FIA WEC: Strong season-opener for the BMW M Hybrid V8 – BMW M4 GT3 EVO scores podium at debut. – AutoMart Canada

Doha.
At the season-opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship
(FIA WEC) in Qatar, the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO
delivered strong performances, making a significant impact in the
competition against the world’s top manufacturers. The two BMW M
Team WRT hypercars finished in fourth and seventh places
respectively, earning valuable points for the World Championship
standings. In the LMGT3 class, the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3
EVO achieved a podium finish, coming in third
.

At the start of its second season in the FIA WEC, the BMW M Hybrid V8
demonstrated strong pace. In qualifying, Dries Vanthoor (BEL) secured
a spot on the front row with a second-place finish in 1:38.495 minutes
– a first for the hypercar, missing pole position by just 0.136
seconds. Robin Frijns (NED) also made it into the top-ten Hyperpole
with the sister car.

During the race, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 initially fell back, but the
team, including Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen (DEN), and Raffaele
Marciello (SUI), fought their way back to the top positions with
strong lap times over the ten-hour race. In the end, only the three
Ferraris, which battled among themselves for the win, were faster. The
#20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Frijns, René Rast (GER), and
Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), was at one point in third place but
finished seventh due to varying strategies.

In the LMGT3 class, a BMW M Motorsport crew celebrated a podium
finish. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin
(AUS) drove the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to third place,
mounting a remarkable comeback from 14th on the grid after a setback
in qualifying. The #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, piloted by Kelvin van der Linde
(RSA), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), faced
challenges and finished eleventh in the LMGT3 class.

Comments after the race:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “This was a
very good start to our second season in the FIA WEC. Our two BMW M
Hybrid V8s showed strong pace from the Prologue, and with a second
place in qualifying, we underscored our ambition to compete for the
podium. Unfortunately, the Ferraris were a bit too strong in the race,
but we are satisfied with fourth and seventh places. We are happy
about the important points for the World Championship standings and
the continuation of our positive trend from the end of the 2024 season
and the Daytona IWSC opener a few weeks ago. We can definitely build
on this performance. Congratulations to Augusto Farfus, Timur
Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin for their podium in the LMGT3 class.
Our new BMW M4 GT3 EVO has once again proved that it can be a
guarantee for success. Thanks to everyone who worked hard over the
winter to get us into this good starting position for the season.”

Vincent Vosse (Team Principal, BMW M Team WRT):
“Looking at where we were in Qatar a year ago, we have
improved significantly. Not making it to the podium with our hypercar
is tough, but the Ferraris were hard to beat. The guys did an
incredible job, and we are happy to take the result home. Of course,
we want more, but we collected important points here. In the LMGT3
category, we had a challenging weekend and not the fastest car. Still,
making it to the podium with the #31 is very positive. The #46 seemed
to lose some pace during the race. We need to analyse the reasons for that.”

Dries Vanthoor (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 4th
place): “After starting second, fourth place might not be
the result we hoped for, but we didn’t have a flawless race –
including from my side. Without these mistakes, we could probably have
fought for third place, even though there was no way past the Ferraris
this weekend. They were incredibly fast in every session, making it
very difficult to beat them. That was clear from the start. I think we
can be satisfied. I believe we can be proud of the progress we’ve made
compared to last year. However, we are not there yet. It’s clear that
we are not the fastest yet – so we need to keep working hard.”

Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M Team WRT, #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid
V8, 7th place): “That wasn’t bad. We can really be
satisfied with the progress we’ve made in a year. Looking at where we
were last year – both cars outside the top-ten – we’ve made a huge
step forward. I think we can really be proud of BMW M Motorsport for
giving us a car that we can really race with. The drivability has
improved tremendously, and that now allows us to compete with other
cars. As a driver, that’s a great feeling because you feel that you’re
also doing a better job.”

Augusto Farfus (The Bend Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 3rd
place LMGT3 class): “Considering where we started and where
we finished the race – nobody would have predicted this. It shows what
a great team we have behind us and what a strong driver lineup, as we
executed it perfectly. Taking a podium home feels like a win. After
qualifying, we wouldn’t have expected this result. Third place gives
us great hope that we can maintain the momentum.”

Kelvin van der Linde (Team WRT, #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 11th place
LMGT3 class): “It’s frustrating that we finished the race
outside the top-ten. We have so much potential within the team and our
driver line-up. For some reason, we didn’t have the same pace as our
sister car. The team will investigate this. We also need to put the
penalties behind us. We need to deal with it, shake off the result,
and look forward.”