Two Drivers Representing Brazil in 2026
For this year’s Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, two drivers will represent Brazil on home soil and fight for victory in front of the Interlagos crowd. Pipo Derani and Augusto Farfus are set to be the only Brazilian drivers on the grid in 2026, with Derani competing in Hypercar and Farfus racing in LMGT3.
Pipo Derani
For the first time in his career, Pipo Derani will contest the WEC round at Interlagos — and he will do it while fighting for the overall victory.
Derani will take on the six-hour event in the No. 17 Genesis GMR-001 for Genesis Magma Racing, sharing the car with teammates André Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert.
Ahead of the São Paulo 6 Hours, Derani said:
“I can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to finally racing in the top class of a high-level championship in my hometown. I’m from São Paulo myself, but have barely raced in Interlagos during my entire career, so to be able to go there with Genesis Magma Racing as the only Brazilian driver will be amazing. The Brazilian fans are always great, and I know a lot of them have been following our progress with the GMR-001 Hypercar from the start of the project and this season.”
Although Derani is from São Paulo, this weekend represents a rare professional appearance at home. Much of his career has been spent racing in Europe and North America, and his last known race appearance at Interlagos came in 2018, when he competed in the Stock Car Brasil Corrida de Duplas.
Derani will be the only Brazilian driver racing in the Hypercar class this year. He also becomes the first Brazilian driver to contest his home WEC round for the overall victory since Lucas di Grassi did so in 2014, when he finished third in LMP1 for Audi Sport Team Joest.
Augusto Farfus
Unlike Derani, Augusto Farfus has previous experience racing in WEC events at Interlagos.
Born in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, in 1983, Farfus is set for his third consecutive start in the Brazilian WEC event. He made his Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo debut in 2024, but the last two years have not been easy. His best result at the event so far came in 2024, when he finished 10th in class.
The 2026 event will once again see Farfus race for Team WRT, driving the No. 32 BMW M4 GT3 Evo alongside Darren Leung and Sean Gelael.
No Dudu Barichello…
One notable absence from the Brazilian round will be Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello.
Barrichello, who stood on the podium at last year’s WEC event in São Paulo, will not race at his home event this year despite being a full-time driver in the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo.
The reason is a calendar clash. Barrichello, son of former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello, will instead fulfill his full-season IMSA commitment with The Heart of Racing. That same weekend, he is scheduled to drive the team’s Aston Martin Vantage at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the Chevrolet Grand Prix.
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