Leticia Bufoni battles for top-3 in Interlagos
- RACERS
- May 2
- 3 min read
Leticia Bufoni delivered arguably her strongest Porsche Cup performance to date at Interlagos, consistently battling for a first top-three finish with impressive pace, before late-race contact denied her a personal best result despite showing clear progress in her second season.
Leticia Bufoni showcased arguably one of her strongest performances in car racing to date at Interlagos, as the Brazilian battled for a top-three finish with impressive speed throughout the third round of the Porsche Cup Brasil round. However, misfortune struck in the closing stages following a late-race contact that dropped her down the order, ultimately denying her a personal best result.
A globally renowned professional skateboarder, Bufoni made her motorsport debut in 2024 in the Porsche Sprint Trophy development category, part of the Porsche Cup Brasil platform. In her rookie season, she gained valuable experience in both the Sprint and Endurance formats, driving the #13 Mobil1-supported car and steadily building her pace and racecraft over the year.
Now in her second season, Bufoni has returned to the series with clear improvements, demonstrating increased confidence and competitiveness. She kicked off her 2025 campaign with two strong fifth-place finishes at the Velo Città circuit, highlighting her continued development as a racing driver.
Bufoni returned to the wheel of her Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car for the third round at the iconic Interlagos circuit, home of Brazilian motorsport. However, the weekend began with complications: Friday’s free practice sessions were cancelled due to drainage issues on the straights, where standing water posed a significant safety risk in the heavy rain.
With limited track time, drivers headed into Saturday’s final practice and soon after into qualifying session. Neto Carloni secured pole with a 1:42.561 lap, maintaining his perfect qualifying record for the season. Villela and Guper followed, with Sergio Laurentys and Leticia Bufoni rounding out the top five—separated by just one second in an extremely competitive session.
The race took place under dry but overcast skies, and Bufoni started from fifth in a rolling start. She initially came under pressure from Denis Ferrer and Neto Heil, briefly slipping to sixth before quickly reclaiming fifth with a decisive move. While chaos unfolded behind her with some contacts and spins, the race remained green, and Bufoni settled into a strong rhythm.
She soon began closing in on Ferrer, lapping nearly seven-tenths of a second faster and putting herself in serious podium contention. Despite her clear pace advantage, Ferrer defended aggressively, making it difficult for Bufoni to complete the pass. This allowed the trailing cars of Lucco and Garfinkel to join the battle.
Garfinkel launched an attack on Bufoni, resulting in a thrilling side-by-side exchange over several corners. Bufoni initially held her ground on the outside, and continued to be quicker - but she eventually had to yield and dropped to fifth. She attempted an immediate counterattack into Turn 1 but was forced wide onto the kerb, losing momentum and positions to Lucco and Guper.
Contact followed shortly after, with Bufoni picking up front-end damage. Despite pushing on for one more lap, the damage proved too significant, forcing her to pit. She was ultimately classified in P14—a disappointing result that hurt her championship standings.
Nonetheless, her performance was a clear statement of progress, as she was on course for her first-ever top-three finish and showed some of the best pace of her Porsche Cup career so far.
The fourth round is scheduled for 28/29 June at Portimao, Portugal, which will host a round of the Porsche Cup Brasil for the first time after the series travelled to Estoril last year.
