Porsche Penske Motorsport's No.5 car during the free practice session yesterday. PIC: Twitter/ @PorscheRaces
Doha, Qatar: Porsche Penske Motorsport dominated the opening day of the Qatar Airways Qatar 1812km, topping the practice sessions with Matt Campbell saying the team is well prepared to battle for the world title this year.
After leading the two-day pres-season test for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Porsche remained unbeaten in both the practice sessions ahead of the season-opening race at the Lusail International Circuit.
Kevin Estre wrapped up the electrifying practice sessions finishing on top in a shortened second practice due to two red flags incident, setting a blistering time of 1m39.990s – the only driver to break 1m40s barrier during the session.
Porsche Penske Motorsport's No.6 car during a pit stop. PIC: Twitter/@PorscheRaces
In the first session, Campbell was fastest in the #5 factory Porsche 963 LMDh in the 90-minute session as the Australian posted a time of 1m42.486s.
Speaking to The Peninsula after the opening practice session, Campbell, 29 said his team is confident of an improved show this season as they finished third overall behind champions Toyota Gazoo Racing and runners-up Ferrari AF Corse last year.
“We want to have a better performance than we did last year. This is clear. We want to be fighting for the championship and the overall win at Le Mans. And we’ve already seen the result of positive steps and good preparations,” he said.
With an astonishing 19 Hypercars, 18 LMGT3 cars and a record-breaking 14 manufacturers are taking part in the season, Campbell admitted a “big challenge” awaits his side.
“I would say it’s very different to last year, a lot more cars in the Hypercar class with 19 and then no more LMP2 anymore just with the LMGT3. So very different in terms of let’s say structure. And for sure, our job is made a little bit more difficult now with you know, a lot more emphasis put on qualifying with the increase of cars, but also with a lot more, let’s say slower cars,” he said.
Qatar 'very, very welcoming'
With Lusail International Circuit – the famous venue for Formula One and MotoGP races – hosting the WEC event for the first time, Campbell rated the track as “very difficult.”
Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Matt Campbell.
“It has good mixture of corners. It’s quite technical, but for sure it’s very difficult, especially for when you’re in a race situation to be able to manage the tyre of the course of the stint and this has made even more difficult with the wet regulations. So very tricky in terms with the teams to be able to manage the track and the tyres,” said the Porsche driver before giving thumbs up to Qatar's hospitality.
“So far it’s been very, very welcoming. I think that the track has been a good addition to the wet calendar. It’s something new and different and a big challenge for all the teams. So I think this will make for a really, really good racing because like I said, the tyres are gonna be a very important aspect and it should produce some good racing and strategy.”
Meanwhile, the LMGT3 category showcased equally impressive performances. Behind the wheel of a McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo, Nicolas Pino topped the category with a lap time of 1:55.824. Alessio Rovera in a Ferrari 296 LMGT3 was not far behind, securing a close second with a time of 1:55.983, while Davide Rigon in the same model of Ferrari completed the top three with a time of 1:56.069.
Today, the Hypercars and LMGT3 cars will be seen in action in the qualifying ahead of tomorrow’s race while contests for Classic Endurance and Qatar Touring Car Championship will also take place.
Kyle Tilley was the fastest in free practice of Classic Endurance Racing, clocking 2:01.427 in a Chevron B27S 1974.
Qatari driver Ghanin Al Madheed led the time sheets at Qatar Touring Car Championship practice, clocking 2:27.160 in his Lotus Falis, with a top speed of 132.5 kmh.
