499Ps in São Paulo, Molina breaks down the Brazilian circuit

A track rich in motorsport history, the São Paulo circuit will host the fifth round of the 2025 World Championship season. “We return to Interlagos for the second time with our 499Ps, and the experience gained last year will be useful for this race,” says Miguel Molina, who shares the number 50 car with Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen. “This circuit has a unique layout within the FIA WEC calendar: the track is short and characterised in particular by the low-speed corners in the second and third sectors, where effective traffic management is crucial. To do well at São Paulo, it’s also crucial to make the most of the few overtaking opportunities.”

Measuring just 4.309 kilometres and featuring 15 corners – ten of them left-handers – the Brazilian track is the shortest on the calendar. “The main straight is one of the few areas where overtaking is relatively straightforward,” explains the 36-year-old Spanish driver, winner of the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the end of the straight, the cars enter the “Senna S”, which is followed by Turn 3, “taken at full throttle – that transitions onto a second straight where you can try to gain positions, especially under braking at the end of it.”

The second sector begins “after Turn 5, which is not only one of the fastest corners on the track but also extremely slippery, requiring maximum concentration.” It then transitions into the slower, more technical part of the circuit, where “braking management is crucial, with a series of corners including Turn 8, the slowest of all, where you can overtake the GT cars on the outside.”

In the final sector, “it’s vital to approach the uphill run to the finish as cleanly as possible, choosing the perfect line to avoid losing valuable tenths and to complete the lap with a strong reference time.”