Qatar Collective shot
This year’s collective shot was moved from the circuit to a brand new location in the nearby Lusail Boulevard business district.
The setting made for some stunning images of the 2025 field ahead of the opening round of the season.
Valkyrie set for endurance test at Sebring
Aston Martin THOR Team boss Ian James confirmed to DSC that the Valkyrie will be pushed to its limits in a full 24-hour endurance test at Sebring after the 12 Hours next month, as part of the programme’s preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.
“After Sebring we will roll into a 24-hour test, and see if we can survive around there with the IMSA car. It won’t be a straight simulation of a race, it will be a mileage and time simulation,” said James.
“I don’t want to jinx myself but the attention to detail on making the car reliable has been the highest priority by the team. I’m really impressed with the effort that the team has made in putting these things together. The only thing is, we don’t know what we don’t know yet!”
Back On Track?
The #10 Racing Spirit of Le Mans Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 car was ready to roll by yesterday after its misadventure during the Prologue.
Over at Proton Competition, there was still plenty of work underway on the #77 Ford Mustang GT3 after its fire on Friday.
However, the team is entirely confident that the car will be ready for this morning’s track action. The task has been huge. Everything from the A-Pillar forward has had to be replaced.
Cairoli: Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo “the best fit” for gentlemen drivers
Iron Lynx driver Matteo Cairoli is highly complimentary of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo that the Italian team is campaigning for the first time this year.
Cairoli is sharing the #60 with Matteo Cressoni and Claudio Schiavoni and told DSC that he feels the GT3 Evo as a package is the most Am-friendly he’s encountered. This is crucial, as the team looks to get Schiavoni and its other Bronze-rated driver, Christian Ried, up to speed after the programme came together late and testing opportunities were limited over the winter.
“The car is so solid, a proper race car and it’s so easy to drive compared to the previous cars I’ve used,” he said. “This is the one that I think for a gentleman is the best fit. We are still learning, and we have improvements to make because we need to understand how the torque sensors work and how to set the car up.
“But for Claudio, this is the best car for him. He’s mixing up a lot of cars, jumping from Porsche to Mercedes, but I can say from the three cars he’s driven recently, the Mercedes is the best for him. The car is so good through corners, it’s very responsive, and braking-wise wise it’s brilliant. It’s a car that you can play around with, without losing a lot of time each lap. It has a big window.”
Circuit changes “impact Hypercars less than GTs”
Heart of Racing LMGT3 driver Zach Robichon feels the changes to the kerbs and track limits lines – plus the addition of a number of gravel traps at corner exits here in Qatar – will make life tougher for the LMGT3 drivers this year.
“The biggest difference is where the gravel beds are, it changes the level of risk you can take. Coming from IMSA I’m a big believer that you shouldn’t necessarily have track limits, if you’re off the track you’re going off the track and I’ve not loved when we go to circuits with lots of runoff,” he told DSC.
“It causes people to take risks they wouldn’t normally take. So natural deterrents like this is a good thing. Is gravel the best way? No because it makes the track dirty, but it does the job.
“Where they’ve added the gravel traps, it impacts the Hypercars less than the GT cars because they can’t use the same amount of kerbs that the GT cars use. Now we have the gravel beds in places we were driving, so we’re impacted more on raw lap time.”
Tyres are also a topic for discussion up and down the paddock, particularly in Hypercar where the teams can use both the Michelin Medium and Hard compounds. We will see plenty of experimentation it seems during the race, with teams working to find the right window to make the Mediums sing towards the end of the race as the temperature drops.
Teams and drivers have also been exploring the benefits of putting Hards on the left and Mediums on the right, due to the inbalance in the level of load at this circuit.
Late arrivals
TF Sport team principal Tom Ferrier arrived at the circuit yesterday after illness forced him to remain in isolation at his hotel for several days.
United Autosports co-owner Richard Dean was also a late arrival after delaying his trip to allow attendance at the Silverstone memorial service for close friend Ian Barnwell.
His business partner Zak Brown will make a flying visit to the circuit around his commitments for F1 testing in Bahrain.
Spotted in the paddock
Duqueine Engineering’s Jean Karl Vernay was spotted in the Lusail paddock yesterday, as was 2023 Nürburgring 24 Hours winner David Pittard who is on driver coach duties.
Historics arrive
The cars that will take part in the Peter Auto-organised Qatar Classic Challenge have arrived at the circuit, based in the pit garages closest to pit-out.
All cars and drivers are set to take part in a road run to Lusail Boulevard later today in a parade set to be led by Tom Kristensen and Emanuel Pirro.
On display outside the garages for the classic are a pair of more recent historic race cars, a Porsche 911 GT1 Evo, this a car previously campaigned by current FIA WEC driver advisor and 4 time Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas, and a Prodrive / Care racing Ferrari 500 Maranello
Keep tabs on the Peter Auto YouTube Channel for live streams of the action featuring commentary from Martin Haven and the DSC Editor.
JOTA celebrates milestone
JOTA is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Founded in 2000, the British group has established itself as a powerhouse in the motorsport and automotive engineering industries, achieving remarkable success and earning an unrivalled reputation, particularly through its prestigious racing team.
The JOTA Group comprises JOTA Advanced Engineering, JOTA Composites, and JOTA Sport – the racing arm responsible for managing Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Over the past quarter century, it has grown from a plucky outfit at a grassroots level to a service provider for General Motors’ FIA WEC factory team. It’s quite the story.
“It’s amazing that 25 years have passed since those very first races with a mighty Honda Integra and the chaos of the Renault Clio V6 series,” said Sam Hignett, Co-Founder and Director at JOTA Group. “There are too many highlights to mention – Championship wins in the Asian Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series and WEC alongside an unforgettable 13 podiums at Le Mans.
“It’s been a breathtaking journey so far, and the latest chapter as Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA is our crowning achievement to date. We are equally as proud of JOTA Advanced Engineering and JOTA Composites whose engineering and manufacturing capabilities go from strength to strength. Alongside our unwaveringly supportive partners, Knighthead Capital, we are beyond excited to see what the future holds for JOTA.”
As part of the celebrations, JOTA will be hosting events and activities throughout the year at some of the most iconic motorsport locations around the world. These celebrations will be a fitting tribute to the group’s remarkable journey in motorsport, and more details will follow in the coming weeks and months.
“We’re incredibly proud to celebrate our 25th anniversary,” said David Clark, Co-Founder and Director at JOTA Group. “This milestone is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the JOTA family over the years. Just because our racing efforts give us the most visibility doesn’t mean that the composites and engineering arms of our group aren’t equally important and celebrated in their own right.
“Within the business, we live by our mantra of “the JOTA way”, this saying encapsulates a very special team spirit, one of striving to do our best, of passion in everything we do and of our tenacity to punch far beyond our weight. Our partnership with Cadillac Racing embodies this spirit and represents an exciting new phase, and we look forward to pushing the limits of endurance racing together and writing the next chapter in JOTA’s rich history.”
