Warren, Sánchez complete Coanda sweep at Interlagos as Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship points battle gets physical

If the rain last week was any indication of the massive uptick in drama that the 2026 Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship Series was about to have, the fourth round of the season took it to a whole new level following the events of Interlagos. It didn’t even need to rain, or have the threat of rain, to force some of the best racers in the world into error in the Sprint and Main races on Saturday.

Somehow, Dayne Warren and Alejandro Sánchez wound up with the two wins on the day, completing the first Coanda Esports sweep of the season. However, neither driver was really one of the focus points throughout the event.

Verstappen Sim Racing’s Gustavo Ariel looked to have the Sprint race well in hand before pulling over coming to the checkers. On his Instagram story following the race, Ariel said he got a slowdown penalty at the final corner, managing to clear it right at the finish line, but it did cost him the win, which went to Dayne Warren instead.

As for the Main race, Coanda’s Mitchell deJong was up Oracle Red Bull’s Sebastian Job’s rear end for most of the event across both races. In the Sprint, the two battled intensely for seventh, and in the Main, they were instead battling for the lead. Neither would end up winning the Main, instead that victory going to Alejandro Sánchez.

Perhaps the biggest loser on the whole day was Verstappen Sim Racing’s Florian Lebigre, who entered the day in the points lead and following the race, was fifth, 23 points back of the lead with just one weekend left. Lebigre gave up more than half of those points in a crash coming to the checkers in the Sprint, crossing the line destroyed in 15th, but earning a penalty for hitting the incident limit. He recovered to finish 11th, but he went from championship favorite to being on the backfoot in the title race just 500 yards before the line in the Sprint.

Just one round remains at the Monza Circuit in two weeks. There are still potential penalties on the line, but deJong leads the way by 14 points over both Sánchez and Ariel. Job sits 20 points behind in fourth, while Lebigre will have to recover from fifth, 23 points behind.

QUALIFYING: ARIEL SCORES POLE POSITION AT HOME TRACK

The 2026 Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship Series roster only has one driver representing Brazil, and in the Brazilian event, it was that driver—Gustavo Ariel from São Paulo, Brazil—claiming the pole position at his home track. Ariel outqualified four Coanda and Coanda-adjacent drivers for the top spot, with Dayne Warren, Charlie Collins, Xander Reed, and Elvis Rankin rounding out the top-five.

Right below the eighth spot, Florian Lebigre put it in ninth while Mitchell deJong managed to qualify in 10th. Both would have to figure out how to get into eighth to be in the invert spots for the Main race later in the night, that eighth spot belonging to Tristan Iglesias following qualifying.

ROUND 4 | INTERLAGOS | QUALIFYING TOP-10

SPRINT RACE: ARIEL GETS SLOWDOWN, WARREN STEALS VICTORY, INVERT BATTLE GETS SPICY

Gustavo Ariel looked as though he would be invincible at home. From the get go, he was in control, pulling a solid lead in the first 14 minutes of the 15-minute event over the field. Behind him, things were almost immediately going crazy around the eighth position, where deJong managed to take both Iglesias and Lebigre three-wide entering Turn 1, coming out on top of the scrum out of Turn 2.

Iglesias and Lebigre continued to fight for ninth, eventually coming to blows on Lap 2, costing both the lead train in the process. However, just ahead of them, Job began to lose the pack, and deJong couldn’t get by. As the two in seventh and eighth fell further from the pack, Lebigre in ninth was able to catch back up.

With a few minutes still on the board, Lebigre made a move on deJong for the spot, the two coming together, ultimately costing the former a couple of seconds. It wasn’t over yet, as at least two more laps were left to go. Like clockw0rk, Lebigre once again caught the backend of deJong, but they were heading towards the checkered flag.

Moments before, in the lead, Ariel was slowing down just before the line, in his own words for a slowdown penalty. Coming quick past him was Dayne Warren and Charlie Collins, as Ariel picked up the gas just in time to save a podium.

Back in the battle for eighth, Job went slightly wide exiting the final corner. To his left, deJong went, but then, there was contact. The two bounced off one another, making incredible saves second after second. It allowed Lebigre to get there, and as he got alongside deJong, the bouncing turned into wrecking. The No. 2 was sent into the outside wall. Job held on for seventh, deJong took eighth, and Lebigre was relegated to 30th after hitting the incident limit.

ROUND 4 | INTERLAGOS | SPRINT RACE RESULTS

MAIN RACE: SÁNCHEZ GRABS WIN AFTER JOB, DEJONG TANGLE ON FINAL LAP

The gloves ultimately came off by the end of the Main race on Saturday. Up front, deJong and Job would continue their battle from the Sprint while Lebigre had to fight back into a decent points position to salvage his championship hopes.

From the jump, deJong led the way, but on the third lap, Job was ready to pounce. Being a 30 minute race, however, there was plenty of time to save tire and keep in the conversation, which is exactly what deJong would do. Behind the lead, multiple cars found trouble, allowing Lebigre to get further and further up the order, ultimately leading to an 11th place effort for the Frenchman.

Final lap, and it goes crazy once again between Job and deJong. They go side-by-side into Turn 1 and both end up off-course. Job recovers better, but now Alejandro Sánchez and Charlie Collins are ahead of deJong. Three wide for the lead, and now the fight is between Job and Sánchez. Middle of the track, and more contact, this time with Sánchez scooting into control as Job goes for a slide. Job falls back to finish sixth. Collins falls into second as deJong recovers to third. Sánchez, however, would take the win.

ROUND 4 | INTERLAGOS | MAIN RACE RESULTS

ROUND 4 | INTERLAGOS | POINTS STANDINGS

COANDA VS VERSTAPPEN HITS A BOILING POINT

Over the last two races, the Coanda group and the Verstappen team have been head-to-head at many points. Through the first three, the two teams split the wins. If not for an errant penalty for Ariel, it could have been 4-for-4.

With just one race weekend left, there is an even numbered split down the top-10, five each representing, but the top-two now exist of the two Coanda teammates of deJong and Sánchez. Ariel is tied for second as well, and there are two other Verstappen teammates right behind. Keep your eyes out for a slugfest in virtual Italy in two weeks.

NEXT UP: CHAMPIONSHIP AT MONZA CIRCUIT

After Interlagos, the Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship takes a week off before returning a week later for the fifth and final round of the 2026 championship season at Monza Circuit. The events are scheduled for Saturday, October 24th, and will be live starting at 19:00 GMT (3:00 p.m. ET) via Porsche’s channels on YouTube and Twitch.

For more information on the 2026 Porsche Esports Supercup season, visit www.iracing.com/pesc.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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