Porsche Penske Takes Dominant Victory at Dramatic 2024 Qatar 1812 Km
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) returned to life this weekend with a thrilling season opener in Qatar. The 10-hour "Qatar Airways 1812 Km" proved to be dramatic, filled with close battles,
Porsche Penske Motorsport controlled the 2024 Qatar 1812 Km, securing a dominant 1-2-3 finish in Hypercar. Ferrari and Toyota struggled with reliability and pace, falling behind the German manufacturer. Manthey Racing etched their name in history, claiming the first-ever WEC LMGT3 victory with their No.92 Porsche.
The season opener sets the stage for an exciting WEC year, with Porsche a frontrunner but facing strong challenges from resurgent rivals like Ferrari and Peugeot.
Qualifying
In a major shake-up for the WEC, the thrilling Hyperpole qualifying format, previously exclusive to the Le Mans race, has been extended to all events for the 2024 season. This exciting format introduces a two-stage qualifying process for both Hypercar and LMGTE-Am classes.
Both car classes participate in a 12-minute session to determine the top 10 fastest cars. These elite 10 then compete in a separate 10-minute "Hyperpole" session to claim the coveted pole position.
The inaugural Hyperpole session kicked off the qualifying process for the 2024 Qatar 1812 Km. Among the LMGT3 contenders, Tom van Rompuy secured the pole in his No.81 TF Sport Corvette, setting a blistering pace of 1:54.372. Moving on to the Hypercar class, Matt Campbell stole the show, grabbing pole position for Porsche Penske Motorsport in their No.5 Porsche with a time of 1:39.347. Hot on his heels was Nyck de Vries in the No.7 Toyota, followed closely by Callum Ilott in the No.12 Porsche, rounding out the top three qualifiers.
Race Day
The race kicked off with a surprise as Miguel Molina in the No.50 Ferrari AF Corse snatched the lead from Michael Christensen in the No.5 Porsche with a very sensational overtake around the outside in turn one. In the LMGTE-Am class, pole-sitter Tom van Rompuy's early advantage faded as he dropped to sixth, while Aliaksandr Malykhin in the No.92 Porsche stormed into the lead ahead of Ian James in the No.27 Aston Martin. The Hypercar class saw another unexpected twist as the No.93 Peugeot surged to the front after 26 minutes, holding off Laurens Vanthoor in the No.6 Porsche and Christensen in the No.5 Porsche from then on the French team looked very strong in front showcasing them to be a serious contender for the win.
A chaotic sequence unfolded as Calado, piloting the No.51 Ferrari, made contact with the No.59 McLaren due to which the Ferrari lost its rear wing necessitating a pit stop for repairs. This incident triggered the race's first full-course yellow flag. Meanwhile, the No.50 Ferrari received a drive-through penalty for violating pit lane entry regulations. After the yellow flag lifted, the No.6 Porsche, driven by Kevin Estre, capitalized on the drama, overtaking Mikkel Jensen in the No.93 Peugeot to snatch the lead.
The LMGT3 category saw an intense battle unfold between the No.27 Aston Martin and the #92 Porsche. The Aston Martin managed to wrestle the lead away from the Porsche, showcasing their competitive spirit.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, drama struck again. Alex Riberas, behind the wheel of the No.27 Aston Martin and currently sitting in second place, spun out, handing the LMGT3 class lead to Klaus Bachler in the No.92 Porsche. Valentino Rossi, piloting the No.46 BMW M Team WRT BMW, moved up to the third-place position.
Heartbreak struck the No.93 Peugeot in the dying moments of the race. While holding second place, the car experienced a sudden engine issue, forcing Jean-Éric Vergne to crawl across the finish line to claim checkered flag. Investigations revealed that the issue was likely from an unexpected fuel shortage during the car's final pit stop, as confirmed by Stellantis Motorsport director Jean-Marc Finot. However, the No.93 Peugeots were later disqualified for violating regulations by operating their ERS system below the minimum required speed.
In a dominant display, Porsche Penske Motorsport secured a resounding 1-2-3 finish in the Hypercar class. Kévin Estre, piloting the #6 Porsche, crossed the finish line first, claiming the team's maiden victory in the World Endurance Championship. Callum Ilott, driving the No.12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche, finished a respectable second, 33.3 seconds behind the leader. Completing the podium sweep was Matt Campbell in the #5 Porsche, narrowly edged out by Ilott by a mere 0.9 seconds.
Meanwhile, the inaugural LMGT3 race saw another Porsche triumph. Klaus Bachler, behind the wheel of the No.92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche, secured the historic first victory in the category. The Aston Martin squad mounted a valiant challenge, with the No.27 Heart of Racing entry driven by Alex Riberas finishing a close second, 4.8 seconds behind the winning Porsche.
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