Cadillac once again stole the spotlight at Interlagos, just as it did 12 months ago, locking out the front row in qualifying for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of São Paulo. Ferrari, meanwhile, could do no better than seventh on a circuit that has never particularly suited the 499P.
Will Stevens, driving the #12 Cadillac, secured pole position with a superb lap of 1:23.041. The British driver edged teammate Jack Aitken by less than five hundredths of a second after Aitken had led throughout most of the Hyperpole session.
Cadillac dominates qualifying, but Ferrari could be a serious contender in the race
The Brazilian circuit has always been one of the strongest venues for the Cadillac V-Series.R, and following its winter upgrades, the American prototype appears to have retained all of its key strengths. Completing the provisional top three was the #36 Alpine of Victor Martins, ahead of the #15 BMW driven by Dries Vanthoor and the second Alpine of Paul-Loup Chatin Milesi.
These three cars have consistently demonstrated excellent one-lap pace, benefiting from running with low fuel loads. After Free Practice 3, Vanthoor admitted that the BMW M Hybrid V8 had been operating in a very narrow performance window, yet the German manufacturer still managed to finish the afternoon inside the top five.
The real challenge, however, will come during Sunday’s race. All three manufacturers have historically struggled with tyre degradation over long stints. Sixth place went to the #19 Genesis driven by Kévin Jaminet, who had already impressed with his pace over a single lap on Friday. The GMR also appeared to benefit from a particularly favourable Balance of Performance.
Ferrari can take encouragement from the performance of the #50 499P, with Antonio Fuoco qualifying seventh, just three and a half tenths behind Stevens on a circuit that has rarely suited the Italian prototype. Ferrari executed a solid qualifying session with both the #50 and the #83, allowing their drivers to extract the maximum performance from the car while running in clean air.
It was a more complicated session for Antonio Giovinazzi, who spent virtually the entire qualifying run caught in traffic and ended up 11th. The #94 Peugeot of Malthe Jakobsen qualified eighth, although the French manufacturer is still expected to struggle with the inherent limitations of the 9X8 Evo. Rounding out the top ten were the #007 Aston Martin of Harry Tincknell and the #83 Ferrari driven by Robert Kubica, both finishing just over half a second off pole position.
Missing out on Hyperpole were the #17 Genesis of Pipo Derani, both Toyota entries—the #8 managing only 13th and the #7 finishing 15th—and the #009 Aston Martin of Marco Sørensen. The current competitive picture reflects the familiar post-Le Mans scenario, with the Toyota GR010 Hybrid appearing significantly compromised on a circuit that has traditionally suited the Japanese manufacturer.
Everything could change once the race gets underway. The six-hour contest is expected to be decided by rear axle management and the preservation of the left-side Michelin tyres. Ferrari has already demonstrated excellent tyre management throughout the season, with Toyota also expected to be highly competitive over long runs. Cadillac, however, will face a much tougher challenge in race conditions against rivals that may ultimately prove stronger over an entire stint.
6 Hours of São Paulo qualifying: Aston Martin claims LMGT3 pole
In the LMGT3 category, the #23 Aston Martin Vantage driven by Gilles Magnus Pauwels secured pole position ahead of the #79 Mercedes and the #87 Lexus, which once again showed impressive one-lap speed.
With the hard tyre compound no longer available this season, weaknesses in tyre management are expected to become even more apparent, potentially reshuffling the competitive order over race distance.
It was a disappointing qualifying session for Ferrari in LMGT3. Despite having a competitive package, both entries missed out on Hyperpole, with the result appearing to stem more from driving errors than any shortcomings of the car itself.
The 2026 WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo is scheduled to begin at 16:30 CET.
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