TEAM QATAR BY IRON LYNX CLAIMS SECOND CONSECUTIVE ELMS PODIUM

Team Qatar by Iron Lynx achieved their second consecutive podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps as the fourth round of the European Le Mans Series came to a close in perfect racing conditions at the legendary venue.

Despite being comfortably in the lead early and losing a very possible victory only due to an ill-timed safety car situation, the #62 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 and its crew showcased strong pace and fought back to a brilliant third place at the end of the 4-hour event.

Abdulla Al-Khelaifi started from third place after a solid qualifying effort in damp conditions, and quickly gained one spot on the opening lap. The team’s quick pit-stop work led to another position gained up to P1, where the #62 car stayed for most of the first half of the race. Unfortunately, one of the many early safety cars that punctuated the day benefitted the teams that had already made their second stop. Despite being relegated outside the top five, Julian Hanses and Maxime Martin delivered a stunning recovery, gaining ground on their closest title contenders and maximizing the strategy with a third-place finish.

Starting from P10 after a solid qualifying run by Ameerh Naran, the #63 car seemed set for a possible chance at winning as it was among those that vaulted to the front. Unfortunately, Rui Andrade was pushed off track by an LMP2 car, which resulted in a major time loss that cancelled out the strategy advantage. Despite having the pace to battle at the front with Sergio Sette Câmara, the car crossed the finish line in P8. 

Today’s podium elevated the #62 crew to third place in the championship standings with two rounds to go. On the other hand, Al-Khelaifi won his second Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the most valuable driver in the LMGT3 race.

The European Le Mans Series will be back on track for Round 5 at Silverstone, while Iron Lynx moves towards Texas for the Lone Star Le Mans FIA WEC race.

We had a very solid race, with a split strategy between the two cars. Both cars led the race at different stages, reflecting how effective both our strategies were. Unfortunately, the timing of the safety car cost the #62 a clear shot at victory. The #63, which was also within reach of a similar result, was taken out of contention for the win after being pushed out by a prototype. The championship battle is now extremely close, with the #62 in third place, just six points behind the leader. With two races remaining, we’re ready to push for the title.

Andrea Piccini – Team Principal & CEO

Finishing on the podium with Team Qatar by Iron Lynx, I’m really happy for the team. For sure we had a tough race, with lots of different strategies and safety cars, but my teammates Abdulla and Julian did a mega job again to keep the car in front, and I just had to finish. It was good for the team and I hope they will continue and fight for the title.

Maxime Martin – Driver, car #62

We scored third place in the race and I got the most valuable driver award thanks to the fan vote. I’m very happy with the team and car for this round. We got a bit unlucky with the safety car, but we still scored some good points and climbed up to P3 in the championship with a small gap. We are still in the fight, and hopefully we can get it done in Silverstone.

Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Driver, car #62

We had a really strong pace, and we were really pleased with the car. Ameerh and Rui did a mega job, but Rui was squeezed off the track by an LMP2 car, which was later penalized for that. It put us into the gravel, and we lost 55 seconds. We finished around 30 seconds off the leader so on paper, we were in contention for the win. It’s a shame this contact happened, but I’m proud of the whole team, happy for the performance of the car, and looking forward to Silverstone.

Sergio Sette Câmara – Driver, car #63