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Antonio Giovinazzi Triumphs in Thrilling WEC Season-Opener, Secures Qatar Pole for Ferrari

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
February 27, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 2 mins read
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Antonio Giovinazzi Triumphs in Thrilling WEC Season-Opener, Secures Qatar Pole for Ferrari

In a thrilling start to the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, Antonio Giovinazzi of Ferrari AF Corse snatched the pole position for the season’s curtain-raiser, the Qatar 1812 km, slated for February 28th.

The inaugural qualifying session of the year was a nerve-wracking spectacle, with a field of 18 Hypercars vying for the top spot. This marked the second season of the Q1-Q2/Hyperpole qualifying format, requiring drivers to battle it out for a place in the top 10. The tension was palpable as razor-thin margins separated the contenders during the intense struggle for Hyperpole positioning.

Ferrari AF Corse, fresh off their solid performance in FP3, took to the track as strong frontrunners for the season’s first pole position. The team’s factory Ferrari 499P LMHs demonstrated their mettle by clinching the first and second spots in Q1, separated by a mere 0.022 seconds.

Not all participants enjoyed a smooth ride, however. Brendon Hartley, behind the wheel of his #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, found himself spinning out on a fast lap after veering slightly wide on the curbs. This mishap resulted in Hartley and his crew being slated as the final car out of the 18 Hypercars for Friday’s race.

On a brighter note, Jean-Eric Vergne expertly maneuvered the #93 Peugeot 9X8 LMH into the Hyperpole shoot-out, while Antonio Fuoco managed to recover from a minor hiccup where he took a corner too wide and sent his #50 Ferrari skimming across the gravel trap.

Giovinazzi maintained his lead, clocking the fastest lap time of 1:38.359 in the #51 Ferrari. He was closely followed by Dries Vanthoor in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, who trailed by just 0.136 seconds. Fuoco secured third place in his #50 Ferrari with a lap time of 1:38.692.

JOTA, celebrating their 25th anniversary, made a commendable fourth and fifth place finish in their debut race with the Cadillac V-Series.R machinery. Alex Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais piloted the #12 and #38 Cadillacs respectively, with Lynn edging out his teammate by a slim margin.

The remaining top-ten positions were rounded out by Robin Frijns (#20 BMW), de Vries (#7 Toyota), Robert Kubica (#83 AF Corse Ferrari), Charles Milesi (#35 Alpine A424), and Vergne (#93 Peugeot).

Porsche Penske’s #5 963, driven by Julien Andlauer, secured 11th place, followed closely by the #94 Peugeot and Stoffel Vandoorne. Mick Schumacher in the #36 Alpine clinched 14th place, with the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie driven by Marco Sorensen hot on his heels.

The grid of 18 Hypercars was completed by Neel Jani in the #99 Porsche 963 for Proton Competition, the #007 Aston Martin driven by Harry Tincknell, and Hartley bringing up the rear.

The Qatar 1812 km race is scheduled to commence on Friday, February 28th, at 14:00 local time or 11:00 UTC. With the starting positions now set, the stage is ready for what promises to be a riveting season of World Endurance Championship racing.

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