Ex-F1 driver secures first WEC win as BMW triumphs at 6 Hours of Sao Paulo

Ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen took his first victory in the World Endurance Championship with BMW in the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo.

Former Haas driver Magnussen, along with team-mates Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor beat the No.51 Ferrari by just 2.2 seconds at the end of the six-hour race at Interlagos on Sunday. 

Despite losing the lead to the Ferrari in the penultimate hour when Vanthoor ran wide, the trio, who led the majority of the race, got back ahead of their main rival thanks to having more fuel onboard and requiring a shorter final pit stop. 

It marked BMW’s second victory in four races during the 2026 WEC, following the sister No.20 car’s triumph at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May. In that race, BMW secured a one-two finish. 

The result leaves BMW second in the WEC manufacturers’ table, five points behind Toyota. 

It also marked Magnussen’s first win in WEC. The 33-year-old Dane has tried out several motorsport categories since leaving F1 at the end of the 2024 season. 

Behind the No.15 BMW and No.51 Ferrari, the No.12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota crew of former Manor F1 driver Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Louis Delétraz completing the overall podium and top three in the Hypercar class. 

WRT team principal Vincent Vosse hailed a strong first string Magnussen as being key to BMW’s victory in Brazil. The No.15 qualified fourth but Magnussen made early moves to charge into second place. 

“He makes a great effort in his first stints and grabbing position,” Vosse told Sportscar365. “All the drivers did an incredible job but the start of Kevin was a key — we could see it gave us track position at the start.”

Magnussen said: “Every time I come here, I still get that amazing support from the Brazilian fans. When we got the pole with Haas, we were the underdogs and the roar from the crowd was crazy.

“They were so cool, and even the day after on the drivers’ parade, sitting next to seven-time world champions and whatnot, they were screaming my name. It touched me, and it touches me every time I see the support.”

He added: “At Spa we felt we were on a winning course and then the sister car grabbed it in front of us. 

“Of course a 1-2 for BMW was great but, on our side, we felt like we got robbed a little bit so it’s great to get that win today.”

Full 2026 6 Hours of Sao Paulo Race Results