Hypercar
The first qualifiyng session of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship has been run at the Qatar 1812kms! Antonio Giovinazzi continued the Ferrari pace and took pole position in the No.51 Ferrari 499P with a last-minute lap time of 1m38.359s. It was an intense moment—Giovinazzi really put the pressure on Dries Vanthoor, who was in pole contention with his No.20 BMW. Vanthoor, hunting for the manufacturer’s first-ever pole, just fell short.
In third place, we saw another Ferrari in the form of Antonio Fuoco’s No.50 AF Corse car. Unfortunately for Fuoco, his attempt for a better lap was compromised when he had to dodge the No.51 Ferrari during his push lap.
Joining the Ferraris at the front was Alex Lynn who clocked in the best time for the Cadillac V-Series.R, driving for the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA squad. Teammate Sebastien Bourdais managed to put the No.30 Cadillac in fifth place, showcasing a strong debut for this team and its manufacturer.
And let’s not forget the second BMW, which found its way into the mix thanks to a solid drive from Robin Frijns, ensuring that two BMWs joined forces with the Ferraris and Cadillacs in the top six. Rounding out the top ten were the No.7 Toyota Gazoo Hypercar, the No.83 AF Corse Ferrari, the No.35 Alpine, and the No.93 Peugeot TotalEnergies entry.
Looking at the statistics, this is already shaping up as a solid season for Giovinazzi—it’s his second pole in just four rounds, following his success at COTA in 2024. Additionally, Ferrari AF Corse celebrated reaching five overall poles as a team, joining an elite group alongside Audi, Toyota, and Porsche’s LMP1 team. Fun fact: This is also the second time the 499P has secured pole at a season-opener, after Sebring in 2023.
LMGT3
Shifting gears to the LMGT3 category, it was yet another fantastic showcase from United Autosports. They snagged their second consecutive 1-2 finish in qualifying, with Sean Gelael steering the No.95 McLaren LMGT3 to pole position. Gelael clocked an impressive lap to kick off his McLaren career, leaving his teammate Sebastien Baud in the No.59 McLaren trailing by 0.2 seconds. This pole is particularly special as it’s Gelael’s first in the WEC.
The McLarens made their way into the Hypercar session thanks to Darren Leung and James Cottingham. It’s noteworthy that this was the first time under the new regulation that allowed silver drivers to qualify in the Hyperpole session.
Next up on the grid, we had the No.78 Akkodis ASP Lexus driven by rookie Finn Gehrsitz, securing a commendable third place. Right beside them on the second row is the No.54 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3, piloted by Francesco Castellacci. Fifth place went to the No.21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari, with Francois Heriau starting before handing over to silver-rated teammate Simon Mann.
The second Akkodis ASP Lexus, driven by Clemens Schmid, completed the top six. While Schmid had a shot at challenging for pole, he unfortunately got penalized for breaking track limits, which is a classic case of “so close, yet so far.”
The rest of the top ten included the No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, the No.46 WRT BMW, the No.81 TF Sport Corvette, and the No.88 Proton Ford Mustang, rounding out a competitive field.
In terms of stats, Gelael’s pole adds to McLaren’s tally, making it their third, the most for any LMGT3 manufacturer thus far. Plus, United Autosports has made history by being the first team to claim consecutive LMGT3 poles.
