Late Pit Calls Deliver BMW a 2.2-Second São Paulo Win

BMW M Team WRT’s No. 15 M Hybrid V8 won the FIA World Endurance Championship Six Hours of São Paulo by 2.2 seconds over Ferrari, giving Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor their first Hypercar victory and strengthening BMW’s title hopes. It was BMW’s second win in three 2026 WEC races, following the No. 20 car’s victory at Imola in May.

The No. 15 BMW led much of the race before Vanthoor ran wide in the penultimate hour and handed the lead to James Calado’s No. 51 Ferrari 499P. BMW recovered through a longer stint and a shorter final fuel stop, then Vanthoor brought the car home first. The race turned on pit strategy, late fuel concerns and changing track conditions. Cadillac’s No. 12, which started from pole with Will Stevens, finished third after losing track position, taking penalties and making contact. The No. 83 Ferrari and No. 20 BMW completed the top six after late-race contact changed the order.

In LMGT3, the No. 34 Corvette won the class with Salih Yoluç, Peter Dempsey and Charlie Eastwood, after Dempsey’s middle stint helped build the lead that Eastwood held to the finish. The No. 69 WRT BMW finished second in class, and the No. 92 Porsche beat the No. 91 Porsche for the final podium spot. Alpine briefly led early after a strategy gamble before its two cars finished 10th and 11th after slow punctures, and Toyota failed to score points with either entry.