Antonella Bassani matches personal-best finish in Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil at Portimão

Antonella Bassani delivered one of her most promising performances in the top class of Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil at Circuito do Algarve in Portimão, equalling a career-best fourth-place finish in Race 1 and fighting among the front runners all weekend in scorching conditions.

Photo credits: Carsten Horst

Antonella Bassani delivered a highly promising performance at Circuito do Algarve in Portimão, securing a career-best-equaling fourth-place finish in Race 1 and fighting among the front runners all weekend in scorching conditions. The event marked the first international round of the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil season and the second Portuguese stop in the series’ history.

After nearly a two-month break since the last round at Interlagos, the championship headed to Europe for the first time this year. The picturesque Portimão circuit—renowned for its elevation changes, blind crests, and challenging layout—hosted its first Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil round in Portugal after Estoril debuted on the calendar in 2024.

For Bassani, the Portuguese weekend offered another opportunity to build on her strong rookie campaign in the top class of the series. A former Porsche Sprint Challenge champion—and close to securing her second title in 2024, with numerous wins and podiums to her name—Bassani has taken an important step in her career in 2025 by moving up to the main series of the Carrera Cup Brazil, in the championship’s 20th anniversary season.

Despite the highly competitive grid, Bassani adapted quickly, immediately scoring a top-ten finish on her debut at Velo Città. In the second round at the same circuit, she once again showcased her potential, securing a P4 in Race 1. The third round followed at Interlagos, a track where she has historically performed well; although her pace was evident, a few on-track contacts and some misfortune prevented her from fully capitalizing on her speed. Now, she aimed to bounce back at the fourth round in Portimão, Portugal.

Despite having never raced at the Algarve track before, Bassani quickly adapted during practice, making use of the sessions to familiarize herself with the 4.684 km rollercoaster-like circuit under intense summer heat.

"This track is incredible. I believe that both myself and the other drivers must be saying that it feels like a rollercoaster, because in fact in the first few laps you feel butterflies in your stomach until you get used to it", she commented. "I am really enjoying the experience and I am loving the racetrack. The venue is already wonderful and the track is even better,” said Bassani after her first laps.

In Saturday’s qualifying, Bassani showed her speed early. Her first representative lap in Q1 put her second overall, and she ended the session third with a 1:47.132—just three tenths behind Marçal Müller and a mere one hundredth off Miguel Mariotti. Advancing into Q2 reserved for the top 10, Bassani briefly held provisional pole with a 1:47.199 and remained in the top three for most of the session before ultimately qualifying sixth—earning a third-row start for Race 1.

Lining up from P6 on the grid for the first race of the weekend, Bassani faced 50°C track temperatures and a 29-car field charging into the tricky first corner. She had a good launch but was boxed in on the outside of Turn 1, momentarily dropping to seventh. By lap 3, however, she had reclaimed sixth and made a strong move on Lucas Salles to break into the top five.

Running consistent lap times in the 1:48.2 range, Bassani quickly closed the gap to the trio of cars ahead as Müller attempted to stretch his lead out front. Her next target was Thiago Vivacqua, and she remained glued to the rear of the #10 Porsche, pushing hard as the leading five cars pulled away from the rest of the field.

With one minute left on the clock, a stranded car—Marco Billi’s Porsche at Turn 2—triggered a safety car. As the pace car picked up race leader Müller, the field took the chequered flag under caution.

A post-race penalty for Vivacqua promoted Bassani to fourth place, marking her equal-best result to date in the Carrera Cup Brazil. It was another strong, composed drive and a significant result in her rookie campaign.

Ph credits: Porsche Cup Brasil

Sunday brought more scorching conditions and another opportunity for Bassani, who lined up fourth on the grid. At lights out, she had a strong start and looked to challenge the top three, but Miguel Paludo managed to sneak past on the inside into Turn 1, relegating Bassani to fifth. She was soon under pressure from Müller, and after a tough battle on the opening lap, Christian Hahn also took advantage of the tight fight to slip through, dropping Bassani to sixth.

Regrouping, Bassani launched a counterattack: when Hahn overshot Turn 1 under braking, she reclaimed sixth place with a smart move. However, the race was soon neutralized as Eduardo Menossi went off in the gravel, bringing out the safety car.

Racing resumed with 14 minutes to go. Bassani immediately went on the attack again, pressuring Matheus Comparatto for fifth, while defending from Hahn, who remained in close pursuit. A second incident—Francisco Horta ending up in the gravel after contact with Carlos Campos—brought out another safety car with 10 minutes left.

After a quick cleanup, green flags waved again—but the restart was chaotic. Several cars tangled in Turn 2, though the front runners made it through cleanly. Bassani stayed close to Comparatto, but Hahn once again found a gap and slipped past, pushing Bassani down to seventh.

Moments later, a third interruption was caused by a collision between Morestoni and Campos, triggering yet another safety car. Racing resumed for one final green-flag lap. Bassani now sat seventh, directly behind Vivacqua and engaged in an intense scrap. In a dramatic final-lap battle between the three, it was Salles who came out on top—squeezing past both and demoting Bassani to eighth at the line, unable to fully capitalize on her pace after multiple race interruptions.

At the front, Miguel Mariotti survived relentless pressure from Regadas and Marçal Müller to claim his maiden Carrera Cup victory. Regadas made a late move for the lead but instead lost second place to Müller in a wild final corner exchange.

Despite the missed opportunity in Race 2, Antonella Bassani’s performance in Portimão was among her strongest to date. Her fourth-place finish in Race 1 matched her personal best in the series, and she ran solidly inside the top group all weekend, showing maturity and racecraft on a circuit that was new to most of the field.

The result sees her add more valuable points to her rookie season. The Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil will remain in Portugal for the next round, scheduled for 28–29 August at Circuito do Estoril.