Nelson Piquet Jr. wins drying Interlagos finale
Honda Racing YPF driver Nelson Piquet Jr. won the final race of the 2025 TCR South America season at Interlagos, a race affected by the weather conditions.
The race started behind the safety car due to the wet track conditions after heavy rainfall, with the race going green after the first lap.
Honda driver Adrian Chiriano, who started from the reverse grid pole position, came into the pits at the end of the first lap to check some damage, leaving team-mate Mariano Pernía in the lead ahead of Fabián Yannantuoni (Lynk & Co) and Leonardo Reis (Cupra).
Reis attempted to pass for second place at Turn 1 on lap three, with the two coming together as the Cupra driver made his way past Yannantuoni.
Yannatuoni would eventually also lose third place to Leonel Pernía (Honda).
Tiago Pernía (Honda) came in to the pits to put on slicks at the end of the second lap.
Reis went on the inside of Mariano Pernía on lap four to take the race lead, with Leonel Pernía then overtaking his brother and team-mate for second place at Turn 1 on the following lap.
Piquet went past Leonel Pernía on lap seven to take second place, as Yannantuoni also overtook Mariano Pernía for fifth position.
Rosso, Rasetto and Gianfratti overtook Mariano Pernía on lap eight, with the Honda driver continuing to drop down the order.
Reis gained fifth position from Yannantuoni on lap ten.
As a dry racing line appeared, the drivers started looking for the wet side of the track with eight minutes to go of the race, as Tiago Pernía clocked the race’s fastest lap with slicks.
Cardoso received a five-second time-penalty for unsporting behaviour at the end of lap 14 following a hard battle with Reis.
Disaster struck Reis with two minutes left of the race as the Cupra driver slowed down and retired due to a technical issue, handing Piquet the lead.
Tiago Pernía meanwhile continued his charge on slicks, overtaking Rosso for seventh place on the penultimate lap. The Honda driver also overtook Yannantuoni and Rasetto before the end of the race, crossing the finishing line in fifth place.
Piquet won as the chequered flag fell, with Leonel Pernía and Raphael Reis completing the podium. Tiago Pernía was fourth, followed by Rasetto and Yannantuoni.
Rosso finished in seventh place, with Gianfratti right behind. Cardoso could only manage ninth position after his time-penalty was applied, with Mariano Pernía completing the top ten.
“It has been a year of lots of learning and I’m very grateful for all the work everybody at Honda has done,” said Piquet Jr. after the race.
The calendar for the 2026 TCR South America season is yet to be unveiled, but the organisers have already confirmed a full entry, including the arrival of Hyundai in the series.
