The Heart of Racing World Endurance Championship Event Recap | 2026 6 Hours of São Paulo
No. 007 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble
Class: Hypercar
Started: 9th - Harry Tincknell (1:23.578-seconds)
Finished: 6th
Laps: 242/242
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 5
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble, Harry Tincknell
After dropping back early to maximize fuel saving, Harry Tincknell charged back into the top 10 during the opening stint of the six-hour enduro.
During Tom Gamble's stint, contact with an LMGT3 competitor resulted in a five-second penalty added to the No. 007 Valkyrie's next pit stop.
Despite the setback, the team executed its strategy to perfection and crossed the finish line seventh overall. A post-race penalty assessed to another competitor later promoted the No. 007 Valkyrie to a sixth-place finish.
Chatting with the drivers…
Harry Tincknell: “A good points finish, P6. It was tough from the start, but we came back through really well. The car had good pace, especially the second half of the race. We were one of the quickest cars out there. It's not easy to pass, and we had some nice moves. We’re nearly there; it’s not a track that suits us very well, I think. The fact that we’ve scored points in every race this year is fantastic.”
Tom Gamble: “It was very enjoyable; it was looking like a bit of a tricky race at one point, and then a couple of mistakes from our competitors and the car was really fast in the final hour or so. We managed to get sixth, so another point finish, which is great. I think that’s points in every race so far this year. A massive well done to all the team; they did a flawless job. Now I'm looking forward to the next one after a little bit more progress.”
Season Standings
Race 4 of 10: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Highest Season Finish: 4th (Spa-Francorchamps)
Completed Laps: 984/987
Provisional Championship Standings: 10th
No. 009 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie Information
Driver Lineup: Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas
Class: Hypercar
Started: 15th - Sørensen (1:24.151-seconds)
Finished: 9th
Laps: 242/242
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 5
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas, Marco Sørensen
Early in the race, Marco Sørensen reported that the No. 009 Valkyrie lacked straight-line power. Despite the issue, the team executed a near-perfect race with smart strategy, clean pit stops, and mistake-free driving to secure a ninth-place finish and the No. 009's first points of the season.
Chatting with the drivers…
Marco Sorensen: “The race was long and a little bit boring in some areas, if I’m honest. We were just kind of doing our own race, just making sure we didn’t make any mistakes. We did end up with a small mistake with some tire pressures at the end, and we struggled a bit in that last stint on used front tires. That put us back a little bit. I think P6 on the road would have been possible today if we didn’t have this tire thing at the end. It’s a little bit disappointing, honestly; we all wanted more than what we got. Looking at where we were in qualifying and the first couple of hours of the race, I think we can be kind of satisfied. We did get our first point of the year, so we’ll keep on building from here.”
Alex Riberas: “It was a great day for the team, double scoring points with both cars. First time in the program that we have achieved that on a track I would say isn’t the best for the Valkyrie. We should all be very proud and very encouraged by the result for the future. There are some things we can still improve. I’m looking forward to Austin and using the summer break to analyze everything and come back stronger.
Season Standings
Race 4 of 10: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Highest Season Finish: 9th (Autódromo José Carlos Pace)
Completed Laps: 962/987
Provisional Championship Standings: 21st
No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi
Class: LMGT3
Started: 15th - Ian James (1:35.206-seconds)
Finished: 13th
Laps: 217/219
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 5
Team Notes
Driver Rotation: Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi
Ian James executed an impressive fuel-saving strategy during both of his stints, extending the No. 27 Vantage's pit window by nearly 20 laps compared to much of the LMGT3 field. The strategy had the team on course to complete one fewer pit stop than its competitors and contend for a strong points finish.
Unfortunately, a 20-second penalty for a tire pressure infringement during the final pit stop dropped the No. 27 Vantage toward the back of the field.
Mattia Drudi mounted a determined charge in the closing stages, recovering several positions to bring the No. 27 Vantage home in 13th.
Chatting with the drivers…
Zacharie Robichon: “I think the pace of the car was there. The frustration from our side came from the fact that our strategy was kind of working. We knew that, given where we were starting, we had to do something different, so that’s what we did. It was falling into place that we could have a strong points finish, but it didn’t work out that way. Ian did a great job, kept the car clean, moved up a few spots and did what he had to do, and saved a lot of fuel, which was the plan.”
Season Standings
Race 4 of 10: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Highest Season Finish: 2nd (Spa-Francorchamps)
Completed Laps: 792/888
Provisional Championship Standings: 12th
No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage Information
Driver Lineup: Gray Newell, Kobe Pauwels, Jonny Adam
Class: LMGT3
Started: 1st - Kobe Pauwels (1:33.350-seconds)
Finished: 18th
Laps: 216/219
Laps Led: 0
Pit Stops: 6
Team Notes:
Gray Newell set the fourth-fastest time in qualifying, advancing the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage to Hyperpole for the second time this season. Filling in for Eduardo "Dudu" Barrichello while he competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Kobe Pauwels topped the LMGT3 Hyperpole session to secure the first-ever pole position for the No. 23 Vantage and The Heart of Racing's second pole of the season.
Driver Rotation: Gray Newell, Kobe Pauwels, Jonny Adam
Newell completed the opening two stints of the six-hour enduro. While focused on fuel saving, he settled into the middle of the LMGT3 field before a spin on lap 46 dropped the No. 23 to the back of the class.
After the minimum drive time was met, the team brought the No. 23 Vantage to pit lane on lap 107 for a driver change to Pauwels, who rejoined in 17th.
During his two stints, Pauwels was tagged by a Hypercar, sending the No. 23 into a spin and costing the team more valuable track position.
Pauwels and Jonny Adam pushed through the remainder of the race in an effort to recover, but the No. 23 Vantage ultimately crossed the finish line 18th in LMGT3.
Chatting with the drivers…
Gray Newell: “I think I’ve learned a bit of resilience from this weekend. It was tough out there. The tire just went off so aggressively, and that took me by surprise a bit, and we had a huge amount of oversteer that I will manage better with experience on these tires. That’s on me. I think we still have a bit to learn about setting up the car for the race. Le Mans was a high point, and I got my first pole on Saturday. We’ll bounce back from today’s result, and that will be a learning point too.”
Kobe Pauwels: “Unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way. Yesterday was a highlight and today a bit of a setback. I still don’t really understand where it went wrong, but sometimes that's motor sport. I’m proud of what I’ve done; I believe I have done what the team has asked me to do. You always want to do better when you have an opportunity to compete in WEC. You don’t know when your next time will be, so you always try to maximize your result. P18 is a little bit frustrating, but that’s motorsport, I guess.”
Season Standings
Race 4 of 10: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Highest Season Finish: 3rd (Circuit de la Sarthe)
Completed Laps: 884/888
Provisional Championship Standings: 9th
Upcoming Race
The FIA World Endurance Championship now heads into a 50-day summer break before returning to action at Circuit of The Americas for The Heart of Racing's home race. The Lone Star Le Mans takes place September 4–6 in Austin, Texas, where the team will look to carry its momentum into the second half of the season.
