24h Le Mans
The annual Prologue, held this year at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar, gave teams the opportunity for final prep ahead of the Qatar 1812 km season opener on 26-28 February. BMW let out quite a battle cry by clocking the fastest time of the two days of testing thanks to Robin Frijns at the wheel of the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 entered by BMW M Team WRT.
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA seemed on excellent footing after a decisive first day, then Sébastien Bourdais finished the second day at the top of the timesheet before an unfortunate error led to a spin-out. Back on the track, he managed to place the #38 Cadillac V-Series.R in the lead until the determined attack by Robin Frijns.
The Dutch driver showcased the power of the Bavarian hybrid V8 and beat Bourdais' result by 0:145, scoring the fastest time of the Prologue (1:38.971). The final classification proved the parity between the competitors: BMW, Cadillac and Ferrari took the top six spots, and all cars finished under the previous track record.
Behind that trio of constructors, Alpine and Toyota also demonstrated great competitiveness, finishing within less than six tenths of the best time. Toyota's #7 and #8 GR010 Hybrid covered 402 and 390 laps respectively (more than 2,000 km each)!
On the other hand, Porsche Penske Motorsport navigated a challenging Prologue. The #6 Porsche 963 was forced to submit to an engine change after having dominated the third testing session. There are still high expectations for the German carmaker, fully expected to bounce back at the first round of the season.
1. #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 – BMW M Team WRT – 1:38.971
2. #38 Cadillac V-Series.R – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – 1:39.116
3. #83 Ferrari 499P – AF Corse – 1:39.141
4. #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 – BMW M Team WRT – 1:39.253
5. #12 Cadillac V-Series.R – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – 1:39.296
1. #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – 402 laps (2,162.7 km)
2. #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – 390 laps (2,098.2 km)
3. #51 Ferrari 499P – Ferrari AF Corse – 362 laps (1,947.5 km)
4. #50 Ferrari 499P – Ferrari AF Corse – 360 laps (1,936.8 km)
5. #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 – BMW M Team WRT – 355 laps (1,909.9)
In the LMGT3 class, Vista AF Corse's Ferrari 296 LMGT3 led the charge. The Italian team's two cars claimed the top places with a tiny gap of 0.002 between them!
They were followed very closely behind by The Heart of Racing's #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3, TF Sport's #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R and Akkodis ASP Team's #33 Lexus RC F LMGT3. Only 0.02 seconds separated the five cars, paving the way for breathtaking intensity throughout the season.
1. #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 – Vista AF Corse – 1:54.790
2. #54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 – Vista AF Corse – 1:54.810
3. #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 – The Heart of Racing – 1:54.939
4. #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R – TF Sport – 1:54.957
5. #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 – Akkodis ASP Team – 1:54.987
The 36 cars covered more than 12,000 km over the course of the two testing days. In the wake of these final preparations, all focus is now on the Qatar 1812 km, the kickoff of the 2025 championship and one thing is certain, it promises to be more competitive than ever!
For more info, go to the official FIA WEC website.
