team WRT arrives at Interlagos as one of Toyota’s most credible threats after a run of results that has repositioned the German manufacturer as a genuine Hypercar title contender. BMW claimed its first WEC Hypercar victory with a one-two finish at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps before the No. 20 M Hybrid V8 of René Rast and Robin Frijns followed Toyota home in second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Those back-to-back results leave BMW’s Manufacturers’ tally at 96 points, 36 behind Toyota with five rounds remaining and the field heading to Brazil’s premier circuit.
Sources: Pit Debrief Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Alex Lynn Still Absent From Cadillac as Stevens and Nato Go Two-Driver at Interlagos
Alex Lynn will miss the 6 Hours of São Paulo for the sixth consecutive FIA WEC round as his recovery from a neck injury extends into the second half of the 2026 season. The Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA No. 12 V-Series.R will be shared by Will Stevens and Norman Nato, replicating the two-driver arrangement used at the season-opening 6 Hours of Imola. Louis Délétraz, who has substituted for Lynn at previous rounds, is also absent this weekend. Stevens and Nato won at Interlagos in 2025 alongside Lynn, and the pair target a repeat result on Sunday.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Ferrari Seeks First Brazil Podium as São Paulo Curse Continues Into 2026
Ferrari arrives at Interlagos carrying the weight of an unbroken Brazilian hex. The 499P has never finished higher than fifth at the São Paulo circuit, and the car has not won a FIA WEC race since its early-season dominance ended at São Paulo 2025. Scuderia Ferrari AF Corse runs Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen in the No. 50, alongside Philip Hanson, Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye in the No. 83. The Hypercar Manufacturers’ standings show Ferrari 70 points behind Toyota and 34 behind BMW, making a strong result at Interlagos essential to any title fight.
Sources: Read Motorsport Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
IMSA Clash Forces LMGT3 Reshuffle at São Paulo as Barrichello and Catsburg Stand Down
An IMSA WeatherTech Championship clash at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has forced two driver changes in the LMGT3 class for the 6 Hours of São Paulo. Eduardo ‘Dudu’ Barrichello will not race in his home country, with Kobe Pauwels drafted into the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo alongside Gray Newell and Jonny Adam. At TF Sport, Nicky Catsburg stands down from the Le Mans class-winning No. 33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, replaced by Nico Varrone, who will share with Ben Keating and Jonny Edgar for the round at Interlagos.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercars Trim to Two-Driver Crews for São Paulo Round
Aston Martin’s pair of Valkyrie Hypercars will run two-driver line-ups for the 6 Hours of São Paulo, with both No. 007 and No. 009 entries slimmed down for the Interlagos round. Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble share the No. 007 Valkyrie, while Alex Riberas and Marco Sorensen will split duties aboard the No. 009. Aston Martin’s Ross Gunn, who typically completes a third crew position in endurance format rounds, is among those absent this weekend. The Valkyrie competed at Le Mans with Gunn participating, and the two-driver format is being used to balance driving loads across the six-hour race.
Sources: DailySportscar.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Michelin’s New 2026 Pilot Sport Endurance Compounds Face Interlagos Test for First Time
Michelin will put its new-for-2026 Pilot Sport Endurance compounds through their first test at Interlagos this weekend when WEC Hypercar teams run the medium and hard tyre specifications at the São Paulo circuit for the first time. Each Hypercar is allocated a maximum of 30 Michelin tyres across the weekend, rising to 34 if the car reaches Hyperpole, split across three sets in practice and qualifying and the remainder for the race. The new compounds are part of Michelin’s evolved programme for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season and represent a fresh data-gathering exercise for all manufacturers.
Sources: DailySportscar.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
GTP Class Sits Out CTMP as IMSA Runs 33-Car Sprint and Ricky Taylor Crosses to LMP2
The GTP class will not compete at this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park due to a scheduling clash with the FIA WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo. A 33-car grid comprising 10 LMP2, 10 GTD Pro and 13 GTD entries will contest Sunday’s sprint race at 2:05 p.m. ET. Ricky Taylor, who races full-time in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing GTP Cadillac, will step away from his regular seat and make a one-off LMP2 appearance for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, filling in as co-driver alongside Misha Goikhberg for the Canadian round.
Sources: Frontstretch Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. K. Kobayashi / M. Conway / N. de Vries — 75 pts
2. R. Rast / R. Frijns — 71 pts
3. B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa / S. Buemi — 56 pts
4. A. Pier Guidi / A. Giovinazzi / J. Calado — 39 pts
5. A.F. da Costa / C. Milesi / F. Habsburg — 28 pts
6. L. Délétraz / N. Nato / W. Stevens — 26 pts
7. K. Magnussen / R. Marciello — 25 pts
8. A. Fuoco / M. Molina / N. Nielsen — 23 pts
9. H. Tincknell / T. Gamble — 22 pts
10. P. Hanson / R. Kubica / Y. Ye — 21 pts
11. D. Vanthoor — 19 pts
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota — 132 pts
2. BMW — 96 pts
3. Ferrari — 62 pts
4–6. Alpine / Cadillac / Aston Martin — within 12 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Jack Aitken — 1,760 pts
2. Laurin Heinrich — 1,616 pts
3. J. Andlauer / F. Nasr — 1,606 pts
(GTP absent at CTMP this weekend)
IMSA GTP — Manufacturers
1. Cadillac — 1,797 pts
2. Porsche — 1,772 pts
(After Watkins Glen, Round 7)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.