WEC Interlagos Final Practice Report: Toyota Leads as Qualifying Approaches
In a tense buildup to the World Endurance Championship’s qualifying session at Interlagos, Toyota’s #8 GR010 topped the final practice session with a commanding lap time of 1:23.695, set by driver Ryo Hirakawa. This performance put the Toyota squad almost half a second clear of its competitors, although the fastest lap of the weekend remains with Kevin Estre of the #6 Penske Porsche, who clocked 1:23.508 during Free Practice 2.
Ferrari’s #50 499P secured second position with Antonio Fuoco posting a time of 1:24.185, while Dries Vanthoor’s effort in the #15 BMW Team WRT M Hybrid V8 placed them third at 1:24.287. Toyota’s #7 car and the #12 Cadillac HERTZ Team JOTA V-Series.R rounded out the top five.
In the Hypercar category, the competition remained tightly contested, with the top 12 cars finishing within a second. However, both Penske-run Porsche 963s found themselves at the bottom of the standings in 17th and 18th, trailing by over two seconds.
Estre and Julien Andlauer’s previous times kept the #6 and #5 Porsches consistently competitive and likely contenders for pole position, despite their focus on race pace during the session.
In LMGT3, Jonny Edgar set a best lap of 1:34.414 in TF Sport’s #33 Corvette, putting him ahead in the combined practice rankings. "I’m happy with the car," Edgar noted, emphasizing the importance of maintaining consistency amid closely matched competitors. The #10 Racing Spirit of Leman Vantage and the #88 Proton Competition Mustang followed closely behind.
The session concluded without incidents, despite a delayed start caused by barrier repairs from an earlier related incident.
Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 14:45 local time.
