Ferrari hypercars completed a podium hattrick in season opener, capping off a packed week of racing in Lusail.
Ferrari Hypercars completed a historic podium sweep in the World Endurance Championship’s season-opening Qatar 1812 KM at the Lusail International Circuit on Saturday.
The number 50 crew of Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina bettered their stellar third-place finish in the qualifiers to win at the stroke of midnight, after 10 hours of unrelenting racing that had bits of everything, from a flying door to multiple collisions and slip-offs.
Team AF Corse’s number 83, the same Ferrari 499P model as the other podium-sitters, missed out by less than three seconds despite Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson’s solid performances.
The Ferrari number 51 finished third by less than a second as James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi faced multiple penalties at different stages for multiple violations throughout the day.
Giovinazzi had clocked the circuit’s best timings for the Hypercar category to win a heroic pole against tough conditions just a day earlier.
The window of opportunity for Ferrari opened after Cadillac’s Alex Lynn hit his teammate Jenson Button under the safety car, while in the lead fairly early in the race.
Ferrari’s podium sweep comes as a relief and an avenge for the Prancing Horse, whose three cars had finished fourth, sixth and twelfth last year as Porsche 963 completed a 1-2-3 in the inaugural Qatar 1812.
It also breathes life into Ferrari’s hopes of securing their first title in the WEC’s Hypercar category, breaking the duopoly that has seen Toyota and Porsche share the last 10 titles.
TF Sport’s number 33 triumphant in LMGT3
Joining the celebrations alongside the Ferrari number 55 past midnight were the members of the TF Sport’s number 33 crew, who emerged victorious in the Le Mans Grand Touring Car category.
The trio of Dani Juncadella, Ben Keating and Jonny Edgar edged United Autosports’ James Cottingham, Sebastien Baud and Gregorie Saucy by less than half a second’s margin.
Team WRT’s number 31, driven by Augusto Farfus, Timur Boguslavskiy and Yasser Shahin completed a late comeback to complete the podium in LMGT3 classification.
Qatar’s busy racing calendar starts on a high
Ferrari’s dominant display not only emblematised the Italian marque’s solid show — making a strong case for a title charge — but it also capped off a busy and high-octane weekend of racing.
The start saw support races take the center stage as Race 3 of the F4 Middle East Championship kicked off the proceedings, followed by Formula Regional Middle East Championship’s Race 3 and Lusail Classic’s Race 2.
Alex Powell won the F4 Middle East Championship race as Emanuele Olivieri and Reno Francot secured podiums in an event that saw the likes of Taha Hassiba, Bader Al Sulaiti, and Tameem Hassiba represent Qatar in the rookie category.
Jack Beeton clinched the Formula Regional Middle East Championship race as Ugo Ugochukwu and Nikita Bedrin finished second and third respectively. The Lusail Classic Race 2 was won by a Porsche 908/03 (1971 model) followed by Chevron B19 (1971 model) and Chevron B31 (1975 model).
A lap of honor was also organised with participation of the WEC drivers, which aimed to serve as a “ceremonial tribute to legendary drivers, past champions and iconic race cars,” according to the organisers.
This week’s racing was testament to the circuit’s efforts to offer a package that “both honored motorsport heritage and developed future talent,” CEO Abdualziz Ali Al-Mohannadi said in a statement.
A stacked calendar will see the Lusail International Circuit host multiple high-profile motorsports events in 2025, including the MotoGP in April and Formula 1 race in late November.
Following its action-packed opening race, the FIA WEC will head to Italy for the 6 hours of Imola race, scheduled to be held on April 20.
Qatar will host the annual WEC race at least until 2029, as part of a six-year deal signed with the FIA back in 2022.
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