24h Le Mans
BMW M Motorsport invited Valentino Rossi to test-drive the BMW M Hybrid V8 at the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship Rookie Test. The former MotoGP champion appeared at ease and demonstrated real speed at the wheel of the German hypercar.
The day after the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, the finale of the 2024 FIA WEC season, Valentino Rossi took his place in the cockpit of the BMW M Team WRT #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. The nine-time motorcycle Grand Prix world champion is now pursuing a career in endurance in the LMGT3 class, and readied himself for the Rookie Test using the BMW simulator in Munich. Rossi was able to get to grips with the German hypercar over the course of two sessions, totalling five hours of track time. He also benefited from advice from René Rast.
Rossi recorded the second-fastest time among the rookie drivers, just a tenth of a second behind Arthur Leclerc.
Valentino Rossi: “Today was a fantastic day. I had the chance to drive the BMW M Hybrid V8 for the entire day, with the whole crew and René Rast who gave me advice. I enjoyed it a lot, the car is fantastic, very fast and very strong. It has a lot of power. The lap times were 15 seconds faster than in GT3. The tyres have great grip. It is a real race car. I was quite worried because I had never driven the Hypercar before, but I felt good from the first lap because the car is stable and gives good feedback. To go fast is very difficult, but it’s a lot of fun. I have to say thank you for the great experience and I hope that I have another chance to try the car.”
Ferrari development driver Arthur Leclerc certainly made his mark at the Rookie Test. He took the wheel of the #50 Ferrari 499P of Ferrari AF Corse, winner of the last 24 Hours of Le Mans, and proved to be the fastest among the rookie drivers, finishing just eight hundredths behind Nicklas Nielsen. Victor Martins, who competes in the FIA Formula 2 world championship, drove the Alpine A424 and came third. Phil Hanson made his debut at the wheel of the AF Corse #83 Ferrari 499P which he’ll be driving next season. He achieved the sixth-fastest time.
In the LMGT3 class, Ben Barnicoat put in a remarkable performance, outclassing the field in the Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F LMGT3 and setting a time almost seven-tenths of a second quicker than his rivals. Meanwhile, Mahaveer Raghunathan drove the Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3, Saturday’s race winner, and secured second place among the rookies, just ahead of Aurélien Panis, son of former Monaco Grand Prix winner Olivier Panis, who shared the car with Barnicoat.
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1. Arthur Leclerc – Ferrari 499P 1:50.460
2. Valentino Rossi - BMW M Hybrid V8 +0.117s
3. Victor Martins - Alpine A424 +0.257s
4. Max Hesse - BMW M Hybrid V8 +0.359s
5. Thomas Neubauer - Ferrari 499P +0.570s
6. Philip Hanson – Ferrari 499P +0.964s
1. Ben Barnicoat - Lexus RC F LMGT3 2:01.772
2. Mahaveer Raghunathan - Ferrari 296 LMGT3 +0.851s
3. Aurélien Panis - Lexus RC F LMGT3 +0.870s
4. Matteo De Palo - Ferrari 296 LMGT3 +1.194s
5. Tom Gamble – McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo +1.399s
6. Mattia Drudi – Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 Evo +1.400s
The 2024 FIA WEC season concluded with victories for Toyota Gazoo Racing and the #6 Porsche 963 drivers Laurens Vanthoor, André Lotterer and Kevin Estre. In 2025, the FIA WEC will count eight rounds, with the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025) as the highlight. The season will kick off with the Prologue (21-22 February 2025) and the Qatar 1812 km (28 February 2025).
