Four weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, São Paulo awaits the FIA WEC competitors on its famous Interlagos circuit
The 6 Hours of São Paulo marks the start of the second half of the World Endurance Championship season – held exclusively overseas – concluding in Bahrain in early November
With Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne committed to Formula E, the PEUGEOT 9X8s will be driven by Di Resta/Jensen (#93) and Duval/Jakobsen (#94)
Even though Team Peugeot TotalEnergies was not rewarded for its intensive preparation and efforts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the French team remains determined and is aiming to confirm the progress shown earlier in the season during the six-hour races.
Team Peugeot TotalEnergies returns to this familiar format at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace – named after the Brazilian F1 driver who won the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix – formerly known as Interlagos. Located in the southern suburbs of São Paulo, the shortest circuit on the calendar (4.309 km) twists and turns between the Guarapiranga and Billings artificial lakes that supply the São Paulo region.
Last year, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies finished 8th with the PEUGEOT 9X8 #93, which started 17th on the grid.
“We were discovering this unique and historic Interlagos circuit,” explained Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport. “It’s a very varied track with fast sections and a tighter, twistier part. The circuit has been partially resurfaced since last year’s race. Teams used different tire strategies, and we didn’t have full control of things on our side during that race! We’ll be better prepared this year.”
Due to a scheduling conflict with the FIA Formula E World Championship (Berlin E-Prix), Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ driver line-up will be reshuffled for the 6 Hours of São Paulo. The PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 will be driven by Paul Di Resta and Mikkel Jensen, while the #94 will be shared by Loïc Duval and Malthe Jakobsen. Test driver Théo Pourchaire will also be in Brazil as a backup if needed.
Both PEUGEOT 9X8s will hit the track on Friday, July 11, for two Free Practice sessions, followed the next day by another Free Practice, Qualifying, and the Hyperpole session featuring the top 10 Hypercars. The fifth round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship will start on Sunday, July 13 at 1:30 PM local time (6:30 PM French time).
Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport
“Our goal is to have a strong second half of the season, starting with São Paulo where we’ll work on improving our race pace to stay in the fight, like we did in Spa-Francorchamps. We also need to maintain the same level of operational excellence we showed at Le Mans and apply Brazil’s national motto to ourselves: ‘Ordem e Progresso’, ‘Order and Progress’.”
Paul Di Resta (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“I’m looking forward to returning to Interlagos, where I’ve raced in Formula 1 and last year in Hypercar. It’s a special circuit, notably because it runs counter-clockwise – it’s a big challenge. I hope we can rediscover our performance level from Spa-Francorchamps and secure a strong result. With JEV racing in Berlin, there’ll just be the two of us sharing the #93, so we’ll get more driving time. Everyone’s well rested after Le Mans and we’re ready to kick off the second half of the championship.”
Malthe Jakobsen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“This will be my first time at Interlagos, such a legendary circuit – I can’t wait. I’ve been preparing in the simulator, which is a very valuable tool since our track time before the race is quite limited. The weather could also play a disruptive role. Even though our race pace wasn’t strong enough at Le Mans, the team performed really well operationally over the ten days. We’re ready for São Paulo and the second half of the season.”
