The #95 GT3 EVO took third, while this has marked McLaren Automotive’s first podium finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship—in what was a very competitive display at the 6 Hours of São Paulo in Brazil—and there is the #59, which ran to fourth and helped the United Autosports team garner 27 championship points.
Both McLarens GT3 EVOs put in a good Hyperpole qualifying session to lock out second row of the GT3 grid. This was a weekend not to forget for McLaren at Brazil’s Interlagos circuit, full of history with the São Paulo Grand Prix.
Right from the get-go, both EVO McLarens GT3s, run by its racing partner United Autosports, showed an impressive compatibility with São Paulo, back on the WEC calendar for the first time since 2014. In Friday’s morning session, #59 James Cottingham, Gregoire Saucy, and Brazil’s own Nicolas Costa led the opening free practice session. Both cars continued to perform well in the succeeding sessions and set the scene for what was expected to be an extremely competitive qualifying battle.
It was Bronze drivers Josh Caygill and Cottingham who took third and fourth quickest times in the LMGT3 Hyperpole session, respectively, to ensure that both cars would line up on the second row of the grid.
As the lights went out to start the six-hour race, there was briefly a battle between the pair of McLarens. Cottingham briefly got ahead of Caygill but the latter retook his position and started eating into the gap to the cars ahead. The abrasive Interlagos circuit took its toll on tyre wear, with Cottingham losing a place. However, the lightweight carbon fibre chassis of the McLaren GT3 EVO allowed the drivers to manage their tyres effectively, keeping both cars within the top eight as the race progressed.
As the pace of other teams fell off, consistent speed and strategic pit stops kept the United Autosports team ahead. Caygill would hand over to Nico Pino for the middle two hours of the race, with Saucy doing likewise in the #59, but both cars stayed competitive as Marino Sato and Costa took over for the final stint, running third and fifth in class respectively.
Sato maintained a comfortable third place to secure the podium placing for the #95 car, while Costa moved up to third place in the #59 car as rival cars pitted for fuel but came under increasing pressure in the final 15 minutes. Costa used his experience at Interlagos to defend his position superbly, crossing the line in fourth.
The podium finish for the #95 and sterling fourth place for the #59 translated to a big haul of points for the McLaren GT3 EVO, with United Autosports scoring a total of 27. That moved the #59 up to 10th and the #95 to 11th in the standings as the championship heads to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Lone Star Le Mans six-hour race on September 1.
Richard Dean, CEO of United Autosports, praised the performance of the team: “This is very special. A podium for #95—our first with McLaren Automotive—and a strong fourth place from sister #59 seal the São Paulo weekend as our best result to date.”. So yes, United Autosports has had great success in WEC with the LMP2s, but this has been a different type of challenge. I can’t begin to emphasize the time, the passion, and pure determination that the team has put into the McLaren program over eight months from all sides. And the drivers put all of it into action on track, producing some stellar racing out there and very tough defense. “The outcome is much deserved. I am beyond proud and very excited to continue on an upward trajectory throughout the final three rounds.”
Mick McDonagh, MSO and Motorsport Director at McLaren Automotive, said: “With the progress we’ve made this season working closely with our racing partners at United Autosports, it was only a matter of time before we stepped on to the podium, so I’m delighted that the number 95 car achieved that objective in Brazil.”. Also, the fact that we were able to finish fourth really does show there’s genuine pace in the car and just how much we’ve been able to improve in a relatively short amount of time. Huge congratulations to Josh, Marino, and Nico for their first podium, and to everyone at United Autosports for a job very well done. It’s a team effort, and we all share in this success.
Exotic Auto Parts is an authorized supplier of genuine McLaren OEM parts, offering worldwide shipping. For more information, get in touch with Exotic Auto Parts.
Images Credits – cars.mclaren.press
