Double top-five for Antonella Bassani in Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil second round at Velo Città

Antonella Bassani enjoyed one of her strongest weekends to date in the Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil season at Velo Città, scoring a fourth- and a fifth-place finishes in the second round of the championship.

Photo credits: Carsten Horst

Antonella Bassani enjoyed one of her strongest weekends to date in the Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil season at Velo Città, scoring a fourth- and a fifth-place finishes in the second round of the championship and returning to the podium ceremony reserved for the top five finishers.

The Brazilian driver in fact consistently demonstrated pace capable of challenging the top three throughout the event, confirming her competitiveness in her sophomore campaign.

Following the season opener at Interlagos, where Bassani launched her second Carrera Cup Brazil season with a determined recovery drive from 17th to 10th in Race 2, the young Brazilian arrived at Velo Città aiming to build momentum. The technical circuit has historically suited her driving style, and she quickly proved comfortable from the very start of the weekend.

Bassani’s confidence was evident already during pre-event testing, where she finished inside the top three in two sessions, immediately establishing herself among the frontrunners.

That speed carried into qualifying. In Q1, Bassani posted a strong lap of 1:28.725 to secure fourth place and advance comfortably into the decisive second qualifying segment reserved for the top ten drivers battling for pole position.

In Q2, she briefly held provisional pole position, before ultimately settling into fourth place with a 1:28.512 lap that secured a valuable second-row starting position among the highly competitive 36-car field.

Photo credits: Carsten Horst

At the rolling start that kicked off the opening race Bassani held firm around the outside line into Turn 1, maintaining her position amid the tightly packed grid. Early pressure came from Matheus Comparatto, but Bassani defended assertively, keeping her rival behind during the opening laps.

An incident between Carlos Campos and Francisco Horta triggered a safety car at the end of lap one, neutralizing the race just as the field began to settle.

Racing resumed with 15 minutes remaining, and Comparatto again applied intense pressure. Bassani remained composed, defending cleanly while Comparatto soon came under attack from Thiago Vivacqua, allowing her some breathing space. Ahead, the leading trio began to edge away, but fierce battles behind helped stabilize Bassani’s fourth position.

Another heavy accident involving José Moura Neto brought out a second safety car, compressing the field once more and setting up a short sprint to the finish.

At the restart with five minutes remaining, Bassani stayed close to Alceu Feldmann Neto and began mounting an attack for a potential podium position. Despite showing strong pace, overtaking proved difficult on the narrow and technical Velo Città layout.

A late incident involving Luiz Souza and Paulo Sousa briefly threatened to disrupt the race once again, but the race remained green. With two additional laps added due to earlier cautions, Bassani pushed relentlessly in the closing stages, finishing just a few tenths shy of a top three move: she crossed the line in fourth place, in a highly competitive result to start off the weekend.

Photo credits: Carsten Horst

After her strong performance in Race 1, Antonella Bassani lined up third on the grid for Sunday’s second race, again starting from the second row with realistic podium ambitions.

At the start, she took a cautious inside line through Turn 1, successfully holding third position initially. However, Jeff Giassi soon found a way past just before a collision between Marco Billi and Leonardo Sanchez brought out an early safety car.

On the restart one lap later, Bassani was caught slightly off guard by a strong launch from Marçal Müller, who moved ahead, while Lucas Salles also applied pressure from behind. Bassani, who was now battling a technical issue, defended effectively and settled into fifth position as the race order stabilized.

The top four gradually opened a gap at the front, but Bassani established control of fifth place. Behind her, Salles became engaged in midfield battles, allowing the Brazilian driver to run without significant pressure.

Race 2 unfolded with uninterrupted green-flag running, though Bassani faced issues that limited her ability to fully exploit her pace. Despite the challenges, she maintained consistency and avoided mistakes, securing another important points finish. She took the chequered flag in fifth place, completing a double top-five weekend and collecting valuable championship points.

The Velo Città round marked a significant step forward for the young Brazilian star, who demonstrated great speed across every session, from testing and qualifying through both races, running within podium contention. The championship now heads to one of the most historic venues in motorsport, as Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil prepares for a special overseas round at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans on 11–13 June, supporting the 24-hour endurance event in France.