Having been sidelined for the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to rib and collarbone injuries sustained in a cycling accident, Mike Conway has recovered from his injuries and will return to the cockpit of the #7 GR010 HYBRID car this week for the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo.
Missing the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month, Mike's teammates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished second at Le Mans alongside José María López – substituting for Mike – and the #7 team are firmly in contention for the World Championship title. Mike has recovered from the injuries sustained in a pre-Le Mans cycling accident and will return to the cockpit of the #7 GR010 HYBRID car at Interlagos, alongside Kamui and Nyck.
Mike slipped to 7th in the Drivers' Championship, due to his absences from the previous round. However, his #7 teammates occupy 3rd in the standings - 17 points behind the leaders with four races still to go - and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing also sits 3rd in the World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship.
This week's venue, Autodromo José Carlos Pace, is back on the WEC calendar after a 10-year absence and was the venue of Mike's first-ever victory in the World Endurance Championship when he drove a G-Drive Racing LMP2 to class victory in the 2013 edition of the race.
Not only does Mike have fond memories of the circuit but so does his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team - with the venue playing host to significant milestones in the team’s history. Toyota’s first hybrid-powered WEC victory came at Interlagos in 2012, just three races into its endurance racing return, while a first manufacturers’ title was secured in Sao Paolo two years later.
Track action begins on Friday 12 July with two 90-minute free practice sessions. The starting grid will be decided on Saturday from 3.10pm local time (7.10pm BST) with qualifying and Hyperpole while the race begins at 11:30 local time (3.30pm BST) on Sunday 14 July.
Mike Conway:
“It’s great to be back and I can’t wait to be behind the wheel again. Watching Le Mans from a distance was tough for me. I went through all the ups and downs with Kamui, Nyck and José but it was incredibly frustrating that I could not be part of it. I always knew we were in safe hands with José, and he did a great job. Now I am just looking forward to competing again, fighting at the front and hopefully helping Kamui, Nyck and the team win the World Championship.”
FIA WEC - 6 Hours of Sao Paulo
FRIDAY, JULY 12
Free Practice 1: 10:45 - 12:15
Free Practice 2: 15:15 - 16:45
SATURDAY, JULY 13
Free Practice 3: 10:30 - 11:30
Qualifying: 15:10 - 15:22
Hyperpole: 15:30 - 15:40
SUNDAY, JULY 14
Race: 11:30 - 17:30
Times are local (GMT-3)
