The key factor in Lexus’ maiden WEC victory at Sao Paulo

The Auto Sport Promotion Lexus squad seized the chance offered by the introduction of a new Goodyear LMGT3 tyre at Interlagos to claim a maiden World Endurance Championship class victory.

Team boss Jerome Policand has revealed that ASP began preparing for the opportunity as long ago as last November with an extensive test programme on the new hard-compound Goodyear.

ASP identified the introduction of the tyre in Brazil as the best chance for a class victory for the Lexus RC F GT3, which has struggled with tyre degradation on the Goodyear medium used since the introduction of LMGT3 in 2024.

“I saw this race as our big chance to win because we knew Goodyear would be bringing the new tyre for the first time,” Policand told Autosport after Jose Maria Lopez, Clemens Schmid and Razvan Petru Umbrarescu took LMGT3 victory on Sunday in the #87 car.

“We first tested the new tyre at the rookie test at Bahrain last year [after the WEC finale in November]. Then we did two days at Qatar and two days at Spa, both times running one car on the medium and one car on the hard to do a back-to-back.

“I’m not sure any other team has done so much testing on the new tyre. But it gave us the knowledge to get the right set-up for Interlagos.”

Policand suggested the medium-compound Goodyear allowed Lexus little or no chance of victory.

That is even with the upturn in performance from the RC F this year, which has included a first class podium at Imola in April and a pole position at Spa.

“Since the beginning of the season we’ve had the speed, but at the Le Mans 24 Hours we struggled on the third stint on the tyres and in all other races in the second,” explained Policand, who made 13 starts at Le Mans as a driver.

“There is no way to win on the medium because we always see the tyre temperatures go up on the front axle and we lose grip. With the hard, the difference is night and day.”

The new tyre has been developed to allow for more “consistent pace over the course of multiple stints”, explained Mike McGregor, Goodyear’s head of endurance racing EMEA on the launch of the tyre in Brazil.

Policand revealed that he was not expecting ASP to win again this year with the RC F GT3, even when Goodyear chooses the hard tyre as the single option it brings to each event.

#87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F LMGT3: Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, Jose María Lopez

Photo by: FIAWEC – DPPI

The latest compound, correctly known as the Goodyear Eagle Hard, will be employed at the next round of the championship in Austin in September and then at the Bahrain finale in November, with the medium as the chosen option at Fuji in between. 

Policand pointed out that conditions were likely to be much hotter at those two races than in Brazil and also highlighted the effect of the abrasive nature of the Bahrain track on tyre wear.

“I hope we can fight for podiums, but to win another race I think will be difficult,” he said.

The upturn in pace for the Lexus in 2025 has resulted from a change in set-up philosophy. ASP went for a stiffer set-up, which “made the car quicker but hasn’t changed the degradation,” Policand said.