Alpine reveals secret to points finish on WEC LMDh debut in Qatar

Ferdinand Habsburg has revealed that his ability to save fuel over the course of the opening stint of the Qatar 1812Km led to the strategy call that allowed the #35 car he shared with Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin to complete the race on one fewer pitstops than its rivals for the final point-paying places. […]
IMSA champ Jack Hawskworth to make NASCAR Truck debut at COTA

The Lexus factory driver driver has just one previous start in any level of NASCAR, competing in the Mid-Ohio Xfinity race in 2019. He qualified second and finished 15th, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hawksworth’s NASCAR Truck Series debut will come with TRICON Garage, driving the No. 1 Toyota Tundra. The COTA race takes place […]
No strategy would have «offset» gap to LMDh cars in WEC Qatar

Ferrari’s sportscar technical director Ferdinando Cannizzo said the Italian marque doesn’t take any consolation from being the highest-placed LMH car in the Qatar 1812Km, a race in which LMDh cars from Porsche and Cadillac swept the top four positions. AF Corse’s new privately-entered Ferrari 499P finished fifth ahead of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, while […]
Toyota expects another «difficult» WEC race in Imola if car weight remains same

The Japanese manufacturer fears it could end up being in the same position as in Saturday’s Qatar 1812Km season-opener, where the two GR010 HYBRIDs finished sixth and ninth after struggling for pace all week at the Losail International Circuit. A front-row starting position following an impressive lap from Nyck de Vries in Hyperpole qualifying had […]
Peugeot proud of wingless 9X8 despite ‘Le Mans 2016 moment’ in Qatar WEC race

The wingless iteration of the 9X8 made its final WEC bow in Saturday’s Qatar 1812Km event at the Losail International Circuit ahead of being replaced by a more conventional design from April’s Six Hours of Imola. A second-place result appeared to be on the cards until Jean-Eric Vergne slowed down on track on the penultimate […]
Late pitstop made Estre fear last-gasp Porsche WEC Qatar defeat

The Penske-run factory Porsche 963 LMDh the Frenchman shared with Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer had sustained serious bodywork damage over the final hours of the Qatar 1812Km, which meant he was worried that a stop for repairs would wipe out his lead over the chasing Peugeot. “The car was tough to drive, but the […]
#93 Peugeot disqualified from Qatar WEC opener after fuel drama

The car shared by Jean-Eric Vergne, Nico Muller and Mikken Jensen was provisionally qualified seventh after Vergne had managed to crawl to the finish line on electrical power, a lap down on the winning #6 Porsche. However, following a lengthy investigation that went into the early hours of Monday, Peugeot was found guilty of breaching […]
Porsche claims maiden Hypercar win despite late drama

Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer took top honours in the Qatar 1812Km despite Estre having to make an unscheduled pitstop with fewer than 10 laps to go due to a missing number panel on the left-hand side of the factory #6 Penske 963 LMDh. It marked the German manufacturer’s first overall victory in […]
Porsche leads Peugeot at halfway point of season-opener

Andre Lotterer was circulating 28s out in front in the factory #6 Porsche Penske 963 LMDh after five hours of racing in the Qatar 1812Km, as the order stabilised after a chaotic start at the Losail International Circuit. The Porsche moved into the lead at the beginning of the second hour when the #93 Peugeot […]