Sean Gelael briefly moved WRT 32 up to fifth position, only for a 10-second penalty to turn into a disastrous blow for the team.

Indonesian racer Sean Gelael's campaign with Team WRT 32 finished outside the top 10 at the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, held at Interlagos Circuit, Brazil on Sunday 12 July 2026 local time. A 10-second penalty that the team was forced to serve during a pit stop erased their chances of securing a strong result in this 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round.

Sean Gelael formed the three-driver lineup for Team WRT 32 alongside Augusto Farfus (Brazil) and Darren Leung (Great Britain). The trio ultimately brought the 32 BMW M4 GT3 Evo across the line in 12th position in the LMGT3 class, after the 10-second penalty dashed their hopes of a better finishing result.

WRT 32 began the race from 9th position, with Darren Leung driving the opening stint. The British racer maintained steady race pace before handing over control of the car to Sean.

Momentum shifted positively once Sean took the cockpit. The Indonesian driver delivered a consistent performance, overtaking multiple competitors to climb WRT 32 up to 5th position. This placed the team in a strong position for Augusto Farfus to challenge for leading positions during the final stint, with the home crowd at Interlagos throwing their full support behind the local Brazilian driver.

That opportunity collapsed however when Race Control issued WRT 32 a 10-second penalty. The sanction was applied after officials ruled Sean had caused an incident with the 61 car while braking for a corner, which sent the opposing vehicle into a spin. Per WEC regulations, the penalty was served during the next scheduled pit stop, right as the team completed the driver handover to Farfus.

The added track time dropped WRT 32 multiple positions, knocking them completely out of the top 10. Despite Farfus fighting hard to close the gap in front of his home supporters, he was only able to bring the 32 car across the finish line in 12th place.

Sean confirmed the team was still encountering the same recurring issues faced in previous championship rounds, particularly once tyre wear began to increase over race distance.

"It feels like today we've once again shown our problems are not yet resolved. When tyre degradation gets high, we just cannot compete properly. Congratulations to the 69 car, that was a fully deserved result," Sean stated in an official press release received by Antara in Jakarta on Monday 13 July 2026.

This result for WRT 32 stood in stark contrast to their sister entry, the 69 WRT car, which finished as LMGT3 class runner-up.

The Interlagos race was held under variable weather conditions. Rain fell shortly before the race start, before the track dried out for the majority of the event. Approaching the final 25 minutes of running, light drizzle and fog returned over the circuit, adding extra difficulty for all competing drivers.

In the Hypercar category, the 15 BMW M Team WRT entry took overall victory, while Racing Team Turkey by TF claimed LMGT3 class honours with their 34 car.

The next round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship will take place at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), United States on 6 September. Sean Gelael and Team WRT 32 are aiming to bounce back and return to front-running form there, after their major winning opportunity at Sao Paulo was lost to the penalty at such a critical point in the race.