TEAM QATAR BY IRON LYNX WINS SILVERSTONE ELMS THRILLER

Team Qatar by Iron Lynx claimed a history-making victory today in the penultimate round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone.

It was a win for the ages. For the first time, the Qatari national anthem was played in a championship of this calibre, for the trio of Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Ralf Aron. Al-Khelaifi also became the first Qatari driver to win an ELMS race, and the points scored over the weekend moved the #62 crew to the top of the championship standings with one round to go at Portimão. It was also the first win for the Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 since its 2025 debut in ELMS/FIA WEC specification.

Starting from pole, Al-Khelaifi made an excellent getaway and stayed in the fight for victory even as the British weather came into play. The team then faced a tricky strategy decision, and Ralf Aron rejoined in P2 for the middle part of the race. The Estonian delivered a stunning pass for the lead and stayed in front into the final hour, when Julian Hanses took over. The German did not disappoint, chasing down a competitor on a different strategy to reclaim first place before winning an epic side-by-side battle with the #33 Corvette to take victory.

Aron was also awarded the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, having been voted the best driver of the day.

The #63 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3, unfortunately, was forced to retire early. After a stellar run for Ameerh Naran in qualifying, the Zimbabwean started from P5 and ran a highly competitive opening stint. While holding a solid position, Naran was hit by a prototype but continued, until a fellow LMGT3 competitor spun directly in front of him and left him nowhere to go. The resulting damage ended his race and meant teammates Rui Andrade and Sérgio Sette Câmara never got to drive.

Iron Lynx now heads to Japan for the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, before contesting a highly anticipated ELMS finale in Portugal.

It is a truly special day. Abdulla, Ralf and Julian put in an incredible drive all day long, on a challenging day in terms of conditions and strategy. When the virtual safety car came out at the beginning it was a close call, but we made it work and it was a historic result for all of us, for Team Qatar and for Mercedes-AMG. We also need to praise Ameerh for the amazing job he did from qualifying through to the race. He is becoming a true contender, and the crash he was involved in takes nothing away from what he has been able to accomplish.

Andrea Piccini – Team Principal & CEO

Finally, we have our first ELMS win. It was an incredible feeling to stand on the top step of the podium and listen to the Qatari national anthem. I’m very proud of what we accomplished today, taking the win and the championship lead. We still have one more round left, and we’ll do our best to fight for the title.

Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, driver car #62

Finally, P1! We put in so much work this weekend, from morning to night, and I’m very, very happy. Ralf brought so much knowledge and pace, and gave us a lot of tips on how to improve. Abdulla did an amazing job, the whole team did an amazing job, and I’m so proud of everyone. All the work paid off. I’m so grateful to Team Qatar by Iron Lynx, to QMMF for keeping me in this project, and to all the people who put their trust in me. Now, let’s go to Portimão!

Julian Hanses, driver car #62

Where do I start? It was a hectic race. Abdulla made a great start and was running in P2 early on, but he closed the gap. Then I jumped in the car in the rain, and deciding which tyres to use was a challenge because it was a hybrid situation. Part of the grid went on slicks, the others on wets. We decided to switch from slicks to wets, and I was able to bring the car up to P1. At the end, Julian jumped in and did a fantastic job to get us the win. Honestly, it was a surreal weekend for me. I don’t know where to start with all the thanks to everybody. Thanks to Team Qatar, Iron Lynx, Mercedes-AMG, and all the engineers and mechanics.

Ralf Aron, driver car #62 & Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver