Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is a record breaker at Interlagos
Lap record for electric cars set in São Paolo
Interlagos is known to motorsport enthusiasts for its use in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championships, as well as being the home circuit of legendary driver Ayrton Senna.
Another Brazilian - three-time IMSA champion and three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, Felipe Nasr - was behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package, as it set the record lap record at Interlagos in an electric car. This is the fourth time and fourth continent that Porsche has secured an electric car lap record following success at the Nürburgring, Shanghai International Circuit and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California.
Smashing the previous record
Fresh from his victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Nasr set a time of 1:42.1 minutes on the 4.3km circuit, beating the previous record time - set by the Taycan Turbo S in 2022 - by almost eight seconds. It was also quicker than the 1:43.087 minutes production car lap record set by the 911 Turbo S.
"On the uphill climb before 'Curva do Café', just before the main straight, I used Attack Mode and the car reached 272 km/h (169mph) by the end of the corner. On the exit of 'Curva do Sol', I was already reaching more than 200 km/h (124mph) coming onto the back straight. It's amazing how brutally the car accelerates and delivers its power," said Nasr. "The steering of the Taycan Turbo GT was very precise in the slow corners and remained stable even under heavy braking. The balance, the grip – a real performance machine."
Use as a Formula E safety car
The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT will be familiar to watchers of Formula E as the championships’ official safety car since May 2024 after taking over from the Taycan Turbo S. Two safety cars are present at each race, one equipped with the Weissach package and the other without, as they alternate duties as the main car and backup.
The Weissach package is lighter due to weight saving measures and increased use of carbon fibre, resulting in a much greater performance.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Porsche