Like many of his colleagues, official Corvette driver Antonio Garcia is a keen runner. Set to race in the LM GTE Pro class at the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours this year, he ran the EDP Rock

The opening round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship saw Ferrari scoop the honours with a historic 1-2-3. The #50 Ferrari 499P of Ferrari AF Corse won the Qatar 1812km while Corvette claimed victory in the LMGT3 class.

The #50 Ferrari 499P driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen led home AF Corse&rsquo;s privately entered #83 499P and the #51 factory car that started the race in pole position. This is the first time that a manufacturer has locked out the FIA WEC podium since Hypercar was introduced.

<h4>Hypercar Top Ten</h4>

1. #50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | &ndash; 318 laps 
2. #83 Ferrari 499P | AF Corse | +2.348 
3. #51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | +2.677 
4. #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | +9.907 
5. #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | +19.628 
6. #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | +23.266 
7. #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | +36.388 
8. #12 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | +37.756 
9. #3 Peugeot 9X8 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | +1:29.683 
10. #5 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | +1 lap

In the LMGT3 class, Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Daniel Juncadella brought home the #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, fielded by TF Sport, in first place. In the final laps, Juncadella had to call on his wealth of experience to hold off the challenge from United Autosports&rsquo; Swiss driver Gr&eacute;goire Saucy in the #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo.

<h4>LMGT3 Top Five</h4>

1. #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | TF Sport | 287 laps 
2. #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo | United Autosports | +0.493 
3. #31 BMW M4 LMGT3 | The Bend Team WRT | +1 lap&nbsp; 
4. #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 | Akkodis ASP Team | +1 lap&nbsp; 
5. #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Vista AF Corse | +1 lap

The next round of the FIA WEC will take place in Italy on 20 April at the 6 Hours of Imola.

Read more on the official <a href="http://www.fiawec.com/en/">FIA WEC web site</a>.

FIA WEC – Historic 1-2-3 for Ferrari at Qatar 1812km

Ferrari is off to a flying start! Antonio Giovinazzi put the #51 Ferrari 499P in pole position at the end of a breathtaking Hyperpole ahead of the Qatar 1812km, the season’s opening race. Let’s look back on a hotly contested session, clinched with a last-gasp lap!

For the 2025 season, the FIA World Endurance Championship has introduced an improved qualifying system that sees the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes take part in two qualifying sessions each. Both classes have a 12-minute opening session followed by a 10-minute Hyperpole for the top 10 qualifiers that decides pole position for each class.

The season&rsquo;s first Hypercar Hyperpole kept all its promise, offering intense action through to the dying moments. After the first phase of qualifying, 10 cars secured a place in the final showdown that shut out the Porsche 963s of Porsche Penske Motorsport and the Aston Martin Valkyries of Aston Martin THOR Team. Porsche fans can however take comfort in the fact that, while the car has difficulty in finding single-lap pace, its performance on long stints inspres much greater confidence.

The drivers gradually stepped up the pace during the Hyperpole session. Dries Vanthoor was the first to catch the eye with a 1:38.495 lap in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, placing the Bavarian manufacturer at the top of the charts ahead of the #51 Ferrari 499P and the #20 BMW. But the pack was reshuffled in the final minutes.

Alex Lynn briefly took up second place in the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R, before he was in turn knocked down by Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari. But it was fellow Ferrari AF Corse driver Giovinazzi who had the final word. The Italian snatched pole on the final lap in the #51 Ferrari in a time of 1:38.359, one-tenth faster than Vanthoor.

With this performance, Ferrari AF Corse takes the first pole position of the season and confirms its ambitions in the face of some stellar competition. The race promises to be an exciting battle, where endurance and strategy management will play key roles.

&nbsp;

<h4>Hypercar Top Five</h4>

1. #51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | 1:38.359 
2. #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | +0.136 
3. #50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | +0.333 
4. #12 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | +0.364 
5. #38 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA | +0.677

<h2>United Autosports and McLaren take the season&rsquo;s opening LMGT3 Hyperpole</h2>

The ten Hyperpole qualifiers were, in order, the #95 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo of United Autosports, the #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 of Akkodis ASP Team, the #59 McLaren of United Autosport USA, the #87 Lexus of Akkodis ASP Team, the #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 of Vista AF Corse, the #46 BMW M4 LMGT3 of Team WRT, the #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 of Heart Of Racing, the #54 Ferrari of Vista AF Corse, the #81 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R of TF Sport and the #88 Ford Mustang LMGT3 of Proton Competition.

United Autosports&rsquo; Sean Gelael, at the wheel of the #95 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo, was first to set the time to beat in 1:54.338. With less than two minutes left on the clock, Zacharie Robichon went on the attack in the #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 fielded by Heart Of Racing, but the Canadian fell short. At the same moment, Akkodis ASP Team&rsquo;s Finn Gehrsitz spun in the #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3.

Gelael managed to hang on to his lead throughout the breathtaking session and clinch Hyperpole ahead of the #59 McLaren of United Autosports, driven by S&eacute;bastien Baud, just two-tenths of a second in arrears. Gehrsitz recovered from his error to take third place in the #78 Lexus, while the two Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3s (#21 and #54) rounded out the top five.

Qualifying Highlights I 2025 Qatar 1812 KM I FIA WEC

FIA WEC : revivez les qualifications des 1812 Km du Qatar

FIA WEC – Ferrari AF Corse clinches first Hyperpole of the season in Qatar

The wait is over! This weekend, the Aston Martin Valkyrie roared onto the track for its official début at the FIA WEC Prologue, held over two days at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. Set to compete in the Hypercar class for the 2025 season, the British manufacturer’s entry turned heads with its unmistakeable growl, courtesy of its naturally-aspirated V12 engine.

Running under the banner of Aston Martin THOR Racing, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/aston-martin-thor-team-unveils-valkyrie-livery-59319" target="_blank">two Valkyrie cars</a>&nbsp;racked up 549 laps combined, equal to 1835 miles, providing the British squad with crucial data to fine-tune their Hypercar for the upcoming season. This was a defining moment for Aston Martin, as it marked the first time both of its cars were in action simultaneously at an official test session.

In terms of speed, the #007 driven by &nbsp;Harry Tincknell,&nbsp;Tom Gamble&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ross Gunn&nbsp;logged the 15th fastest time (1:41.089), 2.1 seconds off the pace set by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/stellar-showing-for-bmw-m-team-wrt-at-the-2025-fia-wec-prologue-59368" target="_blank">#20 BMW, which topped the timesheets.</a> The #009, piloted by Alex Riberas,&nbsp;Marco S&oslash;rensen&nbsp;and&nbsp;Roman De Angelis&nbsp;came in 17th with a time of 1:41.353. While these results reflect the team&rsquo;s ongoing learning curve, they highlight the Valkyrie&rsquo;s significant potential and the progress already made.

<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tvdCHq2i4AI?si=gnLSLUWXqq4szdhj" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;

<h2>Building momentum</h2>

&ldquo;Two days of solid testing here in Qatar with the Valkyrie for the @fiawec_official prologue in the books&hellip; Big steps forward, and now it&rsquo;s time to gear up for FP1 on Wednesday! Let&rsquo;s keep learning and pushing forward,&rdquo;&nbsp;said Tom Gamble on social media following the Prologue. Ross Gunn, too, expressed his excitement to be back behind the wheel of the Valkyrie, emphasising the team&rsquo;s pride in the car&rsquo;s progress.

Aston Martin THOR Racing&rsquo;s long-term goal is clear:&nbsp;to see the Valkyrie fighting for victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA WEC. For now, however, the learning process continues. On Friday 28 February, the British team will face its first true competitive test at the 1,812&nbsp;km Qatar race, the 2025 FIA WEC season opener. In the days leading up to the event, the team will be tweaking its settings in the practice and qualifying sessions.

A huge challenge lies ahead, but Aston Martin&rsquo;s ambitions are a worthy match for the legend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Aston Martin Valkyrie makes its first official outing at the FIA WEC Prologue in Qatar

The annual Prologue, held this year at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar, gave teams the opportunity for final prep ahead of the Qatar 1812 km season opener on 26-28 February. BMW let out quite a battle cry by clocking the fastest time of the two days of testing thanks to Robin Frijns at the wheel of the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 entered by BMW M Team WRT.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA seemed on excellent footing after a&nbsp;decisive first day, then&nbsp;S&eacute;bastien Bourdais finished the second day at the top of the timesheet before an unfortunate error&nbsp;led to a spin-out. Back on the track, he managed to&nbsp;place&nbsp;the #38&nbsp;Cadillac V-Series.R in the lead until the determined attack&nbsp;by&nbsp;Robin Frijns.

The Dutch driver showcased the power of the Bavarian hybrid V8 and beat Bourdais&#39; result&nbsp;by&nbsp;0:145, scoring the fastest time of the Prologue (1:38.971). The final classification proved&nbsp;the parity between the competitors: BMW, Cadillac and&nbsp;Ferrari took the top six spots, and all cars finished under the previous track record.

<h2>Toyota and&nbsp;Alpine in the Fight,&nbsp;Porsche Trailing</h2>

Behind that trio of&nbsp;constructors, Alpine and&nbsp;Toyota also demonstrated great competitiveness, finishing&nbsp;within less than six tenths of&nbsp;the best&nbsp;time.&nbsp;Toyota&#39;s #7 and #8&nbsp;GR010 Hybrid covered&nbsp;402 and&nbsp;390 laps respectively (more than&nbsp;2,000 km each)!

On the other hand, Porsche Penske Motorsport navigated&nbsp;a challenging&nbsp;Prologue. The #6&nbsp;Porsche 963 was forced to submit to an engine change after having dominated the third testing session. There are still high expectations for the German carmaker,&nbsp;fully expected to bounce back at&nbsp;the first round of the season.

<h4>Prologue top 5 overall:</h4>

1. #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 &ndash; BMW M Team WRT &ndash; 1:38.971 
2. #38 Cadillac V-Series.R&nbsp;&ndash; Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; 1:39.116 
3. #83 Ferrari 499P&nbsp;&ndash; AF Corse &ndash; 1:39.141 
4. #15 BMW M Hybrid V8&nbsp;&ndash; BMW M Team WRT &ndash; 1:39.253 
5. #12 Cadillac V-Series.R&nbsp;&ndash; Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; 1:39.296

<h4>Top 5 cars with the most lap:</h4>

1. #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid &ndash; TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing &ndash; 402 laps (2,162.7 km) 
2. #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid &ndash; TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing &ndash; 390 laps (2,098.2 km) 
3. #51&nbsp;Ferrari 499P&nbsp;&ndash; Ferrari AF Corse &ndash; 362 laps (1,947.5 km) 
4. #50 Ferrari 499P&nbsp;&ndash; Ferrari AF Corse &ndash; 360 laps (1,936.8 km) 
5. #15 BMW M Hybrid V8&nbsp;&ndash; BMW M Team WRT &ndash; 355 laps (1,909.9)

<h2>LMGT3: Ferrari dominates, Aston Martin and&nbsp;Corvette on its Heels</h2>

In the&nbsp;LMGT3 class, Vista AF Corse&#39;s&nbsp;Ferrari 296 LMGT3 led the charge. The Italian team&#39;s two cars claimed&nbsp;the top places with a tiny gap of 0.002 between them!

They were followed very closely behind by The Heart of Racing&#39;s #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3, TF Sport&#39;s #33&nbsp;Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R and Akkodis ASP Team&#39;s&nbsp;#33 Lexus RC F LMGT3. Only 0.02 seconds separated the five cars, paving the way for breathtaking intensity&nbsp;throughout the season.

<h4>LMGT3 top 5:</h4>

1. #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3&nbsp;&ndash; Vista AF Corse &ndash; 1:54.790 
2. #54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3&nbsp;&ndash; Vista AF Corse &ndash; 1:54.810 
3. #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 &ndash; The Heart of Racing&nbsp;&ndash; 1:54.939 
4. #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R&nbsp;&ndash; TF Sport &ndash; 1:54.957 
5. #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3&nbsp;&ndash; Akkodis ASP Team &ndash; 1:54.987

The&nbsp;36 cars covered more than&nbsp;12,000 km over the course of the two testing days. In the wake of&nbsp;these final preparations, all focus is now on the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/fia-wec-2025-qatar-1812km-set-to-ignite-explosive-season-59344">Qatar 1812 km</a>, the kickoff of the 2025&nbsp;championship&nbsp;and one thing is certain,&nbsp;it promises to be more competitive than ever! 
 
For more info, go to the official&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/" target="_blank">FIA WEC website</a>.

Stellar showing for BMW M Team WRT at the 2025 FIA WEC Prologue

Garcia tweeted before the race, saying that he hoped to complete the 13.1 miles in a time of 1 hour 20 minutes. Alas, rain and an over-optimistic start dashed his hopes and slowed him down after just three miles. The Spanish driver, three-time winner in his class at Le Mans, finished the race in 1 hr 22 minutes instead &hellip; just 20 minutes behind the overall winner!

	On the same day, McLaren F1 driver Jenson Button took part in the London Marathon, reaching the finish line in 2 hours 52 minutes, a time that Oliver Gavin, Antonio Garcia&#39;s teammate at Corvette and another avid runner, intends to challenge. The pair might be rivals when it comes to running but they are still teammates on the racetrack and, in the meantime, they will be racing at the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R. The car made its first Le Mans appearance last year, clinching second place in the LM GTE Pro class.

	Text C&eacute;cile Bonardel / ACO Translated from French by Clair Pickworth

	PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 2014, CORVETTE PRESS BRIEFING. Antonio Garcia, second in LM GTE Pro at Le Mans in 2014, crossed the finish line of the EDP Rock&rsquo;n&rsquo;Roll half-marathon in Madrid this weekend. 
	&nbsp;

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans 2015 - A half-marathon for Antonio Garcia (Corvette)

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