The FIA World Endurance Championship teams have arrived in Qatar and descended on the Lusail International Circuit paddock. The entire fleet of 38 cars is on hand this time, no delays (this year the cars were air freighted rather than shipped) mean the Prologue is set to run as planned tomorrow and Saturday.
It’s the start of a new season, which means there are plenty of new liveries and cars to look at.
DSC toured the pit lane this morning and caught a glimpse of a number of key cars, starting with the Aston Martin THOR Team Valykries, which were heading through scrutineering as the DSC editor and deputy editor arrived.
Both new-for-2025 LMH prototypes look spectacular up close in their new liveries, and crucially, there are differences between the two.
The #007, as seen in renders and test shots, has yellow accents, while the #009 has a DayGlo orange shade band and mirrors. It’s a nice throwback to the DBR9 GT1 days.
Up close the Valkyrie’s aero package is absolutely spectacular, a perfect blend of aggression and elegance. We will have to wait just a little longer to see how it performs in anger.
Notably, DSC can confirm that the car will race with an identical exhaust system as in the GTP class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. DSC understands that its peak volume comes out at one decibel below the limit set by the championship.
The WEC’s newest team, Racing Spirit of Leman, was also at the end of pit lane with its Vantage, which was in the loading bay for technical checks.
Next up was the Proton garage. The 963 is being liveried up in last year’s white and lime green FATurbo colours.
Meanwhile, next door, Ford Performance colours are being applied to the German team’s pair of Mustang LMGT3s, which arrived in Qatar still sporting last year’s liveries.
There was a pleasant surprise at BMW Team WRT. The #20 M Hybrid V8 has red and yellow elements and Shell branding, which will make it easy to pick out.
Both United Autosports McLaren GT3 Evos, and the garage boards, look splendid in the team’s new Papaya design.
Elsewhere in the GT ranks, the Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMGs are being prepped today ahead of the German brand’s WEC debut. The base colours have been applied to both chassis, the details will follow soon.
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s V-Series.Rs are also undergoing prep work for the testing ahead of the British team’s first race weekend as a General Motors factory service provider. In the flesh, the ‘Hertz Racing Gold’ scheme looks as stunning as you’d expect on the Cadillac.
Towards the far end of the pit lane, AF Corse’s 499Ps have been switched to the 2025 ‘blood red’ base colour.
The Peugeot garage is also complete, with the 9X8s up on pit stands being prepped for the first bout of track action, which is set to begin at 13:00 local time in Qatar.
A timetable for the Prologue can be found HERE >>>
