Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Lands First 2025 Wec Podium in Brazil
Racing Spirit of Léman powered the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to its maiden FIA World Endurance Championship podium, finishing a pulsating 6 Hours of São Paulo in third place and delivering the car’s first top-three result of the 2025 WEC season. In its debut year with the Vantage at world level, the Swiss squad stayed on the pace all weekend at Interlagos, helped by local star Eduardo Barrichello, son of 13-time Formula 1 race-winner Rubens. After Anthony McIntosh’s superb Hyperpole run placed the No. 10 Aston Martin in the LMGT3 shoot-out, Barrichello nailed class pole and later charged through the field to seize third with three laps remaining.
McIntosh, fresh from second in the Silver Am class at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, led the early stages before pitting from second. He re-joined sixth and remained firmly in the fight until a minor slip nudged the Vantage outside the top ten, whereupon he handed over to Barrichello. The 23-year-old Brazilian thrilled his home crowd with an electrifying double stint that hauled the car back towards the podium. Works driver Valentin Hasse Clot continued the momentum, keeping the Vantage in striking distance before Barrichello’s final stint produced two decisive overtakes in the last fifteen minutes.
“It was crazy,” Barrichello said. “I had to put all my faith in the engineers who were telling me how hard to push the tyres at the end of the race because I couldn’t drive them too hard or I would have gone to zero very quickly. However, we were able to manage it, and thankfully, everything worked out; we had enough in the car to secure third position at the end. It’s an amazing feeling to have finished on the podium in my home race, and it was so incredible to experience that special reception from the fans. I’m not sure I deserved it, but I enjoyed it anyway! It is an honour to race an Aston Martin here at Interlagos, and it has been such an incredible weekend – one of the best of my life.”
The result represents a career-best for all three drivers and Racing Spirit of Léman’s strongest finish in only its fifth WEC start. Vantage has now scored three class wins and five additional podiums at Interlagos since 2012, underlining the GT3’s enduring competitiveness. Elsewhere, the Heart of Racing’s Vantage GT3 continued its strong IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Valkyrie Hypercar racer Roman De Angelis stood in for the WEC-bound Tom Gamble, partnering Casper Stevenson to sixth after running as high as fourth, a result that keeps both drivers and team firmly in the GTD title hunt.
Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport Adam Carter said: “We congratulate Racing Spirit of Léman on an outstanding performance throughout the weekend. The team maximised the potential of Vantage in qualifying at Interlagos and then delivered an exceptional podium in the race. Eduardo Barrichello’s performance was highly encouraging in only his fifth WEC start. At the same time, Ian McIntosh enjoyed an excellent debut, and Valentin Hasse Clot, just like the team, thoroughly enjoyed this podium. The result once again emphasises the versatility and competitiveness of Vantage GT3, key components to success in customer racing. The Heart of Racing ran strongly once again in IMSA at CTMP, and, once again, is in contention for the title as we move into the final third of the season.”
Sharing its advanced bonded aluminium chassis and twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with Aston Martin’s road-going Vantage, the GT3 variant continues to rack up honours, adding this Brazilian podium to IMSA victory at Watkins Glen, plus class triumphs at the 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and a Nürburgring 24 Hours podium. The FIA WEC resumes at Circuit of the Americas for Lone Star Le Mans on 5-7 September, while IMSA heads to Road America on 1-3 August, where both championships promise more action for the ever-competitive Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
