Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac is not having as easy a go of it this year in the 6H of Sao Paulo as they did last year, when they cruised from a 1-2 start to the manufacturer’s first WEC victory.

At the start of the race, 18 minutes into the first hour, Kevin Magnussen in the No. 15 WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 split the Cadillacs, taking second place from Earl Bamber in the No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R through the first battle with traffic Sunday afternoon at Interlagos.

Magnussen and the No. 15 team are chasing their first win, while BMW sits one spot away from the catbird seat with their team in second behind Toyota in the WEC standings. The majority of the points come from the No. 20 team’s win at Spa and podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“No, just motivated to try and get a win,” Magnussen answered when asked if his drive at Interlagos was related to past F1 success at the circuit. “We didn’t win a race last year, and we haven’t won a race this year, so we’re just very, very fired up to try and fight for victory. And I think we have three qualified people here today, which was great. And yeah, I felt like we should push and see if we can get a win.”

In the second hour, the pole-sitting No. 12 Cadillac hit it’s first setback, when on it’s third pit stop of the day, a wheel nut was stuck on, costing them time in the pits and the overall lead on the primary strategy.

In the third hour, when leaving pit lane, Norman Nato was involved in a second incident where it flat spotted it’s tires on exit and spun into the No. 83 AF Course Ferrari, piloted at the time by Phil Hanson.

The Alpine A424 led for much of the middle of the third hour on the secondary strategy, with the BMWs behind. No. 15 on the primary and No. 20 on the secondary. The Alpines pitted with 15 minutes to go, giving the lead back to the No. 15 BMW. With eight minutes remaining, the No. 20 pitted for energy and tires, giving second back to the No. 12 Cadillac. Nato was told throughout his run that he had to get to the bumper and pass the No. 20 BMW of Sheldon Van Der Lande as Hanson in the No. 83 was gaining on him. Ultimately, he didn’t make it past him before the No. 20 took it’s last pit stop of the first half.

At the half, the No. 83 Ferrari held the final provisional podium spot ahead of the No. 51 Ferrari Af Course 499P and the No. 38 Cadillac,

In LMGT3, the No. 34 Racing Team Turkey BY TF Corvette leads over the No. 77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang and the pole-sitting No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin EVO.

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