499Ps at Interlagos after Le Mans win

The Ferrari 499Ps return to the spotlight at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, the fifth round of the FIA WEC 2024, on Sunday, 14 July. This event comes just 28 days after Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen’s extraordinary triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The third-place finish of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi also helped make that day, 16 June, unforgettable.

Interlagos, the iconic track on the outskirts of the Brazilian city, will host the official Ferrari – AF Corse team for the first time. The Maranello manufacturer’s 499Ps have never raced or tested on this track. This fifth leg of the World Endurance Championship is also a Hypercar class debut, with the South American country hosting a world championship event 10 years after the last edition in 2014.

In Brazil, Prancing Horse official drivers Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman, along with Robert Kubica, will return on the track in AF Corse’s 499P number 83. This comes after their disappointing retirement at Le Mans, where they had led the race for no fewer than 83 laps. 

Battle at the top. The circuit, inaugurated in 1940, is renowned globally for its technical layout. It features a mix of curves with varying radii and speeds and a 1.393-kilometre-long main straight. Also known for its continually undulating terrain, the track hosts teams and drivers in a round with significant weight in the championship. After securing 50 points at Le Mans, Ferrari lies second in the Manufacturers’ standings, trailing Porsche by nine points. Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen also hold second in the Drivers’ standings. Pier Guidi, Calado, and Giovinazzi are sixth, with deficits of nine and 51 points, respectively, from the leaders Lotterer, Estre, and L. Vanthoor.

Ye, Shwartzman, and Kubica are eleventh in the drivers’ standings, while AF Corse is third in the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams, with gaps of 73 and 61 points, respectively.

The programme. The event on the track kicks off on Friday, 12 July, with two 90-minute free practice sessions at 10:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. On Saturday, 13 July, the schedule includes the third free practice session (60 minutes) starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by the qualifying session from 3:10 to 3:22 p.m. and the Hyperpole for the ten fastest cars at 3:30 p.m. The green flag for the 6 Hours of São Paulo will be raised on 14 July at 11:30 a.m. (local time).