Cadillac’s São Paulo one-two bid unravels despite front-row lockout

Cadillac’s dominant start turns into a missed opportunity

Cadillac arrived at Interlagos carrying the momentum of its breakthrough FIA World Endurance Championship triumph at the circuit. That confidence appeared justified on Saturday, when the two V-Series.R Hypercars locked out the front row in Hyperpole — a result covered in Stevens seizes São Paulo Hyperpole as Cadillac locks out front row.

With the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo never previously won from beyond the front row, Cadillac’s second consecutive success looked within reach. Instead, the team’s race unravelled during the opening pit-stop cycle, leaving both cars to recover from outside the top ten.

Pole-sitter Will Stevens controlled the early stages, while Earl Bamber ran close behind in third. Their advantage disappeared when a stubborn wheel nut delayed Stevens and Bamber locked up on pit-lane entry. Each Cadillac lost almost 20 seconds, turning a potential strategic platform into a recovery drive.

Speed was not the problem

Stevens responded immediately, passing Toyota’s Brendon Hartley, Ferrari’s Antonio Giovinazzi, Alpine’s Frédéric Makowiecki and AF Corse’s Yifei Ye. However, a five-second penalty for contact with Clemens Schmid’s LMGT3 Lexus while lapping the car further damaged the #12’s prospects.

The sister #38 suffered its own setback when Norman Nato made contact with Phil Hanson’s Ferrari and spun. Even so, both V-Series.Rs demonstrated the pace that had put them on the front row. Stevens returned for the final two hours and brought the #12 home third, less than seven seconds behind the winner. Jack Aitken followed in fourth after completing the final stint for the #38, although that result was later affected by a separate five-second contact penalty applied post-race.

“It was a solid weekend overall,” said Nato, who celebrated the team’s first podium of the season but admitted Cadillac had possessed the speed for another one-two finish. Bourdais likewise called it “a good job by the whole team”, while stressing that the car had the potential to win.

Cadillac carries momentum to COTA

The result moved Cadillac from fifth to fourth in the Manufacturers’ title table, its biggest score of the season so far. Chief Engineer Jeremy Moore pointed to the team’s strong opening hour and confirmed that the pace provides confidence ahead of the championship’s return from its summer break.

Cadillac’s next opportunity comes on home territory at COTA in Texas from 4–6 September, where the team will look to convert proven speed into victory.