Ferrari 499P Hybrids Finish Second in FP1, Seventh in FP2 at São Paulo 6 Hours
The fourth round of the 2026 FIA WEC started at Interlagos with Ferrari’s 499P Hypercars showing competitive pace in free practice, setting second and seventh fastest times.
- 1:25.481
- 1:24.871
- 0.024 seconds
- 0.6 seconds
What Happened
The São Paulo 6 Hours, round four of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, began with two free practice sessions at the Interlagos circuit on Friday, 10 July. Ferrari’s AF Corse team fielded three 499P Hypercars: numbers 50, 51, and 83. The track conditions were dry with air temperatures around 24°C and track temperatures varying between 35°C in the morning and 26°C in the afternoon.
In Free Practice 1, the #50 499P driven by Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen finished second with a best lap of 1:25.481, just 0.024 seconds behind the session leaders. The #51 car (Pier Guidi, Calado, Giovinazzi) was third with 1:25.563, and the #83 (Ye, Hanson, Kubica) fourth with 1:25.596. The #50 and #51 crews completed a combined 103 laps, while the #83 completed 50 laps.
Free Practice 2 saw the #83 499P set the fastest Ferrari time of 1:24.871, placing seventh overall, 0.6 seconds off the pace. The #50 and #51 finished tenth and sixteenth respectively. In this session, the #50 and #51 crews completed 56 and 49 laps, while the #83 did 51 laps.
Third free practice session (10:10-11:10 local time)
Qualifying (15:10) and Hyperpole (15:30 local time)
São Paulo 6 Hours race starts at 11:30 local time
Why this matters
The Ferrari 499P is the Prancing Horse's flagship Hypercar in the World Endurance Championship. Its performance in practice sets expectations for qualifying and the 6-hour race, and a strong result could boost Ferrari's standings in the championship.
Terms in This Story
- Hypercar
- Top class of sports prototypes in the FIA World Endurance Championship, featuring hybrid powertrains and high performance.
- FIA WEC
- Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Endurance Championship, a global series for endurance racing.
- Hyperpole
- A final qualifying session that determines the pole position for the race, featuring the fastest cars from earlier qualifying.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.